Judson College :: Senior/Transfer

Well it’s the end of another semester of school. We begin finals next Wednesday, and the emotions I am experiencing can’t really be suggested with words. I can’t wait for classes to end, but I am going to miss my friends. I am nervous about finals, but I really just want to get them over with.

See… can you follow these feelings? I know, they seem to contradict each other.

I have a final in Spanish, Women in Society, and a few other classes. I get so nervous about big tests. I feel like exams are like a punishment or something. I mean do we really need to take them for the teachers to know that we may have forgotten what we learned in January… Just kidding!

Tonight we had our Athletic banquet. All of the sports teams gathered together in Archibald (a smaller private portion of the dinning hall) and we had a special meal together. After everyone finished eating, we had the awards part of the banquet. It was cool to see the girls from the different teams get recognized for their achievements on the field and on the court. Team members got awards like “best sportsmanship”, “most hustle,” and “best offensive player.” I was excited that my roommate Anna and I got recognized for making the USCAA National All-Academic Team.   

Another update involves my field experience in Greensboro. Tomorrow I will teach the last lesson of a unit that I have been teaching my students at Greensboro High School. We have been working on the elements of a literary work. The students are going to create their own fable. The lessons have been going well; honestly, I have been surprised at how well things have been going. The students seem to really enjoy our classroom discussions. I can’t wait to get my own classroom so that I can be with students everyday!

I will be enrolled in short-term classes. I will be taking 19^th Century Literature, Multiculturalism, and Health and Fitness. I am looking forward to short-term. It is so different than a regular semester at Judson. I HOPE IT IS FUN!

For the love of Mother Judson, Anne Kirtley, and Sandra Fowler!

~Jodie~

I just experienced, for me, one of the most eventful weekends at Judson in my two years here.

The weekend began with a trip to T-Town with my roommate. Both she and I were invited to Marion Military’s spring formal Friday night. Anna decided that she wanted to get her hair done by a professional, so we made the almost hour drive to Tuscaloosa at lunch time on Friday. I kid you not, she spent three hours in the chair getting her thick board straight hair into a curly up-do. I did my own hair, make-up, and nails in the salon as I waited on her.  Oh, what we young ladies do in order to prepare for such an evening.

The whole T-Town excursion took about 4 ½ hours in all. When we got back we rushed to get ready completely and we were off to the formal a little bit after six. The night was a lot of fun. We ate, watched skits, and danced that night away. We left the dance around eleven, but our night was far from over. 

Both Anna and I went to the formal with guys that we have been participating in a dance class with at Judson for the past three months. A few weeks ago we decided that we wanted to perform a dance that we learned in a community Gala sponsored by Judson. The Gala was scheduled for Saturday night.

After we left the formal, we went to dance rehearsal. Nerves seemed to be high, and we were focused on trying to get things together for the Gala. At about 1 a.m. my feet were exhausted, and we called it quits for the night.

I was so tired, I slept in Saturday. We had one last rehearsal in the afternoon, and then we were ready to perform. We danced the Rumba at the Gala, and our group was the first to perform. I think that the dance went well. Some of the other performances included a “Broadway-like” dance performance, a brother/sister instrument duet, and former Judson students singing and playing their guitars. The night was fantastic, and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to perform a dance in front of an audience. It is something that I have always wanted to do.

I was so tired Sunday, but of course I found time to play ultimate frisbee with Judson girls and MMI cadets Sunday afternoon.

Overall I think that the weekend was wonderful. I definitely won’t forget it!  

For the love of Mother Judson, Anne Kirtley, and Sandra Fowler!

~Jodie~

The past two days have been busy on the Judson Campus.

Monday I taught the first lesson of a unit that I created for my secondary methods class. I was nervous partly because Dr. Sheek came to observe the lesson. I believe that everything went well. It was exciting to see the students getting involved in discussion and actually volunteering to read aloud in class. I go back to teach twice more this week and twice more next week.

We also played our last tennis match of the season on Monday.

 WE BEAT MMI!

I was really excited! Dominique and I won our doubles match. We played for an extremly long time. I think that I had to serve the deuce point at least three times every time it was my turn to serve. When the game was over I was ready to jump up and down with joy!  We have had a rough season as a whole, but it was exciting to end on a good note. My mom came back to school with me Sunday night, and I was really glad that she came to the match. I was a bit sad that it was my last tennis match at Judson. It was actually the last game that I will play for a school team. That is so hard to believe since I have been playing organized sports since I was five.  

Tuesday we had Honor’s Convocation. It is Judson’s awards day. Many of my classmates along with myself received recognition for various achievements on campus. My mom stayed the night last night and was able to come to Convocation as well. She along with Mrs. Fowler took so many pictures.

Overall the past two days were eventful and exciting. I was really glad that my mom got to be here for them.

For the love of Mother Judson, Anne Kirtley, and Sandra Fowler!

~JODIE~

Spring break is over, and I think that I miss it already. I love being on campus at Judson, I enjoy hanging out with my friends and, yes….. I will dare say that I even enjoy going to class. But there is just something about the spring air and those awful mid-term exams that makes students, especially me, crave the break.

I spent the first few days at home with my family. Some of the girls from Judson came down to spend time with my Judson roommate, who is also my hometown neighbor. They spent time going to the beach and hanging out and relaxing. While I didn’t get any beach time because I was working diligently on lesson plans, I did enjoy a bit of girl time while they were down.

At the end of the week, I left for my cruise. We took a four day trip to Cozumel. I have never been to Mexico before, and I LOVED IT! I think that all we did was eat. Crazy stuff, too! Have you seen a menu at a five star restaurant?  Everything we ate looked like it was from one of those restaurants. Each entrée had a huge name, and was made with at least one ingredient that I had never heard of before. But the food was so good. The day that we spent in Cozumel was my favorite. I shopped all day. By the end of our time on land, I thought I was an expert barterer. It was fun to see how low I could get the shop keepers to go on the items that I wanted to purchase. When we got back on the boat and departed for Mobile, I was sad to leave. I truly enjoy Mexican Culture.

The trip back was rough. The captain said that a warm and cold front collided in the Gulf while we were heading home. The boat was swaying back and forth. It was difficult to walk, and even more difficult to stand up straight. We were all relieved to step on solid ground at the cruise terminal. It was my first cruise, and I loved it!

I was not ready to go back to classes this week, but I am excited to be near the end of another semester.

The weeks to come will be filled with tennis matches, papers, projects, and traditions… One more month of classes left, I am a senior (that graduates in December) so of course I am excited!

For the love of Mother Judson, Anne Kirtley, and Sandra Fowler!

~Jodie~