Click here to read a short paper I wrote reacting to the Illinois Student Reflection and Prayer Act, which was upheld by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on October 15, 2010. Though I am a Christian, I do not entirely support this Act mainly because I do not see its necessity. I would love to hear other perspectives on the matter!
Allison G.
I’ve been in school full time now since August which has severely decreased my blog posting frequency. For that I apologize and ask for your understanding. 
School has been a good experience with lots of ups and downs but I’m glad to be doing it. Jacob and I contemplated waiting until the spring semester to start up again but it’s good to get it done faster. Here’s a short list of a few conclusions I’ve made since starting school again:
1. Being in school is actually very good for our budget. I no longer have time to contemplate tasty dinners and so I am hardly ever making special trips to the grocery store or making complicated, gourmet meals. I also don’t have time to go clothes shopping or even daydream about it. (I have been mulling over a pedicure for awhile.)
2. I’m actually eating better now. I find myself growing increasingly lazy at putting a lunch together in the morning and I don’t really have much time to eat during the day, so I’m eating smaller portions of whatever I find in the fridge.
3. I like being a student worker in my department and I’m basically doing a lot of the same tasks I already knew how to do so training for a new job wasn’t applicable. I’ve had 6 different jobs in the last year (yikes) so easy job transitions are a welcome event.
4. Being a tutor at the university has been helpful for building teacher skills. I’m glad to know I do like education and one-on-one interaction.
5. I love conducting. I’m voluntarily directing a community choir for OLLI and it’s been a huge growing process already. The choir meets for just 6 weeks so everything is very compacted but it’s been extremely helpful to test out my directing skills with adults and start implementing techniques I learned in college in a real setting.
6. I feel old. Most of my classes this semester are at an undergraduate level so I’m three or more years older than the average student. Sometimes I wonder if I didn’t wander into a high school classroom…if you know what I mean. I’m trying to make some friends but I’m at very different place in life than most students (married) and they are already friends with each other. I just need to get through the fall and spring semesters then I’m back to graduate classes in the summer, then student teaching in the fall of 2011. I’m already looking forward to the end!!
7. I still thoroughly dislike reading and writing papers. Sorry Jacob.
8. I LOVE our lifegroup at Redeemer. We’ve been meeting at our house so far, which is good to force me to clean the place every two weeks, and it’s been getting better every time. It’s such a relief to finally be making connections at church that are deeper than small talk on Sundays.
9. I am glad to be having a voice lesson every other week. I’m not taking them for credit (b/c I don’t need it) but I’m working with the professor I had as a freshman in college. We’ve only had three lessons but it’s already getting me back into shape mentally and physically. I really need to keep up with my instrument as a musician so I’m glad we made the commitment to continue my training.
10. I have a great husband who has been really supportive through all of my late nights and early mornings. The other night he dropped off my books at the library and made copies for me! He’s a catch and I couldn’t do this without him. I love you, Jacob!
Allison G.
Today marks the last day of the 1st 5-week session of summer school for UNL. The only thing I have yet to do is attend the last session of class this afternoon. I finished homework last night at 7:30pm thanks to Jacob’s editing help on my research paper. I’ve posted it here on Scribd for those of you interested in reading about autism and music education, (which I’m sure is most of the people reading this post 
).
I really did enjoy all of my classes and I feel like I learned a lot. I’m very glad however to have a bit of a break before the fall semester. Technically, I’m still taking an online course through July from Chadron State College for human relations training but I’ve started it already and I think I’ll finish it in a couple weeks. I’m so glad to be done with 7 hours of grad classes from UNL. Fall and spring semester will be undergrad classes, next summer grad, then I’ll student teach next fall.
Here’s what I know:
).Tonight I’m going to our church ladies sleepover. I plan to paint my nails, play fun games and will probably pass out on a couch because of the lack of sleep I’ve had all week. Can’t wait!
Allison G.
It’s the first day of summer and Lincoln is once again in the middle of a huge storm system. If the weather predictions are correct we’ll see the sun again Thursday. So go out and get your umbrella for the week. I recently purchased a green Totes umbrella from Target. So far, so good! I just heard on the news that there are wild fires in Arizona. I wish we could channel some of our flood water that direction.
A lot has happened in the past week for me personally as well. I had my second week of grad classes on top of work, which went much better than the first, and I decided to go back to school full time in August. I’ll be taking classes this fall, spring, and summer then student teach fall 2011. Lord willing, I’ll get through all of this successfully and be certified to teach K-12 choir, band, and orchestra by December 2011. It’s good to be moving forward with life. It was feeling a little stagnant so I’m excited to take on the responsibility of being a student again. I have not figured out how to keep up with house-cleaning yet. (Which is why no one will be coming over until after I finish the summer session. Seriously, it’s frightening.)
Have a happy summer and stay dry,
Allison G.
Dear Readers,
I don’t know if there are any people out there that view this blog regularly but if you do you’ll notice that this is my first post of the week. I finally have some time to send out an update, so here it goes.
