Test Results

Well, I finally got my test scores back.  I say finally because it took my Interpersonal Communication teacher 1 1/2 weeks too finish grading the tests!  Okay, so, here it is:  On my Spanish test I got 96%, on my Interpersonal Communication test I got 93%, and on my Science test I got......... 100%!  Yay!  The Science teacher laid it out for us again about who got what.  5 As, 4 Bs, 7 Cs, 5 Ds, and 7 Fs.  And only one person got 100%.  I felt a little bit honored, but it did make me a bit of a target.  News got around about who it was who got 100%.  One of them asked me, "What's your secret?"  I explained my studying techniques and the girl next to her gasped and said something to the effect that, "So you have to do flashcards all weekend instead of going out."  Gee, I don't study THAT much.  But I guess I let them down.  There is no easy secret.  It just comes from studying, and that's how you do it.

In my Interpersonal Communication class we watched a film called The Station Agent.  It's about a dwarf and his life experiences and how he befriends some people.  Well after the movie, and in conjunction with an article we had to read, we came to a discussion of hurtful words, and how some commonly used words can be very hurtful to some people.  Among them were retarded and midget.  The word midget has a history in sideshows, which is why it is so hurtful, the correct terms being dwarf or little people.  I included the word ma'am.  I hate that word.  I don't think anyone should ever use it.  It's very hurtful.  But the teacher insisted that some people like to be called ma'am.  She didn't say who, though.  I've never met anyone who likes to be called ma'am.  What do you think?  Is there anyone who likes to be called ma'am?  Anyhoo, at least I tried, and got it out there.

We also talked about "totalizing" others.  This is where you attribute a whole host of characteristics to someone based on only one piece of information about that person, and it's usually negative.  I mentioned that homeless people are "totalized."  As I volunteered at a soup kitchen for four years, I can definitely say that homeless people have to take it from everyone.  People just don't have nice things to say or think about homeless people.  Just because they're homeless doesn't mean they're worthless.  They don't deserve to be treated worse than anyone else.  There are certainly people with homes who present well who are rotten to the core--not only homeless people, and not always homeless people.  Some of them have just had hard lives--lives that most people wouldn't deal well with.  Where's the compassion?  Homeless people are just as dynamic, intelligent, and worthwhile as anyone, just less fortunate.  Okay, I'll get off my soapbox.  Just had to get that out of my system.

Test Week

This past week was test week.  Not formally, but it sure seemed like it.  I had 3 tests out of my four classes.  Spanish, Science, and Interpersonal Communications.  I feel pretty confident about my Spanish And Science tests.  On my last Spanish test I got an A, and on my last Science test I got a B.  I'm hoping for two As this time.  And as for my Interpersonal Communications class, I'm not sure what to expect.  This is the first Interpersonal Communications test that I've taken, and it was all essays.  I'm not sure how the teacher will grade.  But I do hope I get an A, as tests are 50% of the grade.

In my last Science test, the teacher laid it out for us how the students did.  3 As, 5 Bs, 4 Cs, 6 Ds, and 10 Fs.  So while it was possible to get an A on the test, it was very difficult.  The guy next to me got an F.  He told me that if he got another F, he was going to drop the class.  I hope he doesn't get another F.  If he decides to stay, I was going to suggest to him that we study together after class and see if he can bring his grade up.  Who knows, it might help me too.  Science is a tough class.  It's practically like learning a new language as so many of the words and terms are new to me.  There's a lot to understand.  Our last test was on mitosis and meiosis and the male and female reproductive systems, as well as hormonal controls.  Through all this, though, I know I have my readers, and that means a lot to me.  Thank you for reading and for your support. :)

Recently

I've been quite busy with school work lately.  In fact, it's practically all I've been thinking about.  Sometimes I feel like I just need a break.  Fortunately, I went out last night, so that helps to break things up a little.

Well, I've taken a couple of tests in a couple of classes--Spanish and math, and so far I've gotten As and A-s.  I just took a big test in science and I won't know, at least until tomorrow, how I did.  I'm hoping for an A, of course, but I think it might have been a B.  I've been reading up on scholarships and so I've put myself under a lot of pressure.  It seems like the better grades I have, the better chance I'll have at scholarships.  Some of them are really big scholarships.  The Jack Kent Cooke scholarship pays up to $30,000 per year for transfer students, that is for students who get their Associates degrees at community colleges and go on to 4 year schools.  THAT'S one that I could really use.  I'm thinking a 4.0 would give me my best shot.

