Worth pondering...

An email went out at work this morning linking to this:
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/09/24/buttons

Several more emails arrived in my inbox from the University Library listserv people about how it seems just a tad off that this is "unlikely to enforce this for faculty" (a quote from an emailer who heard President White at a meeting). The resounding question: What about civil service staff? Mind you, this really doesn't bother me as I'm not one to parade around my political opinions on a button, t-shirt, or bumper sticker, but why the special treatment for faculty? The answer is what I would like to learn this week. Whatever the case, I have gotten to read some hilarious emails from staff members about how when they are hauled out for wearing their political button they'll be sure to toss it to a faculty member.

Have a great non-partisan kind of day!

I am not crazy.

Over the last week in school, I continued to learn about how I learn. More specifically, I found out that I combine thinking about things with learning by doing. I already knew that I learn things best by jumping in and doing them, but I hadn't thought about the thinking part. It's true, though. I usually try to work a technical problem out in my head before I get to the hands-0n stage.

More interestingly (for me at this time, anyway) is what I've learned about pregnancy hormones (an example of learning by doing?). A couple of days ago, in the span of about ten minutes, I went from tearing up at a song I heard on the radio, to thinking something else on the radio was ridiculously funny when it probably wasn't, to having to keep myself from laughing while walking from my car to my building because I was thinking of something else "hilarious." I just kept thinking that people out walking near me must have thought that I was totally insane because here I am, just smiling away at nothing. All I can say is I feel bad for my poor husband, who usually gets to experience these mood swings when they're on the not-so-funny end.

Finally, the best thing I learned this week is that in February (or perhaps March, if being late is hereditary) we'll be welcoming a baby girl to the family. Now I just have to get used to thinking of Baby as a she instead of as an it.

Time flies by.

I didn't mean to wait until so late in the week to get this out. In fact, I knew what I wanted to write about on Monday. However, a wicked sinus infection has kept me home in bed for most of the week, and so many things have not gotten done yet. Exhibit A: We are moving to a bigger apartment tomorrow and have yet to pack up most of our things. Luckily, we get a week to complete the move.

On to things I've learned this week. I did a lot of reading about how we learn this week. It got me thinking about how I have retained so much information that I learned on my own (i.e. not in school) and not so much about some things that I was taught at school. For instance, I can remember my favorite Backstreet Boy's (product of the '90's anyone?) favorite color, sport, and food, but geometry proofs escape me entirely. I'm not entirely embarrassed to admit this, because boy bands were wildly more interesting to me at the time than math. So for me, it seems, self-directed learning has more "stay-power" than things I was made to learn. I learned a little about how I learn this week. I'm sure that by my next post I'll have learned a little about how I pack up a life in one evening.