I am back in school! It’s exciting and very scary. I’m glad to be learning again but homework and papers are still not my cup of tea. Last weekend I went for a walk with my good friend, Whitney. After I got home from having a reflective life conversation I realized that I really didn’t want to waste my time and I want to move forward with some long term goals. I had been communicating with an adviser at UNL and he suggested that I get into certain courses immediately. I had a meeting with him on Monday and I was in class by 12:45 p.m. I walked around on campus so much that day getting permission from my office and forms signed that I came home with blisters. It also didn’t help that I got totally soaked from the incessant rain. It was a long day.
The classes I’m taking in the next 5 weeks are Inclusive Music Education (online), Woodwind Literature and Pedagogy (on campus), and Dynamic Strings Course (on campus). I had to adjust my work schedule in order to attend class so I now work 7:30-12:30, go to class, and then back to work 2:30-5, Tuesday-Friday. It’s made for some early mornings and long afternoons. This weekend is very busy as well. The violin course meets just this weekend from 6-9 tonight and 9-6 tomorrow. If you see me Sunday looking unkempt, you’ll know why.
I give you those boring details so you can understand why I’m not writing, hosting parties, cooking, or doing anything much in the way of recreation for the next 5 weeks. By the end of the time I will hopefully have completed 7 graduate credit hours and be that much closer to a music education teaching certificate and a Master of music ed degree. I have a couple semesters of classes to take before I can student teach. Still, it’s good to be actively pursuing music again.
I hope you all have a great weekend and pray for me if you think about it! I certainly will need some heavenly intervention to get through this busy time. We’re also accepting offers from anyone who wants to clean our house for free.
The title of this post is inspired by the scene from My Best Friend’s Wedding where they sing in the restaurant. It makes me smile so here’s a link to the YouTube video.
Allison G.
p.s. I have another online course in July, Human Relations, from Chadron State college that will satisfy a requirement for (substitute) teaching. I’m not too worried about that one.
There aren’t a lot of areas of my life that I would change if I could go back and make other decisions. Ultimately, I have had the experiences that God intended for me to have and I won’t argue with that. However, it’s been 1.5 years since I graduated from Moody Bible Institute (MBI) and there are a few things I sincerely wish could have been different.
Things I Wouldn’t Want to Change:
I know without a doubt that the people I met at MBI were amazing. From my roommate, to my dorm girl friends, to my professors, I was incredibly blessed to have such wonderful people in my life. They are the reason why I don’t regret my time at MBI. I definitely don’t regret my time with Dr. Terry Strandt, my personal voice instructor. He was like a father to me at school and he has an extreme gift for vocal pedagogy. I am also very grateful that I did go to MBI and learn theology at an intense level. It’s helped me greatly to relate to and understand my husband, who is a recent seminary graduate. Unfortunately, I seem to have trouble remembering all those books I read, exams I studied for, and even what I wrote in my own doctrinal statements. (I really should read through those again to remind myself what I believe.) I also thoroughly enjoyed living in and getting to know Chicago. My favorite times in Chicago were during summer school when I took my enormous amount of reading materials down to the beach and relaxed and read all afternoon. Chicago is a great city when the weather is right.
Another experience I highly value was my time with Mr. Gerald Edmonds, my choir instructor and internship mentor. He is a priceless individual that has shaped me into the choral director I am and hope to be. I also have no regrets being with Chorale on their tour of Europe a few summers ago. I saw seven different countries and toured some of the most amazing cities in Europe. If I could get my computer to turn on, I’d have access to the 500 some pictures I took.
Things I Wish Could Be Different:
I wish that my music degree (BA) at MBI qualified me to teach in public schools. I have 3 semesters of undergraduate and graduate classes and 1 semester of student teaching to complete before I’ll be certified to teach music in a public school. I had 0 classes on music education at MBI and I am not even qualified to substitute teach in the public schools. This will be remedied this summer as I am taking 2 online courses and one weekend seminar from Chadron State College and the University of NE (UNL). Hopefully I can start subbing on Mondays in the fall.
I wish that UNL was still willing to give me the scholarships I had been awarded when I was a freshman there. It’s extremely frustrating to think about the thousands of dollars I left behind and how I wish I could reclaim those for my future education. When you are a non-degree seeking post baccalaureate, no one wants to give you money. Furthermore, there are no graduate assistantships available for those working toward a Masters of Music Education at UNL. Jacob and I will need to be extremely wise in the way we save our money while we’re both working and hopefully in a few years, I’ll be ready to work as a choir director in a public school system and Jacob will be hired as a pastor at a church. That’s the goal anyway.
As you can see, I have had a very rewarding time in college but there are certain compromises that must be made if you attend a small bible college. So, future MBI music graduates, be prepared for more school if you want to do anything with music professionally besides teaching private lessons, being a missionary, or a pastor’s wife.
I certainly am excited to see what transpires in the next few years of our lives. Pray for us,
Allison G.
