This class is making me so mad!!
By katsmeow1213
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
United States
October 5, 2011 8:59am CST
In the 10 months that I've been taking online classes, I've yet to have a class that was overly difficult or stressful. The closest I came was during last semester when one of my teachers kept giving me really low grades although the same level of work in other classes got really high grades. However I think this actually helped me in ensuring that I raise the quality of my work to always get good grades.
But this class I'm taking right now.. oh boy! I won't say it's difficult, because really it isn't. But it's inconvenient, and you know what? I didn't sign up for online classes so that I could be inconvenienced! The whole point in online classes is for the convenience of being able to do the work around your own schedule. Besides, most people who sign up for online classes probably have ridiculous schedules, just like I do.
The class is public speaking. I feel like I'm in high school again because I keep saying "I will never deliver a speech ever in my life, so why do I need this class?". Well, I have to take it and pass it in order to graduate..
Well here's the problem. Each week we have to upload a video of ourselves giving a speech to an audience. This isn't really a huge problem because my children can be my audience.. but that just means I have to deliver my speech on a topic appropriate for children between the ages of 3 and 8. Like last week I had to discuss something I'm sick of. Well I'm sick of a lot of things, but what kinds of things can I discuss in front of my children?
The trouble really began when I tried to upload the video. It was too large to upload! I messed around with it for hours and finally got it to upload. A week later I discover my teacher couldn't download it, so gave me a zero. Thankfully I had a chance to upload the video to Youtube and still got full credit.
So then last week was midterm week. I had to write an essay, and then deliver a speech on the essay I'd written. With how busy my schedule has been, I wasn't able to video record my speech, which was fine. My other option was to do an audio recording on a PowerPoint presentation, which I did. Then I find out today, yet again the teacher could not download it and I have to upload it to Youtube. Well I can't upload a PowerPoint presentation to Youtube.. so now I have to do this assignment all over again and actually video record myself giving the speech.. as well as do the video recording of the speech I'm supposed to complete for this week's assignment. I just don't know how or when I"ll have the time to do this since my kids are all in school all day and I work at night tonight and my son has a soccer game tomorrow night.
To top it all off, next week's assignment is to find a speech in my community to evaluate, and it can't be a religious sermon either. So although I'm taking these classes to work around my crazy schedule, now I have to go find an event where there will be some form of public speaking, and the ones I've found so far are not free!! Then again I have to video record myself giving an evaluation of the speech I listened to. Ugh!! I'd much rather just take some stupid quizzes and tests and write essays or something.
I'm really starting to hate this class!!
Have you taken any classes that required you to do things that you didn't have the time or energy to do? Are you, or have you been in any classes you'd like to vent about?
2 people like this
9 responses
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
6 Oct 11
I would have to think really hard about the value of all these assignments. I can appreciate and understand you having to give a speech Remember always to not fidget, speak a bit more slowly and speak with enthusiasm for your topic. I can understand why they may require you to evaluate someone else's speech buy why not a speech on TV by a politician or someone? why do you have to go out and find someone who is making a speech? Just don't get it
Stick with it though as the class will not last forever and you have a goal.
Stick with it though as the class will not last forever and you have a goal.1 person likes this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
6 Oct 11
Possibly because politicians are trained at speaking? I don't know. I've decided I'm going to use a speech I've previously seen.. I'll just try to remember all the bits and pieces.. and if I can't, I'll fake it! LOL.. there's no way for them to know.
1 person likes this
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
6 Oct 11
That's my girl! Sometimes women just have to fake it
Sometimes women just have to fake it1 person likes this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
8 Oct 11
LOL.. yep, we're all pretty good at that, LOL.
The only reason I am so stressed is because the grades are important to me, but the harder I try, the worse it gets! Well, I re-did my midterm speech the other day, and I was barely trying because I was so angry about needing to re-do it.. but I still managed to pull off 100. Then last night I spent an hour doing another speech.. but when I went to upload it today I saw that I was missing some important elements, so I did it over again tonight and am in the process of uploading it again.
Thankfully this class will end in just 2 weeks.. but then 2 new classes start. I wonder how bad they're going to be? Yikes!
1 person likes this
@margeryann (1845)
• United States
5 Oct 11
My son goes to school online too. He doesn't work and he stays busy with it so much that I worry about him since it is so hard. He has got lots of zeros before which is awful because jobs usually want your transcript and it won't look very good!One of the zeros he got was from a research paper and they felt he didn't give enough references that he got all of his stuff from not as much places. His got zeros from discussions recently because in associates he had to do replies to discussion questions doing writing 50 words. Well, he is working for his bachelors now and it didn't say that it was different . He was supposed to write 150 words for replies now and the first week didn't get graded until his 3rd week was over so he got lots of zeros on discussion questions and replies because the discussion questions needed sources too when he was going for associates he didn't need sources for discussions but for assignments.Good luck. That is awful when teachers give zeros on things like that.
1 person likes this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
6 Oct 11
That's how my class was last semester. The teacher was hard on grades! I didn't get any zeros, but a lot of 60's. I'd maintained a 4.0 GPA, so getting those low grades drove me nuts!! Thankfully I got higher grades on tests and quizzes which carry more weight than discussions and reflections, so I still managed to get like a 90 in the class which kept my 4.0 GPA.