I've decided that I'm going to pursue my Associates degree before trying for the University of Pennsylvania.  There are many reasons for this.  For one thing, a lot of the big scholarships are only for people who have taken a certain number of courses with the intention of getting an Associates degree.  Also, just in case I flake out of school at some point, an Associates degree would be better than nothing.  Another reason, if you have 16 units of Liberal Arts coursework (almost an Associates degree) when applying for Penn, then they don't need your GED score and high school records.  My GED score and high school records aren't the best.  I'd rather apply with a clean slate.  Another reason, in all my years away form school, I'd forgotten the math that I learned in high school.  So I have to do a lot of catching up on math before I go to Penn.  So, those are the main reasons.

Most of my classes are pretty well-behaved, but my Spanish class--oy vey!  There are a handful of students in the back of the class who are really rude.  They're loud and obnoxious and are always making rude comments about other people, including the professor.  And a bunch of the other students seem like they just don't want to learn.  The professor calls on random people throughout the class, and some just aren't prepared at all.  The bad students were also, not surprisingly,complaining about their test scores.    I feel bad for the teacher.  She tries really hard and she gets frazzled by those few obnoxious idiots.  She warned me and one of the other good students not to become a teacher.  Poor thing.  I said to her, "You're a good teacher."  And a few other students agreed, and that made her feel better.

First Week of New Semester

I had a brief two weeks off in between my last summer class and this new fall semester.  I have  a full course load this semester.  I'm taking four classes--Math, Spanish, Biological Science, and Interpersonal Communication.  I have been doing homework ALL  weekend!  Math is easy, Spanish is fun, mostly because I hope to learn to actually speak/read Spanish fluently.  Science is hard, and Interpersonal Communication is weird.

I gave a girl in my Interpersonal Communication class my blog address, so I guess I'll have to be extra careful about what I write (hope I don't get too boring).  I thought it would be an easy class given that it's pretty much a soft science, but there's actually a LOT of homework (in Spanish, tarea).

I already speak/read a bit of Spanish, so that class has so far been fairly easy for me.  There is a fair bit of homework, but it's been homework that I don't really mind, because I actually do want to become fluent in Spanish.  It should help me to be able to communicate with 1/4 of the US population for one thing.  Plus, if I ever take a vacation in Mexico, South America, or any other Spanish speaking place, I'll be able to function properly.

In other GOOD news, over my two week vacation I found out that I won two small scholarships!  This happened after I got my second A from my summer classes.  It isn't that much money, but every little bit helps.  Mostly, it just feels nice to be appreciated.  I'll have to go to a scholarship dinner called "Dollars for Scholars" to show my appreciation to the donors.  I also had to sign a release so that the school could publicize my name in newspapers.  These weren't even scholarships for older women.  I actually beat out regular college kids for these scholarships.

Overall, my classes seem okay, most of the students seem like decent people, and most of the professors seem okay.

Hello!  Sorry I've been gone for so long.  Aside from the fact that I've been busy with schoolwork, my computer died, so I've been without a computer for about a week.

It's been an exciting few weeks.  I got my test back (the atomic one) and I got a B.  Phew.  And the professor actually graded on a curve, so I ended up getting an A.  After this, we got the teacher evaluation forms.  I decided to go easy on my teacher since he did give me 100% for class participation.  So I was able to overlook the fact that he laughed at me.

I have a question for you... who has a better military, the US or China?  The question came up in class and I said that the US has a better military.  The kids kept laughing at me for saying that.  They insisted that since China is a bigger country, it therefor has a better military.  It was as if they thought that I didn't know that China was a bigger country than the US.  It obviously is bigger, but does that necessarily mean that it has a better military?  I don't think so.  But I suppose I could be wrong.

So, anyway, I had a TON of studying to do for the final.  I was all nerves going into it.  But my studying paid off, and I got an A in the class.

In a couple weeks I'll be starting the fall semester.  Four classes at a time.  I don't know if I'll be able to handle it all.  I hope that taking these summer classes has given me a bit of a feel for it.

The Atomic Test: A Story of Academic Survival

This American History test that I just took yesterday was so hard that two students dropped the class.  The first one, that guy I had mentioned earlier who never took notes, looked at the test, decided it was too hard (I guess) and walked out.  The other one, a girl who seemed to take notes, took the test, left for break, and never came back.  It was an incredibly hard test.  Even with notes (it was open notebook).  I still think I may have even gotten a C.

This test was also inordinately stressful for me for another reason.  Part of the test was to write two essays.  And it was open notebook.  So I wrote two essays ahead of time, and wrote them in my notebook.  BUT this was a big academic sin in this teacher's eyes.  I didn't know that beforehand, but I was afraid of getting caught for having intended to copy. 

The teacher walked up and down the aisles and checked everybody's notes and study guides.  He didn't notice my little problem.  I thought about just telling him, but it was too late.  I didn't use my pre-written essays, but trying to convince him of that if he knew would probably have been impossible.  Throughout the test, he would take strolls up and down the aisles... flipping through people's notes, reading what you were writing and what you were reading.  I was in sheer terror.  Even after the test was done, I was afraid that he might take a last peek at our notebooks, just to be sure.  I threw out my essays as soon as I got home, so if he EVER checks, he'll never know.

