Surprisingly, this week flew by and wasn’t as stressful as usual. If by the end of a week, I don’t want to quit school for good, then that’s a good sign. I actually would never really do that, but I’ve seriously thought about it several times during this semester from hell. Well, I was getting use to only having a couple real assignments to do, so it took me a little more time to complete the few more assignments that were given this week. I knew that this weekend I was going to go to the country (way out in the sticks) with one of my friends, so I went to the library earlier in the week to complete some of the smaller assignments such as the peer reviews and the reference list. The peer review process is one that has become rather familiar to me, so I just relied on the processes that I always use to complete them. I have the format memorized now, so it’s pretty much second nature to do these. The reference list was also a task that didn’t require a great deal of work. I already knew what sources I used for my Power Point presentation, so I just copied and pasted those. The other sources that I have used in my different genres were already listed in my project prospectus, so I did the same thing with those. I haven’t really added any new sources, but I have chosen not to use some of my old sources (like the ones that dealt with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence theory). Maybe if we are required to do a sources consulted list, then I may include those under that section. Another assignment that I completed this week was an email to the instructor requesting a review of two of my genres. I thought this was a great idea to attain some much needed feedback on my power point and interview (two genres that I previously did not feel confident about). Of course, it’s always helpful to read peer reviews of my work, but in the end, they aren’t the ones responsible for making a judgment about the overall quality of my work. Therefore, it was nice to receive some suggestions from the head honcho in charge of this department. After reading the instructor reviews, I feel a little more confident, but not much. I still have TONS of work to do on my genres to get them perfected, and frankly, I haven’t the slightest bit of extra time to make the necessary changes and revisions. Maybe that will be a goal of mine for next week…but then again, it’s only discouraging for me to set unrealistic goals for myself because I know next week will be a whirlwind of papers, observations, diagnostics, and tests for me. There really won’t be extra time for me to do this. Just a little note…my mom just called me today and told me that she bought me a plane ticket for the day after my last final to come to New York until Christmas. I can’t wait and I’m so glad that I don’t have to drive this year! I think that will be the perfect escape for me and I surely won’t even LOOK at a computer until I have to come back to school. Believe me, there have been days where not only do I want to jump out a window, but I want to throw my computer out as well. Geez…I have a lot of built up hostility toward this semester. I swear I’m not a pessimist, I just think I’ve long surpassed my “breaking point.” Ok, back to the topic at hand. I remember back at the beginning of the semester when I was so worried about making my online journals “good,” and long enough. I have since realized that length really doesn’t matter as long as the most important topics are addressed and that the format is somewhat followed. I mean, I don’t exactly follow the format, but all of the pertinent areas are always covered. I’m just amazed when I think that completing the journal was a stressful task for me. Now, it’s like my weekly online journal is a form of stress relief. It’s also a great way to reflect on past assignments and organize my thoughts for future assignments. I know sometimes if I wouldn’t have written down my ideas or plans for a certain upcoming genre or assignment, I most definitely would have forgotten everything by the time I started to work.

Well, now for the biggie…the unifying genre. I have to say that this genre has caused me great angst. During the last MOO meeting, I decided that I wanted to do a power point as a unifying genre. However, once I thought more about that, it came down to a decision about time. Did I want to put off the Power Point, which requires a great deal of time and effort, until the last genre…or did I want to use the extra time when it was available to me last weekend to complete it then as a regular genre? Looking back, I am glad I went ahead and completed my presentation. I think it turned out decent for my first time working with that type of program. Reading my peer reviews and instructor review helped me to realize that I did an adequate job on that genre. If I would have waited until now to complete the unifying genre Power Point, I don’t think I would have gotten it done in time. I probably would have had fifty slides! Plus, then I wouldn’t know if the final and supposedly most important genre was completed correctly. Although I’m glad to have the Power Point presentation under my belt, I am now left with the dilemma of what exactly to do for a unifier. I guess the one thing my peers and I didn’t discuss in the MOO meeting was “back up” plans for our unifier, if for some reason, we couldn’t use the type of genre we previously decided on. So, here it’s Sunday already and I am still stuck. I’ve come up with a couple of rough drafts during the week and have thought a lot about what I could do, but nothing has really suited me. I guess if I can just get something posted, I can always revise it later (if I could ever find time) or even completely change the genre if needed. The ideas that I have come up with so far have been to do an interview for a TV or radio show, write some type of a letter, or do a newsletter that dealt with SLP’s working with ESL clients. I think the latter idea is best idea so far…but I just wish I knew more about how to do this properly. One question I have is if we are allowed to use a certain type of genre twice, such as an interview or journal entry. I would think the answer would be yes as long as we have completed the genres that are required to use and as long as the genre is on the list. I may go back later on this evening and write about my work on the unifying genre, but for now, I can’t say much because I don’t have any great ideas. I hope that next week’s assignments aren’t abundant, but I have a feeling that they will be. I know there is still a lot of writing and reflection that must go into this project. Even though after tonight, my genres will be complete, I still feel like I only have completed half, or not even half, of this project. The other part will be comprised of reading, revising, and reflecting upon the work I’ve completed for the MRP. I just hope that these tasks will come easier to me than the researching and genre completion. I believe that’s all for this week. The quote below makes me wonder if good ol’ Martha would have felt the same way if she were a senior CD. major this semester? Hmm?!?!
Until next time…

“I’ve learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not on our circumstances.” --Martha Washington