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Wednesday, August 22, 2007

I've had enough of this nonsense, already.

. . . which is merely to report that there are problems--some problems--with my online courses. I am not, however, freaking out. It's a part of my new personal non-freakout policy. At this late date, and at this advanced age, it has finally occurred to me that my freaking out upsets people who care about me, and, moreover, people that I care about. So I'm quitting. Cold turkey.

I have not freaked out upon the following occasions, when:

1. I realized that the wrong section of my composition course was associated with WebCT, which meant that the e-mail I had just sent to all my students would make no sense to them.
2. one of the speakers in our living room stopped emitting sound.
3. probably some other stressful occasions I can't exactly remember right now.

Part of the problem is, apparently, I've been a big enough freaker-outer in the past that I can no longer utter even the tiniest little shriek without my offspring swarming all over it, telling me to calm down. "I'm calm," I say, in a calm voice. "No, you're starting to stress," they rejoin, which of course makes me want to Freak. Out.

No more, I say. Life's too short. I am going to practice the breathing and the counting to ten and the "life's too short" speech. Then I am going to lie down, possibly cry a little, or shriek into my pillow. Then breathe and count some more.

3 comments:

  1. 1) WebCT is a problem, and you have every right to shriek and scream away at it--though it, being a but a soul less chunk of software, remains unmoved by our protests. Still I'm of the school of catharsis. Yell away.
    2) I'm glad you are on a new program of calmness, but does this mean that I can no longer make incendiary comments during 2010 committee meetings? Or should I save those comments now for faculty senate?
    3) Something about WebCT needs to go into the ballad of the English teacher. I'll expect a quatrain in a few days time. WebCT is keeping us down! And even when its working its fucking slow!

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  2. Serenity now! Serenity now!

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  3. I think you worry too much.

    In all my online class experiences, your class was by far the best. So much in fact, I hate taking them now. I expect each class to have cool modules and so far? Not so much.

    I guess what I'm saying is you ruined my schooling. ;)

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