January - the new semester begins

Posted by Krystyna Hunt in

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The 3 weeks of Christmas were quiet with the precious rest I needed so much.  I slept until noon many days.

Originally I dreaded the idea of 3 classes a week starting at 8:00 AM but I have been happily informed that was an illusion.  The times beginning at 8:00 would mean the Sheridan Sun room would be open and can be used at that time, but it would not necessarily be for lectures.  We simply had that time frame to do our work, if we wanted to.  Friday does have a class again starting at 8:00 AM, so there I have not been spared.

The classes this time are:

The College Globe Lab (production of the College's weekly newspaper)
Photojournalism
Writing for Newspapers 2
Electronic Publishing
A general elective
Globalization and the Post Modern World
Editing for Print and Internet

Originally I chose Classic Mythology for my elective but was dismayed by the 40 or so raucous students in the class which the teacher seemed unwilling or unable to contain.  I changed to an online elective, Aging Matters - I figured I should be on top of that subject - but found the teacher and course so confusing which is deadly if it happens online.  So now I am happily settled in CyberNation, about the impact of changing technology on society and am happy there.  It is also an online course, but very organized and well-laid out and quite interesting.  I discovered I am a postmodernist.  It's good to have a clan.  I always wanted to belong to a clan.

The newspaper lab is fun.  We replicate a real newspaper and publish a real newspaper weekly, the Globe.  No group work here, thank heavens.  The Globe is supposed to be the newspaper of the College and students could be mistaken it is their organ of information.  It is sort of, but their communication needs do not drive it as the purchasers and subscribers' needs drive real, professional newspaper.  It exists to provide the journalism students a lesson in writing, layout, photojournalism and publishing, using the College and campus as a focus for our lessons.  It may or may not contain useful news for college and staff, but if it doesn't no one on the paper worries too much.  Anyone who sends the Globe a media release hoping something important to them will be published often finds themselves disappointed because often what is important to them is not in our lesson plan.

Being a reporter on the paper at least has provided me with an outlet to go our there and talk to people and take pictures of them and I must say, it is quite pleasant.  So far I have written on the joys and problems of being a mature student.  I spoke with six mature students and it was good to share some stories.  As I suspected most are in social work, health and business.  Also everyone, except the higher brass, hates group work.  Some are in the majority of their classes.  Alas, Carol has not returned this semester and I fear she has fallen away.  Just couldn't manage all the adult responsibilities and fulltime schooling.  That leaves me the only person over 25 in the class.   The class is thinner as at least nine others have also fallen by the wayside either by quitting or changing courses.

I have also written an article on awareness of learning disabilities being a hidden disorder that is often mistaken for weakness of character, and now I am pursuing interviewing a local hero of human rights activism.  The editor/teacher likes my stories.  He told he wished other people would come up with as many story ideas as I do.  It's good to be praised by someone for doing a good job.  It's been so long in my life that someone has done that.  It's what keeps me in this program and in this place.

The winter here is very cold and getting up at 4:45 AM for my Friday class to stand on a train platform while the wind whips about in the morning dark, is truly a pain.  But then I think of the people of Haiti to put it into perspective.  It would be nice to step out of the college building and get some fresh air but the College being in such a open, rural spot the cold is particularly intense and not fun here.

The vote to strike was 57% in favour.  It does give the Union a mandate to strike on a week's notice, but at 57% the faculty is divided and is not willing to suffer much deprivation.  It was generally thought that the Union would never call a strike with such a weak mandate, but today we learned that the Union rejected the Colleges' final offer.  Oh-oh.  A strike would be devastating to my finances.