Well my marks are finally in for this semester. One truly craptacular one (yes, to me a B+ is craptacular), and the rest are acceptable. There is nothing more frustrating to me than getting into an exam situation, KNOWING all the material, and just not having enough time to get through it all. I mean, if I didn't know it, that would be a fair assessment, but when I'm only being tested on how fast and accurately I can punch numbers into a calculator and then write down the steps and results (I'm talking statistics here), it's truly disappointing. I was going into that final with an A+. I got 100% on my last two assignments and over 90% on all the others. I KNEW how to do every question - I just couldn't get it all done in time. The fact that I scored 70% on a final when I only completed 5 out of 7 questions tells you I aced the 5 that I completed. But that took me down a full letter grade. *argh*. We don't call it "sadistics" for nothing.
Years ago I remember watching someone expounding on the problems with the current education system. I wish I could find the guy (I've googled to no avail - so if you know who said this, please let me know). I remember he said, "Only in the penal system and the education system is the time served more important than the lesson learned." It's one of my few frustrations with being back in school. I take time to THINK about things. And this isn't a factor of age. Even back in high school, when I excelled in math, I was slow. I have another friend who has a degree in mathematics and he is a self-professed "plodder". But the education system only measures how FAST you can do math accurately. Unless I'm going to be an astronaut and have to hand-calculate some complex equation because all the computer systems failed on my re-entry vehicle, I will NOT need to be crunching numbers on a calculator under horrendous time pressure.
Unfortunately, you cannot get granted more time on tests unless you are diagnosed with a learning disability. That's not likely to happen with my GPA.
On the positive side, my long suffering partner, bless his heart, sat with me for hours each night before finals, and "quizzed" me to help prepare me for exams. He now knows more about the functions of the amygdala than your average man in the street, and you just ask him how many days it takes for us to recycle our olfactory receptors or taste receptors. He knows!
I have managed to garner some study partners this year. (It was really hard my first year. When you are literally old enough to be your classmates' mother and you are older than all your professors, finding study-buddies is challenging). But it really helps to have people to quiz you. When I'm in a pinch though, my sweetie comes through. Unfortunately, there is nothing he can do to help me get faster at statistics.
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