Return of the Thanksgiving Curse - John's Worst Week. Ever.

JOHN - I had, to put it mildy, a really crappy week. I mean, let's be honest, if my week was to be described as a smell, it'd be "shit". And with it being so close to Thanksgiving, that can only mean one thing: The Curse of Thanksgiving has returned!!

You're probably thinking...what is this curse John is talking about. Well, it all started when I was a kid and my cat, Beamer, got sick. It was a few days before Thanksgiving and I thought that he was going to be okay. Well, things got worse, to the point my mom ended up taking him to the vet on Thanksgiving Day. I am sure you can guess where this story is going but we ended up having to put him to sleep. On Turkey Day. Yeah, I had a lot to be thankful for that day. And so, the curse was born.

Over the years, the curse has hit in my numerous ways. I got a ticket on Thanksgiving eve when I went to pick my brother up from work at Best Buy. I have gotten into major fights with girlfriends on Thanksgiving. I remember Gina screaming at me, in front of her entire family. Karen and I had a knock-down, drag-out because I stayed up all night playing Street Fighter. I have seen my family well at each other. Last year: Jenna (need I say more). And now this year, I have had the apartment broken into and just last night, I got a speeding ticket on the way home from the Train concert. Yep, the curse is alive and well.

So, after the fiasco of the break-in, I was back at school on Monday. Margie had called me around lunch and informing me that all of the Livetext work I had uploaded was nowhere to be found. Well, I went home that night and I was eventually able to find it but I wasn't sure how to transfer it to my portfolio. Well, I was going to ask Jayma to help me but we ended up having a nasty fight. Yeah, I was a bit a jerk but she has a way to get under my skin so we both found new ways to piss each other off. So, there went my help with Livetext.

Of all of the things that was most valuable to me, which was stolen, was my laptop. I really needed that because EVERYTHING I have done this semester was on it. Everyone was asking me why didn't I back my stuff up. How many people do you know back their stuff up? Probably 1% so I really don't want to hear how everyone does it. Anyway, I was able to get all of the Livetext stuff done by late Tuesday night. But I was still behind on getting my resume uploaded on Northside's website. I was going to do it that previous weekend but couldn't, for the obvious reasons.

As the week progressed and was able to knock out the resume, I received a letter from ISU on Wednesday listing my endorsements. The endorsements listed were: Mathematics, Social Sciences, and Business/Marketing/Management. Waitaminute, where was my Language Arts endorsement. I immediately emailed my advisor about this. Well, guess what? On Thursday, she emails me back and states that I was still 3 credit hours short. However, this contradicts EVERYTHING she has told me over the past year. Evidently, a communications class I took at ICC was no longer allowed to be applied towards the L.A. endorsement. What pissed me off was how nonchalant she addressed the email. There was no “John, I am so sorry I have been misinforming you for the past year” or “John, I am sorry you spent $400 and 2 months on a class this summer only to not get your endorsement even though I told you that you that’s all you needed”. Nope, I was informed that I could take another class. I am thinking “When am I going to take this class when I graduate in two weeks”. What irks me the most is that this screw-up could’ve cost me employment opportunities. This was not just about my certification, this is about my life!!

Well, I immediately emailed some higher-ups in the C&I department at ISU and voiced my feelings and expressed how unfair and unprofessional this is. It reminded me again of what happened when I questioned my grade. It seemed as if ISU was not intending on helping its students. I find that ironic considering that we, as future teachers, are told to be accountable for our actions. Yet, who is holding ISU accountable? And how many students has this happened to and no one question them? I was not going to let this just happen and I was going to fight it.

It ended up working out because by Friday, I had received word that it’s been resolved and that I was going to be receiving my language arts endorsement. However, as much as it feels like a small victory in a bad week, I still have a sour taste regarding the entire situation. Why was it that it had to get to this point? WHY? I am not just student who is graduating from ISU with my first degree. I am an alumnus of ISU as I graduated with a degree in Political Science back in ’98. I am not some spring chicken, I have lived in the real world and I have paid my dues. And I remember ISU do this EXACT same thing to friends of mine back when I was in school the first time. If this blog does anything, I want it to bring awareness to other students. As a student, it is your responsibility to be on top of grades, endorsements and graduation requirements. Do not always take what your advisors say at face value. Anything they tell you, be sure to document it. Save emails and notes. And if you question something and don’t like the response, find someone else to give you a better one.

Ok, I am getting off the ISU soapbox. I don’t want my feelings to be a reflection of how I feel about the university, as a whole. For the most part, I have enjoyed my experience. I have had the pleasure of attending classes with some wonderful teachers who seem to really care about the students. I am proud to be a Redbird and a two-time graduate. And I want to thank everyone who helped me resolve this (hopefully) last hiccup on the road to graduation.Just when I thought the Thanksgiving Curse was over (I mean, really, how could it get worse?) I ended up getting a speeding ticket last night on the way home for the Train concert. So, with five days before Turkey Day, I am curious how much more bad luck is going to find its way into my life. I think I am going to be a hermit and hide out and pray that bad luck won’t find me. But then again, the holiday isn’t over yet. Damn.