Back to School

I finished up the last of my coursework for my bachelors degree in 2006 and have not been a student in a classroom since.  I think that accounts for the nerves as I pulled in to the familiar parking lot to begin yet another degree program at the good old University of Phoenix.

I expected to be welcomed by the familiar smell of Wriggles, the deli housed on the bottom floor of the office building.  I'm guessing Wriggles must sell more coffee now, because the smell I anticipated wasn't there.

I walked up to the t.v. monitor to check for my classroom listing.  The interface has changed, and I waited through a bunch of nonsense info while trying not to be distracted by the news ticker running along the bottom.  The screen finally showed my room: 208.

Up the familiar elevator, through the familiar halls, seated at the familiar tables.  Computer plugged into new (and convenient) plugs attached to the tables.  No more fighting over wall outlets and tripping over cords.  Way to go, UoP.  

Small talk with the professor.  Small talk with the students.  Nervous jokes about student teaching, nervous jokes about student loans.  Wondering what I've gotten myself into.

I looked around the room during the introductions phase, wondering who I'd like to scope out to be in my group.  Missing Kim Best, Mike Little, and Tyler Healy - quite possibly the best group members ever to exist at the UoP.

I talked a lot... like normal.  I worried to myself that our little inside joke about how I talk too much and everybody hates me might just end up being true.  There's only 9 people in my class, and it's pretty easy to be too opinionated in such a small group.

One woman in my class is a Challenger kindergarten teacher who, despite working there for many years, completely disagrees with Challenger's methods.  I am completely a product of Challenger's methods.  Buckling in to see how that goes...

We talked about the Praxis and observation hours and how to submit logs and assignments and...

Man, I wish I was back in my marketing bachelor's program.  I finished that with a 4.0.  Not so sure if that's gonna happen this time around.  

We ended class early, and I don't have to go back for a month.  (UoP Alumni get to skip the COMM class.)  I've decided that break is a great time for taking the Praxis 1.  

I wanted adventures, right?  Well, here I come!