Filters

Finals are upon us. 

Or at least upon me. 

And I'm feeling it. 

But we'll get through it. 

The other day I was talking with Rachel and Andrew rather late in the evening, after Rachel and I got home from campus. I have three major papers due in the next three weeks and didn't feel like I had a lot written for any of them (and still somewhat feel like that), but I had to do an oral presentation on one of my papers and when I compiled my slide notes for that I found that I had nearly 2000 words. 

And I called it my first draft. 

"I already have 2000 words in my first draft. They're bad words, but they're words," I said.

"You're using bad words?!" Rachel said, with some feigned pearl-clutching.

"Would you like to know what people really call first drafts in my world? Poopy first drafts, that's what. But they don't say poopy."

"They say crappy?!" Rachel gulped, continuing her feigned horror.

No. They don't say crappy, either...though that's also a word we avoid in our house, to be honest. They use a much stronger word. 

*****

I've been trying to fill my schedule for next semester. It's been difficult for a number of reasons. But I think I'll be able to make things work. One of my classes will be a directed study course and my supervising instructor for that class asked me to compile some readings for her to review and she'll add things to it. That means I have to come up with a reading list. 

She studies homeschooling, and so that is what this class will cover. And I don't really know where to begin or what I'd like to read or should be reading. So I thought I would look up some courses at Nipissing University in Canada because they offer a PhD program on alternative education (including homeschooling and unschooling and things like that). I actually considered going there instead of attending UGA. I would have had to attend classes in person every summer, but during the school year 100% of the courses are online. 

But, I chose UGA. And it's been fine so far. A bit of an emotional rollercoaster. But...I've gotten this far.

Anyway, Andrew installed some filters on our internet and, unfortunately, this means that I can no longer look at anything on Nipissing University's website (including my very own paper that is published in the Journal of Unschooling and Alternative Learning). Our internet filter interprets Nipissing to be a potentially dangerous website. 

Andrew has unblocked it for me before, but he's at a conference right now and can't, so the next best thing will be to disconnect from the WiFi and use my phone's signal instead. 

"Why Nipissing?!" I moaned to Andrew (in a text message). And truthfully, I know why Nipissing—because it's named for the Nbisiing Anishinaabeg. "Why not Nitinkle University or something?!"

Alternatively—and much more seriously—why not Nbisiing University?

Anyway, I'll be disconnecting from our home WiFi soon so that I can see what kind of texts courses at Nipissing University are using in their homeschooling courses.