Post 08

 December 3, 2024

There is a million things I could say about taking this course with Professor Hamon, but I will try to keep it simple. This is my first year of college, and this being the first semester of it, to say the least I had so many mixed feelings about it. I always took AP and honors courses in high school, so I knew I would be capable of whatever college had to offer me. But, I underestimated online courses. I took them because I thought they would be easier for me to go at my own pace and be able to live at home while working a lot so I could move out instead of paying way more, living in a dorm room, being two or more hours from home, barely working, and still sitting in a classroom full of strangers. Wow was I proven wrong. Online courses are if anything, more demanding than in person school. Since you get to be in the comfort of your own room, more is asked of you. And this threw me for a loop, because rather than working a lot, i've had to take many days off to be able to focus on school. Also, last quarter I took two classes with the same teacher where the work was due at the end of the week, even though there were assigned days on the syllabus. For whatever reason, I assumed the same thing for the two new classes I am taking this quarter, I was quickly proven wrong, for my full and honest mistake, when Dr. Hamon put in zeros for my missing assignments because I did them by the end of the week rather than the official due date, my apoligies. On top of that, next semester starting Jan 8, 2025, I am taking 4 classes at once, rather than 2 each quarter like I did this semester. One of those classes being in person, which will change my work schedule even more, along with the 3 other teachers who will be online and not knowing how demanding the teachers and work loads will be yet. To say the least, I am nervous. But, I am willing to do whatever it takes to get my degree so I can start a real job. Being only 18, but living in the world of social media makes me feel like I should be as successful as a 30 year old is, but I only graduated high school earlier this year, and I should take one step at a time as to not get overwhelmed.

Aside from my rant, I genuinely enjoyed this class. Dr. Hamon grades the work as long as we show up and do it. Which is easy enough. The day class started I read and got frustrated because I thought this class would be so difficult, but I later learned it really isn't. It was just more difficult at first trying to get adjusted to the demanding due dates, which I still don't love. I have a job, that I cannot ignore because I have bills, and I have a life, which doesn't involve many people, but I still cannot ignore because for the most part they keep me sane. However, I am the one who voluntarily signed myself up for college because I want my degree. It still sucks how I have missing grades from the beginning of the quarter because I was getting adjusted for being a freshman in college. 

I love how Dr. Hamon allows the use of Google Gemini in this class. As he said and I never forgot, "Because LLMs are here to stay, and I think we need to learn how to use them to get our academic work done." This allowed academic freedom, and a push when we really needed it. I learned a lot from Dr. Hamons blog posts each week, especially about writing something worth reading. As well as using proper MLA format, which I'm afraid I still have not mastered. This class has helped me understand the importance of writing, and how language, reading, talking, (and writing) makes the world turn and it will never go away. I seem to forget when it begins to become an everyday thing, and not used academically. Also, this has really made me realize just HOW important it is to be intelligent. Being smart will never make you fall behind in life, only idiocy will. There isn't really anything that hasn't been important. I personally never loved reading all the essays from the Writing Spaces volumes I and II each week, but must I repeat myself; reading makes the world turn. I hope everybody enjoyed this class just as much as I did, and I hope no one is as worried for next semester as I am. Cheers.