The Latest

I've been studying a lot recently, and have much studying to do this weekend, so sorry I haven't blogged recently.  As for class this week--my teacher laughed at me when I tried to answer one of his questions.  From praise to ridicule.  I just hope it doesn't affect my grade.

My professor discusses a lot of things besides history.  He has been going on and on recently about how bad the K-12 schools have gotten and how kids who "can't" learn should simply be expelled.  I tried to make an argument in favor of the kids who aren't natural students, that "you don't know what they're going through," and he said sarcastically, "You're makin' me cry."  I also said that it is the teacher's responsibility to sort of police the kids and create a good environment.  And also that kids of a certain age are simply wild and teachers have to be able to overlook that.  I don't think my arguments got me very far, but I hope they don't affect my grade. 

We also talked a lot about religion.  I happen to know a fair bit about Catholicism/Christianity, so I'm able to hold my own in a discussion about such things.  In fact, I taught my teacher.  Since that time, he's been quizzing me about my religious knowledge, and I've been able to answer most of the questions.  I hope he doesn't hold it against me if I just so happen to know more about religion that he does.

After class, a girl came up to me and started discussion how arrogant and mean the teacher is and I agreed, but I said I hadn't noticed it until that day.  She said she noticed it the first day.  I guess I hadn't noticed it until he burst out laughing at me when I was making an attempt to participate.  He has his good points, but he does have an obnoxious side.  I just hope it doesn't affect my grade.  Are you starting to notice a theme here?  I don't much care what goes on so long as I can still get a good grade.

New Class

This was the first week of my new class.  I didn't have quite as many nerves this time.  I think I am the oldest person in the classroom, but at least the teacher is older than me this time.  The work seems fairly interesting--it's an American History class from Columbus through the civil war.

Most of the students seem nice except for one really obnoxious, arrogant student.  He has salt n' pepper hair and has to be in his late twenties or early thirties.  He didn't have anything intelligent to say, but he kept talking anyway.  He said things like that Columbus had an affair with Queen Isabel, and that's why she supported him.  And upon hearing that Columbus was destitute and ruined by the end of his life, he said, "He must have been married."  He said many other stupid and obnoxious things.  He didn't take notes in class, and kept badgering the teacher for an A.  I don't even know why he's there.  The only reason that I can think of is that his parole officer made him do it.

But the teacher seems nice.  He's pretty funny too.  He seems to want to really engage the students.  27% of the grade is class participation.  There is a lot of reading to do, and that is mostly to participate in class discussions intelligently.

We watched a movie about Columbus.  One of the things that was mentioned in the movie was how the Indians were so gracious to Columbus and his crew.  They gave them food, and whatever else they liked.  But then they wanted their things back, so this is where the term "Indian giver" comes from.  If you consider the larger picture, that really isn't so awful.  If they were Americans, they would have given the people the things that they wanted, and charged usurious interest rates, thus enslaving them for life.  Of course, Columbus did end up enslaving the Indians.  He might as well have been a Wall Street broker.  He was an adventurer, but also a supreme jerk.

The Final and the Museum Paper

Sorry I haven't blogged for a while.  I've been busy with school work, specifically with studying for the final.  The final was today, and I think (hope) I did all right on it.  It was in the same manner as all of the other tests which I got 100% on.  I also got back my museum paper which I got an A+ on.  Does it seem like I'm bragging?  Well... maybe.  I wouldn't have to brag if anything else in my life was going well.  As it is, my good grades are what I have.  I won't find out for a few days yet what my final grade for the class will be, but I think (hope) it will be an A.

Here is my museum paper for anyone who wishes to read it:

Two Greek Statuettes

In this essay, I will compare and contrast two Greek statuettes.  One, the Limestone Male Statuette from the Archaic period, and the other, a Marble Draped Female Statuette from the Hellenistic period.  These artworks show how art developed over time.  The male statuette is much less developed.  The face is crude and the body is flat and boxy.  The female statuette, on the other hand, is graceful and an archetype of female perfection.  Both small in size, the Archaic piece is about 10” tall, while the Hellenistic piece is about 1 ½” tall.  Though they are from the same general area—Greece, they are quite different.  The artists in both cases are unknown, as is the case in much of ancient artwork.

Both statuettes are attempts at representing the human form.  And they both intend to convey a sense of divinity.  The male statuette was made as a dedication to Apollo.  The female statuette was perhaps a goddess or symbolic of an ideal woman.

I was drawn to these pieces because I like Greek art.  The Greeks were really masters of humanism in art.  These particular works really exemplify a Greek sense of beauty and authenticity, especially the female statuette.  It’s interesting to me also that art progressed as much as it did in this timeframe.  It took the Greeks time to really master the artistic styles that they would become famous for.

