The Cookie Was Right

There is a special place in my superstitious heart for fortune cookies. An unopened fortune cookie in the hand is like a grenade, and always begs the question, Is it a dud? Or will this one explode? Whether the explosion is delightful or debilitating, I always hope that the cookie isn't a dud. I like a bit of supernatural excitement in my life.

Understanding the strange power of fortune cookies, I am careful to open them. So when I came upon a fortune cookie in early April, I was too frightened to open it at first. It was almost finals week, and if the cookie said anything about struggles or failures I knew it would affect my testing experience. So I waited. I waited until grades were final, until the tests were over, so it would be safe. The day before Spring Term started, I decided to open the fortune cookie. Beginnings are so hopeful, I was optimistic that the fortune would set me off right for the new term. (Also, I'd been staring at that packet of deliciousness on my desk for way too long - it was time to eat the thing already!)

I opened the package. Delicately, tentatively, I cracked open the cookie. I grabbed my fortune. What does this new term hold for me? I asked silently, almost praying. I took a deep breath, opened the little slip of paper, and I read:

"A fascinating project is in your future."

And immediately, I let out a horrified shriek. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"

(True story.)

Because, really, the last thing I wanted to hear was that my Spring Term was going to involve a "fascinating project." And that blasted cookie didn't lie: each and every one of my classes this term is centered around projects. Lots and lots of projects. (That, my friends, is why I've been so busy that I haven't even thought about my blog in weeks.)

Living Prophets

For instance, I am taking a class on the living prophets of the LDS church (the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles). My professor is an old Tahitian man who has met every single member of the upper fifteen, and is going to begin his calling as president of the Tahiti temple in August. He's very funny in a ridiculously happy sort of way - he once made everyone in class turn to their neighbor, shake their hand, and tell them we loved them. (I was sitting by a guy, so it was particularly awkward saying, "I love you," to each other.) My professor has structured his class in such a way that we teach most of the lessons; we are all in groups assigned to present a 40 minute presentation on one of the prophets, seers, and revelators. I was made group leader, so my project for this class involved coordinating with everyone, giving out assignments, and researching all the conference talks given by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf. Fortunately, we gave our presentation a couple of weeks ago, so I don't have to worry about this class anymore.

History of Creativity

This is one of the last General Ed classes I have to take, and there's a reason I've been postponing it. It's a world history class, and I struggle with history. However, this class has a particular slant; it focuses on the creativity of ancient peoples - the creation of new inventions, societies, philosophies, religions, strategies, etc. It's alright, I suppose. But the project for this class is HUGE, and it hangs over my head menacingly all the while. It's not due until the end of the term, and it's worth around 30% of my final grade. (So, you know, no big deal.) It's a "personal creativity project," and I think I'll go into details at a later date because it's a rather long story. Needless to say, it's a beast.

Instructional Technology in Teaching

This class has absolutely nothing but projects. I'm learning all the different technologies that I may need in a classroom someday, and so each time I learn a new program I have to demonstrate my mastery of it by completing a project. Each of these projects gets uploaded to my portfolio - a fake class website that I can show potential employers to demonstrate my awesomeness. (The website is, I suppose, the biggest project, as it's a compilation of all my other projects.) It takes a lot of time, but I'm really grateful that I was required to take this class: it's opened up my eyes to the possibilities of technology in the classroom - even an English classroom.

Classroom Management

I enjoy this class. We only meet for two hours, once a week, and we have a fun time talking about how on earth we plan to control 30+ teenagers at a time, as we will all be doing in the near future. We have all sorts of education majors in there, and I have fun talking to Physics, Drama, and History teachers-to-be. The big project for this class is to create our own Classroom Management Plan booklet (another resource for squeezing our way into a job). It will have at least four chapters, and include graphics, properly cited quotes, and our own interpretations. The final product will be around fifteen pages long, but I've only written the first chapter so far. (Mine's gorgeous, though. I accidentally did an excellent job and I'm rather pleased with myself.)

So that's school. I'm also keeping busy outside of campus - I'm still managing missionaries at the MTC; I'm attending bridal showers and wedding receptions left and right; I'm serving as a Home Evening Group Leader and Ward Music Director in my newly reorganized singles ward; and I still haven't finished The Death Cure (my waiting-to-be-read booklist is soooo long...). Oh, and I have some dental surgery coming up, so there's that to look forward to as well.

But you know what? Life is good. My best friend gets home from his mission in July, my cousin is having a baby any day now, and the new Spider-Man movie comes out in just a couple of months. So evil fortune cookie aside, things are going pretty great for me.

Thanks for your well-wishes.