[Back to School] Applications and Registration

I wrote previously about how I am enrolling as a student this fall, taking one course a semester in order to complete a minor in education in four years. Here I begin writing about my experiences:

First Steps:

To get things started, I had to apply as a student- non-degree seeking and get accepted. The process was fairly easy with only a few snags after filling out the online application. First, I had to pay a library fee from a poster I had printed this summer. That was only challenging because it took me a while to figure out how to pay it. Every fee except the library is paid through your student account. The library you pay directly through their website. Second, I had to call over several times to find out why I still hadn’t been accepted. It seems that someone just needed to manually click a button to admit me. Because I’m an employee, there are a few obstacles I didn’t have to go through, including having transcripts sent and meeting with an advisor.  For registration, I had to wait to register until after freshman orientation, because they don’t want employees taking any seats away from students. There was still space in the class I needed. Finally, I had to get permission from my department chair to take the course, which involved filling out a form that justified why I was taking the course and certifying that the course would not interfere with my job responsibilities.

So now, I’m enrolled in MSE 1010: Step 1: Inquiry Approaches to Teaching. It is a one-credit introduction to teaching that includes field experiences, co-teaching inquiry lessons at the upper-elementary level. I think they teach students about the 5E Lesson Plan, provide you with a inquiry lesson plan that is nearly complete, and you have to prepare for teaching with your partner. Students have to do a practice run with a Master Teacher and get approved before being allowed to go to the school. I think you end up in the classroom twice during the semester.

Annoying Undergrad Things

So far the only annoying thing related to being a student has been selling of my personal information. I now receive junk mail to my home address from lenders and churches in the area. I have looked into trying to have this stopped, but apparently their system is set up so that if I don’t want my information shared, I have to completely remove myself from the directory. For me as a faculty member that means I wouldn’t have my office number and email listed. I’ve called around, and someone is looking how to fix the issue, but I’m not confident it will get resolved.

Anyway, classes start next week. I’m hoping to publicly blog about my experiences here using [Back to School] in the title.