fourteen years later, i still suck

[rone]

This winemaking class is kicking my ass.  I've rediscovered my intense distaste for writing papers which, combined with my mildly improved but still chronic procrastination habit, has left me in a hole, depressed and ashamed.  I'm not even certain that what i'm being asked to do has enough relevance with what i'm learning; i understand the fundamentals and the process of making wine, but the papers and midterms have been centered around extreme situations that are, in my view, advanced topics.  These are all things i could have brought up to the teacher and TA if i had gotten an earlier start on things.  Despite the fact that the first two weeks of the class were a total loss for me due to things at work hitting full-bore, i didn't try hard enough to acquaint myself with the difficulty level of the class.  Now i'm trying to tread water.

It's not a lost cause yet, and i believe i can earn a passing grade.  But i wasn't ready for this, and at this point i'm regretting taking the class.

Comments

[mrbalihai.livejournal.com]

I'm not even certain that what i'm being asked to do has enough relevance with what i'm learning

In my opinion, that's the instructor's problem, not yours. Most institutions of higher larnin' that I've been involved with are focused on pedagogy, and haven't a clue how adults learn stuff. Hint: it ain't by writing papers.

Despite all that, I don't think it's too late for you to have a talk with the teacher about your struggles and see if you can get some sort of dispensation of grace.

[elmuchacho.livejournal.com]

Papers don't help anyone learn. They are the instructors way of determining whether you absorbed the knowledge or not. The best way to figure out if a student can talk the talk and walk the walk is by talking to them and watching them through the process. However, our system of education is saturated with to many students and not enough teachers, so we have to write academic papers. And cheer up Rone because from the sounds of it they are teaching you extreme attention to detail, something that only comes with years of wine making experience. A difficult subject even for veteran wine makers.