September 8, 2011

Can I turn off my anal-ness?

Apparently I'm anal.  To be quite honest, I knew this.  I will admit this... no question.  But I was never as anal as I am today.  It has been like a creeping characteristic, edging its way into my being over the last ten years.  

As a high school student, I could have cared less about my school work, grades, and punctuality.  I graduated with a 2.9 GPA and barely scraped by with an ACT score that provided me with a one-time $250 scholarship, which I never even used.  My bedroom was always a mess and I practically refused and/or avoided doing chores around the house by always being gone at work or out with friends.  I held a job, but my work ethic was nothing like it is today.  I had no qualms about lying to my boss and calling in "sick".

Today, I work a full time job where I am very proud of what I've achieved and the work I produce.  I landed a paralegal job with no experience and I've self taught myself almost everything that a paralegal gains during a two-year certificate program.  I also work a part time job where I attained the status of "pet" after one night of work.  Luckily, my coworkers are not annoyed by my organization, cleanliness, and overall anal nature.  I rarely miss work and never call in to play hooky.

My home is not spotless, but I'm very proud to say that I could entertain company at any given time with minimal "picking up" needed.  I tend to nest on a daily basis, constantly cleaning up and keeping things orderly.  My husband and I have, over time, developed our own little set of chores around the house and we go about them easily and without complaint.

Finally, I am a very anal student.  I have attained a 4.0 in all but two classes in 6 years of part time schooling.  I will not speak of that darn pre-calculus class...  I always arrive to class close to thirty minutes early and I rarely miss a class session.  I take crazy notes and always do my homework way ahead of time.  I tend to be the teacher's pet.

Now that I've appeared to brag about this great person I've become (which honestly doesn't make me blush because the only people that really read my blog are my Mom and my husband, and they both know all of this anyway) I have to explain why this came about.

I'm in an African American Art History class this semester and I have to drive quite a distance to get to class once a week.  I have this concern that weather will interfere with my ability to get to class and the syllabus indicates that I'm only allowed one absence during the semester without it affecting my grade.  After that, I'm docked one letter grade.  In other words, if I work my ass off to get a 4.0, but miss more than one class session, I'm getting a 3.5.  Three missed class sessions?  3.0... 

I decided to talk to my professor and see if there was any leeway.  I hate asking for special treatment and can honestly say that I've never asked it of a professor.  I understand that they have to have guidelines that apply to every student.  At the same time, I honestly feel that my situation is unique.  I'm driving 2 hours each way and winter is coming.

As I was talking to my professor, she says to me:  "I've noticed that many non-traditional students are very anal about their schooling.  They get ulcers and headaches and you don't want that.  I mean no offense by this, but it is very true.  So I want you to chill.  Just relax.  You need to focus on doing the work to get your 4.0 and nothing more.  If you need to miss a second class period, we will talk about it when that time comes."

Hmmm...  Am I that transparent?  Are non-traditional students all as anal as me?  Maybe I do need to chill out a little...  More importantly, what did she mean by this?  Will she not dock my grade?  Or is she just trying to get me to not think about it over the next 15 weeks?  Gosh... now I'm just going to worry more.  Dammit!

1 comment:

  1. Just Chill!!
    Yes, you're that transparent!
    Yes, your Mom & husband are probably the only ones that read this!
    And, WE BOTH still love you, regardless!
    Just CHILL!!

    ReplyDelete