I went and saw my astronomy teacher today. I got a D on my first homework and I don’t think I did well on the first quiz last week. I’m not a D student. I just can’t seem to get the concepts to stick together. Everything just flutters around my cavernous skull like a lot of eratic moths. Maybe I went to him to just whine, Tom certain has no sympathy for my lack of focus, nor should anyone else. Maybe I went in hopes that I could make him see I’m no D student. I’m sure he couldn’t care less. I’m the one getting the grade. I’m the one that has to do the work. He did give me a bunch of advice about keeping a day planner and using tutors and finding a quiet place to study. All the obligatory suggestions a teacher is supposed to give a student. I don’t need time management, I need a hammer to the head for taking on such much stuff at once.
I did benefit from our discussion. He talked about rearranging formulas and writing out sentances that describes the formulas, sort of a reverse word problem. And somehow I had missed the questions at the backs of each chapter. I thought they were just a list of key concepts, but they are actual questions, just like on the exams. So I can torture myself by taking lots of self imposed tests all the time. I got through 12 questions from the hardest chapter and I am already feeling smarter. I’m an A student, damnit. I will do good in this class if it kills me.
Once thing I took away from our meeting, is that, yes indeed, I am very lucky that I’m able to freelance and go to school. Many students don’t have the luxury of marketable skills that can be managed into small, bite-sized projects. I should be happy to have them. They are keeping me out of hot water. Plus all the art I sold last month! So what am I whining over? I’m whining because astronomy is hard and I have to apply myself? Pshaw, shut your trap and open your book, girl! You are smart. and this isn’t rocket science. Well, most of it anyway.