@margeryann (1845)
• United States
3 Dec 11
Thank you for the best response. Hopefully the class you are on right now is better!
@AmbiePam (92778)
• United States
8 Oct 11
I hated my online speech class too. But during the semester I took the online speech class there were three periods of where I'd have to come to the classroom to give a speech. Unfortunately, the online class I took was from a college in Tulsa, two and a half hours from where I lived. And they taped our speech and gave us a copy back so we could review it ourselves. Of course people in class did a written evaluation of what they thought of our speech. And we had to have power point presentations. And for the second speech we had to have physical props. Oh I hated that class!
1 person likes this
@jillhill (37354)
• United States
5 Oct 11
I haven't taken an online class....but when I was in high school..Math. The teacherw as one of those who didn't actually know how to teach..he expected you to know it....instead of explaining it to you. It was the only class I got a D in ..otherwise I was an honor student. I never did learn how to do algebra!
1 person likes this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
6 Oct 11
I had a teacher in high school who would just drone on and on everyday, putting the students to sleep. We didn't learn much either!
1 person likes this
@3SnuggleBunnies (16374)
• United States
6 Oct 11
Yeah I don't think I could handle that class either. I'm not one for speeches at all I don't like listening to them and I sure as heck don't like giving them. I don't know anywhere other than perhaps maybe sometimes hospitals give lectures on topics like Gastric Bypass and other things that are free. Perhaps that would be a direction you could look but when they'll have another one versus when you assignment is due is another story.
I used to fax in my homework from the mall I worked in when I was in college to this one teacher. She understood that I worked full time and went to school with a full load. But you know when Christmas came and I was pulling a 50hr work week and had finals I was beyond burned out!
1 person likes this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
6 Oct 11
I re-did my midterm speech yesterday, but I still have 1 more speech due by Saturday of this week, I don't know when I'm going to do that! And another speech due by Wednesday of next week, then probably another due by next Saturday. Like I said, I'll be glad when this class is done!
1 person likes this
@frankiecesca (2489)
•
6 Oct 11
Wow is sounds like that class is really taking it out on you! I hope it all turns out well for you and you don't get too much more stressed with it all! x
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
8 Oct 11
Thankfully there's only 2 weeks left of this class.. then 2 new ones start! Oh joy! LOL
1 person likes this
@danishcanadian (28953)
• Canada
9 Oct 11
That sounds absolutely maddening! Evaluate a speech? How long does it have to be? Does it have to be in your hometown? Does it have to be the whole speech?
I have two short videos of speeches from an art unveiling, and sine from a retirement party for a radio personality, and lots from the opening of a Serbian festival (in English). If it would be allowed, I could send them to you, or show you where to find some of them on YouTube. The videos are mine, and I dont mind sharing them.
If I can help, please send me a private message with your e-mail address.
@danishcanadian (28953)
• Canada
9 Oct 11
You're welcome, but don't you need a video of the speeches? I hope it goes well.
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
12 Oct 11
No, I need to video record myself presenting speeches.
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
9 Oct 11
The directions specifically said to find a speech in my own community. Nothing about videos on Youtube being acceptable. But that is okay. I am recalling a few speeches I've already seen in the past, like the one they give prior to going apple picking.. which normally includes a brief history of the apple orchard and then information on how to properly pluck the apples.
Also last year we went to a Halloween event, and there was an owl showing, and the women spoke for probably more than 30 minutes about the different types of owls.
I've decided to just use my memories of these as my speeches to evaluate.
But thanks for the offer anyway.
@bounce58 (17387)
• Canada
12 Oct 11
Not sure if it's related, but this reminds me of my public speaking class when I was in school. Mind you, I was taking up engineering so public speaking or speech class wasn't really a priority for me. It was a semester that student's call 'hell-sem'. I had to take higher math, higher physics, and higher chemistry. I only had 4 courses that sem, and I always thought that the speech class was the only sure thing for me.
Unfortunately, the speech class also required a lot of assignments and public speaking that I ended up spending most of my time devoted to this subject instead of the three more-difficult classes.
Thankfully, I scraped passing grades to all 4 subjects.
[i]I hope your misery on these classes end soon!
And don't go starting speeches at BoA![/i]
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
12 Oct 11
It is almost done. We take 4 classes per semester, but it's broken up into 2 different sessions. So I have 2 classes in session 1, then 2 other classes in session 2. That just means I have to complete the work in half the time! Each class is only 7.5 weeks long, and we're currently in week 6. So this class will be over on Monday the 24th and 2 days later I start 2 new classes.
@megamatt (14292)
• United States
5 Oct 11
Only one time, with one of my online classes. I had managed to pass that class by the skin of my teeth as well. Of course, that class would have had to fall during the time where my schedule was the most insane. It was a class where we had to work on a group project and those can be a joy to behold.
I think that the only satisfaction was that the rest of the members of my team tended to feel my pain as well, as they had to work around schedules that might have been around the same or worse. Mostly it was good my time online at school but that one class just rather floored me. I think the work would have been okay for most teachers as well but the teacher was picky was well. Which is never a good combination to have, difficult work combined with a picky teacher.
1 person likes this