Both the Hellenistic and the Archaic periods were times of change in Greece.  The Greek culture during the Hellenistic period was exposed to many different cultural and artistic influences (Hemingway), broadening the abilities and styles of the Greeks.  This particular statuette was probably a copy of a 3^rd century BCE statuette.  Wealthy art patrons of the 1^st century BCE were eager to fill their homes with magnificent Greek art both to demonstrate their wealth, and to demonstrate their good taste.  Greek artistic styles changed dramatically from the Archaic period to the Hellenistic period, as is evident in these two statuettes.  The Archaic period in Greece came on the heels of what is sometimes called the Dark Age of Greece (Kleiner).  Economic conditions improved, and the Greeks began to trade with other countries.  The Greek culture began to come to life again.  Greek style began to become more naturalistic during this time.  The Limestone Male Statuette was an early Archaic statuette from around 600-550 BCE, and lacks much human vigor, which is representative of the age.

The male and female statuettes express different influences in their compositions.  The male statuette is very rigid and blocky, almost like a soldier preparing to do battle.  It is reminiscent of the stiff Egyptian statues intended to convey eternal stillness.  Its arms are held close to the body and both legs are attached, creating the effect of solidity.  With the female statuette, the legs are not even visible under the long flowing robe.  Her right hand appears to be on her hip in a very human gesture of the body.  Her face is very beautiful leaving no doubt that this was either a goddess of some sort, or an emblem of female perfection.

While both pieces express a new naturalism, the female statuette excels at expressing realism.  The composition of the later statuette—the female—indicates a growth in Greek art.  It is far more human and realistic than the male.  The Hellenistic statuette is not only more human, but more three dimensional.  It fully expresses the figure from all sides.  The Archaic figure seems to want to express divinity as something that lacks ordinary human qualities, whereas the Hellenistic figure embraces and perfects human qualities.  It is much more sophisticated that the Archaic statuette.  Rather than removing the human qualities, the female figure brings what is human to a divine level.

The styles of the two are radically different, the male statuette is flat and almost two dimensional.  The back is literally flat and hasn’t been developed at all.  Perhaps in its time it was placed against a wall.  In contrast to that, the female statuette is gracefully developed all the way around, including a bun in the back of her head.  The female makes wonderful use of lines with her long flowing robe.  The folds of the robe were crafted with great skill.  The male holds his right arm over his chest almost as a kind of salute, or expression of reverence, whereas the female statuette is more open—simply standing.  She may have been a kind of stock statuette representing many goddesses at different times for different reasons.  Although rough and chipped from wear, you can imagine that both these statuettes were at one time perfectly smooth in texture.

In conclusion, both these statuettes are an expression of Greek humanism.  The Limestone Male Statuette is a precursor to the more elaborate and realistic Marble Draped Female Statuette.  And from the two different eras it is easy to see how Greek art evolved and became more refined over time, owing much of the new expressions to outside influences, and Greek innovation.

Works Cited

Hemingway, Colette, and Sean Hemingway.  “Art of the Hellenistic Age and the Hellenistic Tradition.”  http://www.metmuseum.org/.  June 12, 2011.

Kleiner, Fred S. Gardner’s Art Through the Ages. Vol. 1. Western Version.  100. 2008.

The Kids are All Right

Another week of school, and I'm feeling like less and less of an outcast.  We needed something called a blue book in order to take our mid-terms on Monday.  Pretty much no one brought one.  One of the students went to the book store and got a whole bunch of them (at 35 cents a piece), and offered them to the other students, including me.  I happened to complete the mid-term at the same time as another student, so we left class at the same time.  On the way out we chit chatted a little about class, the test, etc.  And on Wednesday, I happened to enter the school at the same time as another student, and we chit chatted on our way in to the classroom.  Those things are very nice to me.  I feel as if I am not being ostracized because of my age.  It really makes a difference in terms of my comfort level with the class.  We're all just students there to learn.  The kids don't seem to feel as awkward about my age as I do.  So it's been a good week. 

In terms of the actual schoolwork--we were all required to go to a museum, find two objects to compare and contrast and write a paper about it.  I think we all did our best, but it was hard.  On Wednesday we exchanged papers and did a bit of a peer review.  After that we turned our papers in for corrections and comments, but not for a grade just yet.  We also had a mid-term on Monday.  It was the same format as the quiz, but bigger.  Unfortunately the professor didn't finish grading them all, so we won't know how we did until Monday.  We also had a couple more lectures.

As for homework this weekend--it's mostly reading.  We are going to have another quiz on Wednesday.  The lower grade of the two quizzes will be dropped.  As I already got 100% on the first quiz, I don't really need to do too well on this one.  But I will study anyway.