Everything is going pretty well this week and I thank God for that as it doesn’t happen often. I wouldn’t say it was “smooth sailing” because it’s the education field and nothing is ever “smooth sailing”. However, I will say that it was one of my easier work weeks.
There are so many things that I had to do for my students; I’m amazed that I’m still awake while typing. On top of that, I had to get my tuition taken care of for this month – and the next semester. I wanted to make sure that my last semester was paid for before I begin my next semester. That was the easiest part, believe it or not. The other things on my list…not so much.
WordPress is working with me to fix my website/blog so I’m going to keep this short. The Crimeverse is coming along swimmingly and I’m beyond tired from the Halloween party that my school had. It was amazing and now I am beat! Still, please don’t forget to follow me on my social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads) on my web page’s right side. Also, I love hearing suggestions of what books to read outside of my norm (Science fiction and Fantasy) as I am a part of the Goodreads’ reading challenge for 2023. I am happy to announce that I have completed my 2023 Challenge and still going.
These past two weeks have been a testament to my patience and my ability as a teacher. Even during the weekends, I hadn’t been able to get a real moment to breathe. Even as I type this blog, I’m still trying to wrap my head around it all. I mean…I knew I was going to have to deal with teenage rebellion at some point and I thought I was really for it. Oh, boy, I was so wrong.
It has been three weeks, and I am already tired. Yes! I’m three weeks into the new high school semester, and I can feel new gray hair growing. I should be annoyed about it, but it’s the opposite. I’m happy. Elated, even. I’m back with my students – old and new – and I’m teaching old and new material. But teaching isn’t the only thing that causes more gray hair to grow. A lot more, actually.
The first week of school is completed, and I am beyond proud of my students. My class got bigger by three students, and I’m already enamored by their dedication to their goals. Most of them already know what they want to major in for their university while some have an idea but not where to start. However, a few of them don’t know what they want to do because of the many choices available to them. Sure, they are nervous about that…but I let them know that that’s part of the fun of their journey.
For thirteen days, I was in the “Comital City” and fell in love with everything about it. The people. The food. The history. Everything about Barcelona was what I was missing in China and what I wished America could be. I still do, actually. However, I will not focus on that. Instead, I will gush over what I did in the lively city. But where do I start? Oh! I know! I’ll start with my living arrangement.
Last year, China lifted the travel ban for obvious reasons, i.e., tourists make up most of their revenue. It doesn’t matter because I finally get to travel to different countries during holidays. At first, we were all hesitant about it because we didn’t really trust them (the government) so our boss volunteered as tribute. as he wanted to visit his family. He left and came back safe and sound so now we are all traveling to different places. For me, it’s Barcelona.
Today is a good day for many reasons. I just finished my last paper for my Literary Theory and now I can return to my actual writing (I was only doing about 25%). I will admit that this class was something fierce and gave me a newfound respect for literary theorists. I mean, the amount of analytical thinking involved with this type of narrative nonfiction is quite something. It’s something else entirely and I know hands-down that I’m not going anywhere near it after I finish this class.
Let me be the first to admit this openly: I don’t have much of an analytical bone. When I read books, I notice things and can examine the surface meaning and themes of the books. However, I can’t say I can apply criticism/lenses to them. You know…psychoanalytical, feminist, Marxist, deconstructionist, and such. And, it’s because of this that I’m having a difficult time in my current class.