I Almost Quit School Today

[elizabeth09]

[quote name='Saint Therese' date='10 February 2010 - 05:37 AM' timestamp='1265801859' post='2054646']
It sounds to me like you just may have too many things on your plate. Maybe you could clear your schedule for while and de stress. I would think it would be precipitous
to quit school at this point. You've worked hard to get to this point.
[/quote]

Agree to Saint Therese, mainly to the stress.

If I was you, I`ll write down everying you have right now, and see want you need to do right now.

[brightsadness]

Your time is valuable. Maybe it's too valuable for that particular class. Hope Spring Break comes soon.[img]http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/public/style_emoticons/default/blowkiss.gif[/img]

[Nihil Obstat]

Do they give you reading week next week? I know they do at UofA.

[tinytherese]

I really do think that you might have a lot on your plate. Outside stress factors can affect your academic performance. It depends on what your temperament is and what you can realistically handle. My roommate last year was the kind of person who actually enjoyed being busy and she did really well. If I had the schedule that she did I, I would have been off the wall. Imagine someone with 21 credits with two majors who works at least 10 hours a week, chats with her fiance at least once a day over the phone or the net, her mother called her at least once very late or should I say early--5:00 a.m., she was also was an officer in two activities on campus, took plenty of time to read for pleasure, and got hardly any sleep.

[jeffpugh]

[quote name='tinytherese' date='10 February 2010 - 04:50 PM' timestamp='1265838636' post='2054883']
I really do think that you might have a lot on your plate. Outside stress factors can affect your academic performance. It depends on what your temperament is and what you can realistically handle. My roommate last year was the kind of person who actually enjoyed being busy and she did really well. If I had the schedule that she did I, I would have been off the wall. Imagine someone with 21 credits with two majors who works at least 10 hours a week, chats with her fiance at least once a day over the phone or the net, her mother called her at least once very late or should I say early--5:00 a.m., she was also was an officer in two activities on campus, took plenty of time to read for pleasure, and got hardly any sleep.
[/quote]
She's insane. Must eat well and jog as well

[Thy Geekdom Come]

I don't understand...why are you taking a class in something you already know everything about?

[jeffpugh]

To get the credit?

[CatherineM]

It's a required course for Moral Theology.

I went to the doctor today, then talked to my spiritual director for an hour, and then my husband for four hours.

Short answer is that I'm going to withdraw. I have a bad habit of zoning out from the pain so much that I can't figure out that it is affecting me. Sitting in class for hours at a time was causing me a great deal of pain, which in turn was affecting my attention span. My doctor said that just 6 weeks into the term, I have increased the surface area on the outside of my legs that is numb.

My spiritual director told me that I don't need to take any class bad enough to do physical damage to myself. I am going to get with my adviser later to see if we can assess a better direction for my schooling so that I don't have to take classes that aren't challenging enough for me. I may have to transfer. In any event, I will have to buy an ergonomic chair for the classroom so that I can sit for longer periods of time without causing additional nerve damage.

I am disappointed. I'm upset at myself for being defective. I didn't want my husband to disappointed in me. He just said that meant we could spend more time together. I guess I don't have any excuse now to put off finishing my next book.

[mcts]

[quote name='CatherineM' date='11 February 2010 - 01:48 AM' timestamp='1265870901' post='2055193']
It's a required course for Moral Theology.

I went to the doctor today, then talked to my spiritual director for an hour, and then my husband for four hours.

Short answer is that I'm going to withdraw. I have a bad habit of zoning out from the pain so much that I can't figure out that it is affecting me. Sitting in class for hours at a time was causing me a great deal of pain, which in turn was affecting my attention span. My doctor said that just 6 weeks into the term, I have increased the surface area on the outside of my legs that is numb.

My spiritual director told me that I don't need to take any class bad enough to do physical damage to myself. I am going to get with my adviser later to see if we can assess a better direction for my schooling so that I don't have to take classes that aren't challenging enough for me. I may have to transfer. In any event, I will have to buy an ergonomic chair for the classroom so that I can sit for longer periods of time without causing additional nerve damage.

I am disappointed. I'm upset at myself for being defective. I didn't want my husband to disappointed in me. He just said that meant we could spend more time together. I guess I don't have any excuse now to put off finishing my next book.
[/quote]

You aren't defective. You may not be able to do everything that you want, but you are sure effective at some things. You never cease to amaze me with some of the things that you say that you do and have done. You're like Superman in woman form (which is even more awesome)

[CatherineM]

I don't feel much like superman this morning. The Dean and my professor have both been besieging me on the phone this morning trying to figure out some kind of adaption/accommodation so that I can finish this class and stay in the program. I keep telling them that I don't want special treatment. If I can't take the classes on an equal footing with all the other students, I have no business being there. I'm going to go back over and talk some more, but the whole thing is just making me tired at this point.

