Today I return to class after having a few weeks off due to
the Winter break. It has been a great
few weeks to regroup, refresh, and regain perspective on a lot of things. Important perspective.
I remember a conversation I participated in with other
part-time students before the break.
This was during a Part-Time Student Association lunch. There weren’t a lot of students there, but a
nice group nonetheless. We kind of
came to a revelation that because we’ll be in GSE longer than a good amount of
the other GSE students (some of whom will only be in it for 1 year!), we have
an opportunity to be a great resource for the school and the students. I hope to take advantage of that a little
more this semester by focusing more on the people of GSE and not so much the
work I receive from my GSE class. I will
still work hard, but will try to stress less!
The time off was important.
Between your own life and what’s happening in the lives of others (even
those who are hundreds of miles away from you), you realize that there’s more
to life than that 25 page paper you stressed over toward the end of the semester. It’s also about those other students who stressed
over the 25 page paper as well! It’s
about the experiences, learning from each other, helping each other, and not
taking a day for granted.
In the midst
of trying to complete one assignment to the next, or completing one reading
after another, I think I let the entire Fall semester whiz by me. I didn’t stop to really soak in just how
beautiful it was that a group of students from all over the world could gather
together in one classroom (or Blackboard, or Canvas) and freely expand on or
create knowledge.
So this semester, I hope I can slow down and soak it
in. I’ve been blessed with a longer
amount of time to soak it in than some students get. I’ve already heard several 1-year GSE
students say that their year went by so fast.
For me, it will take longer, but it will still be done before I know it. And if I continue to
let it whiz by me, I will look back one day and think, “I wish I would have
just stopped and, I don’t know…learned a little bit more about my classmates.” So I
hope I can stick to this for the semester.
The even greater part is, I think it will help me overall as I continue
to balance part-time school with the other responsibilities in my life. So we’ll see.
Here’s to a great Spring semester, and a great 2013 as well.
*Comic: Ph.D Comics by Jorge Chan: http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php
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