"Do a little dance..."

The rest of that song is a little inappropriate for me to post on our blog, but lets just say I was singing it all the way home last night from my last day of class for the year! Yeah...I am done, Done, DONE!!!! It feels so good this mornig knowing that after Rachael Ray comes on, I don't have anything to do except lay on the couch and drink coffee!!

A few thoughts on my first year of graduate school:

As strange as this sounds, I felt myself grow smarter this semester, and it hurt a little. I don't necessiarily think that I have gained new knowledge or crammed more facts into my head, but I know my critical thinking and my analyzing skills have increased. My Gender and Communication class was so eye opening this semester. While I don't necessiarily agree with some of the liberal views discussed in class, being exposed to them makes me a stronger person in so many ways. Growing smarter hurt a little because I really had take myself outside of my box and think differently about things. Not always fun...and when a grade depended on my ability to do this, it was frustrating. But, hindsight is 20/20, and I feel smarter, like a better writer (don't use blog posts as examples of this :>) ) and a stronger critical thinker.

A little tribute to my professor, Dr. Lori Byers.
My first grad class ever last semester was with Lori. The moment she came into the classroom, I knew I was going to love her. Spunk, smarts, confidence, and just plain fun as a teacher. She is passionate about what she teaches and lets it shine through everything she says. Midway through last semester, she announced that she was leaving the school at the end of the year to pursue other career opportunities. She has been teaching since 1990 and is ready for a new challenge. I was devastated and decided to enroll in all the classes she was teaching this semester, which lead me to take Gender and Communication.
Fast forward to about a month ago. The Lord opened a door for me that I was hoping to have opened one day, just not so soon. The possibility of a full time sales position with McGraw-Hill was extremely real, and after much prayer and discussion with Dave, I decided to strive for it and do it. I had already received some endorsement from my boss, and a few higher ups had told me they were very pleased I was applying. The possibility of leaving school and going to work full time was almost a definite, but for some reason I couldn't get my heart or my mind to feel peaceful about about the decision to leave school. Last week, Lori gave a little impromptu speech about education. She talked about how education was the best kind of power cause it never goes away. Money fades, jobs go away, but once you have your education, it sticks with you for life. You never loose your degree. She talked about graduate school and how amazing it was that we had decided to get a Masters. She said that we would be the cream of the crop, and that getting a Masters degree proved more then we were smart, it proved we had discipline, motivation, and a desire to excel in everything. Mainly, it said we wanted to be above average.

I had been praying all the way to class that evening (about 40 miles) for the Lord to give me clarity in my decision. I hadn't shared anything with friends or family yet for that specific reason....no peace. I feel like the Lord spoke to me that night through my liberal, lesbian professor Lori Byers. When I heard her talk about school and education, I knew that I needed to finish. I knew I needed to wait. Jobs will always be around, but the more time goes by,the less likely I am to finish school. The next day I called my boss and told her that I wasn't interested in applying anymore. A Masters Degree holder herself, she completely understood and supported me, and I have enjoyed every minute of school since.

The Lord used Lori Byers to change the course of the next two years of my life. Last night I actually shed a little tear in the car on the way home thinking about never being under her teaching again. I have to admit, however, that my first year of graduate school would not be the same without her, and that I owe much of my academic growth to her classes. I can say with all confidence and assurance that 50 years from now I will still be feeling her influence and remember that Tuesday evening when the Lord used someone so unlike me, someone with a completely different life style, way of thinking, morals and convictions, to speak to me about His will and plan for me.

Well...the couch awaits me.