[Lilllabettt]

You could wheel the ergonomic chair into the classroom you're in now and be okay physically, right.

But it looks like getting that particular degree at this particular school will require you to s*u*c*k it up and be bored to bits. A lot of students go through that, and they decide to persevere, because they need the degree so they can make money, or so they can show up their classmates at a high-school reunion ... these things make it worth it to them.

Why did you want this degree from this school in the first place? Is it a good enough reason?
If its not worth it, quit wasting your time.

Edited February 11, 2010 by Lilllabettt

[AccountDeleted]

[quote name='CatherineM' date='12 February 2010 - 05:26 AM' timestamp='1265912801' post='2055368']
I don't feel much like superman this morning. The Dean and my professor have both been besieging me on the phone this morning trying to figure out some kind of adaption/accommodation so that I can finish this class and stay in the program. I keep telling them that I don't want special treatment. If I can't take the classes on an equal footing with all the other students, I have no business being there. I'm going to go back over and talk some more, but the whole thing is just making me tired at this point.
[/quote]


I know that the popular vote here is for you to quit, and there is nothing intrinsically wrong with this, and perhaps it might be the only solution in the end, but before you do, try to take advantage of every opportunity that is being offered to you. You say you don't want special treatment, but believe it or not, we are not all equal in every way. You obviously have a gifted intellect whereas you might need special physical accommodation. Another student might have other needs.

When I went back to school as an adult to finish my Masters, I had two special needs adopted children at home and I was a single parent. I worked full time and was trying to complete the Masters and a Graduate Diploma in another area. I was given special treatment by both (different) universities and I am so glad I was. I was also given RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning) for subjects that I had already been teaching and knew better than my professors! I finished both degrees and now I am so glad that I did, even though I don't really use either of them right now. The point is that you don't need to beat yourself up over this, but you also don't need to try to do it all alone. Take whatever help is offered, pray to Our Lord for His strength in your weakness, and then make the decision that best allows you to love Him, your family and friends and yourself. There is an old horse riding adage that says to get over rough ground as lightly as possible. One day you will look back at this time and wonder why it all seemed so hard. I know I do. Prayers for you

Edited February 11, 2010 by nunsense

[jeffpugh]

[quote name='nunsense' date='11 February 2010 - 04:39 PM' timestamp='1265924366' post='2055460']
I know that the popular vote here is for you to quit, and there is nothing intrinsically wrong with this, and perhaps it might be the only solution in the end, but before you do, try to take advantage of every opportunity that is being offered to you. You say you don't want special treatment, but believe it or not, we are not all equal in every way. You obviously have a gifted intellect whereas you might need special physical accommodation. Another student might have other needs.

When I went back to school as an adult to finish my Masters, I had two special needs adopted children at home and I was a single parent. I worked full time and was trying to complete the Masters and a Graduate Diploma in another area. I was given special treatment by both (different) universities and I am so glad I was. I was also given RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning) for subjects that I had already been teaching and knew better than my professors! I finished both degrees and now I am so glad that I did, even though I don't really use either of them right now. The point is that you don't need to beat yourself up over this, but you also don't need to try to do it all alone. Take whatever help is offered, pray to Our Lord for His strength in your weakness, and then make the decision that best allows you to love Him, your family and friends and yourself. There is an old horse riding adage that says to get over rough ground as lightly as possible. One day you will look back at this time and wonder why it all seemed so hard. I know I do. Prayers for you
[/quote]
I'm on this woman's side. If you've got knowledge in the course, see if you can take an exam. Push through. You can do it.

[CatherineM]

I wanted to thank everyone for the comments and personal messages.

The Dean actually called my professor all the way out in the North West Territories to discuss the issue with him. He's the Archdiocesan Direct of Social Justice, so he travels around to functions all over the place. They are basically not going to let me drop out until I at least try some accommodations. I had visions of them sending a couple of burly seminarians over to drag me to school.

We are going to pick out a chair next week that will be more comfortable for my back, and I have an appointment with the prof to discuss different things for my reading list. For example, if we are discussing Gaudium which I have already had umpteenth training on, then I will read an ancillary document to lecture on for an hour kind of like a teaching assistant. I see how that goes, tough the class out until the end of the semester, and then see what I want to do next fall.