Halfway up the Mountain

Let me bring back my To-Do list / Concept Map from the beginning of the internship...

Halfway through the Capella Internship….finishing up ED 8550 and moving on to ED 8551 in three weeks.  Wow!!  A little three week break from doctoral courses would be nice….but a little break it will be.  I will explain in a few minutes.
 


If I return to my To-do list/concept map from the beginning of ED 8550, I can review what I have accomplished, what I am still working on, and what did not get done….and how I feel about it….
 
In terms of the Internship…

•    I have completed all the requirements for ED 8550 except leading a meeting…but that’s okay…it will be done in ED 8551.
•    I have established a productive and pleasant professional relationship with my site supervisor, course supervisor, and the individuals with whom I work with at the school board office.  It has been nice to be back!
•    I have added LOTS of artifacts and documents to my eportfolio, and more importantly, it is actually organized and follows some sort of logic!  WOOHOO!!
•    I have had some enlightening, eye-opening discussions with my coursemates (as usual!!).  It was great to be “in class” with some familiar “faces” again like Maureen and Rachele who always provide thoughtful feedback.
•    I am really enthused about how much I have worked on my writing skills through this blog, the discussion questions, the portfolio documents and my literature review.
•    Several items on the To-Do list / concept map are on-going, especially the internship project with its literature review and bibliography.  While the next three weeks are often considered a “break” between semesters, I am aiming to finish the literature review so that I can focus on the curriculum document analysis when ED 8551 starts after Easter.
 
On the professional front….
 
Wow!  What a semester! I am glad that I am teaching three courses instead of four this semester.  I am not sure if I would have been still sane otherwise!  With three weeks remaining in courses, I feel comfortable in stating…
•    I have been successful in making Moodle my friend and using it more often and more efficiently in my courses.  I began using the forum option last semester, and it has become an invaluable resource for classroom management and for document sharing. 
•    PEDA 3133 and 3143 – Wow!  What a great semester!  The students’ presentations and seminars were well organized, full of information and student interaction.  Bravo!
•    One of my articles is coming along.  It ties in with my internship project – it is my literature review!!  I MUST FINISH THIS DOCUMENT!  My other article will explore the internship experience.
•    Études dirigées – This was a new course, and, initially, I felt a bit intimidated.  However, it has been rolling along quite smoothly.  My student and I have been using Moodle and Skype to their full advantage.  It was a learning curve for both of us, but I think that we have met the challenge.
•    It has been a challenge to keep up with corrections and keep on top of course preparation, but I recognized and accepted this at the beginning of the doctorate.  At the beginning of the semester, I told my students what I was up to and that I would not be on campus twice a week.  They have been quite understanding, and I look forward to reading their course evaluations to verify my reflections.
•    I got to go visit my students at the Halifax campus.  I haven’t visited the other campuses in two years because of our work schedules.  It was great to finally get together and have some academic and social chats with my students.

At home – a mommy, wife, daughter, friend….and, myself

When I first looked back at the To-Do list / concept map to write this blog, I thought – “Holy c%$#! A lot of stuff can happen and can get done in ten weeks!”  There are some items that have dragged along (like my articles….), but there are others that have came and went at lightning speed!

•    Noah finished another level at swimming lessons and has finished his first year of hockey!  He went from not wanting to go underwater and not skating to jumping off the side of the pool and skating circles around me….all in ten weeks!!
•    My Dad’s 60th came and went (and with another weekend snowstorm, I celebrated with him via Skype).
•    Gilles finished school, wrote his IP/Red Seal exam, and moved home.  I am beyond proud of all the hard work he has put in over the past four years.  A successful finishing school/passing exam/moving home birthday party was organized and everybody had a blast!
•    There has been some bad news in terms of family and friends who have been stricken with cancer…..it is such an unjust illness…more motivation to participate in the Relay for Life.
•    I have been able to make “Chill Out Time” a part of my life….I actually started and finished a non-academic book during the past ten weeks.  We have gotten to go out on little hikes and go skating every weekend. 
•    My “Healthy Eating” started out well….we cooked over three weekends and froze food to the point that we couldn’t put anymore in the freezer.  However, with the busy schedule of school and internship….and the unwanted arrival of a stomach flu…the healthy eating cooked into survival mode.  The frozen food and giving up treats for Lent did help though!
•    Active living – now, that has been a bit of a disappointment :( I have went running maybe twice over the ten weeks of the internship.  I did go walking a bit….on weekends or during the nice days at the CSAP offices.  This will definitely have to become a priority over the ten weeks of ED 8551, especially if I want to do the 5K at the Bluenoser Marathon in May.

….now, over the next three weeks, I guess I will have to make a new To-Do list / concept map….