In a recent post about ASU I had several comments about how frustrated I have been with some issues that arose regarding Jon's and my grad school programs. I never anticipated that my little post would be read beyond my normal audience, let alone receive a response.
However, a few days ago I received an e-mail and letter from Michael Crow, ASU's president, regarding my original post. I can't tell you how blown away I was to know that President Crow took time out of his busy and hectic schedule to respond to my concerns. How many university presidents would take the time and effort to respond to one person's complaint? It really reaffirmed to me so many of the reasons why I love ASU in the first place.
No matter the outcome, I am impressed with their response so far.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Summer Book List #2
Here is my 2nd installment on books I have read this summer. A few were misses, most were middle of the line, and some were superb.
A City Not Forsaken by Lynn and Gilbert Morris ***/*****
I read a similar series by Gilbert Morris in high school and fell in love with it then because they were historical fiction and always had a love story thrown in. Although the plots were similar (will he follow God or man, and which lady would the main character choose-always the more modest and God-fearing lady. This is, after all, a Christian book series.) I read the 2nd book in this series, and you don’t have to read the first to know what’s going on. This book is different from the others in that there is no love story. Also, the book didn’t seem to read as quickly as the former series. Either my tastes have changed since high school (very likely) or the author has changed his style now writing with his wife. Either way, this book didn’t entice me enough to pick up the third. One nice thing, however, was the book didn’t leave any loose ends unlike the series by Beverely I posed on in June.
Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene ***/*****
I promise that I am not obsessed with Holocaust literature as this is already the 2nd of the summer (with one more later on in this review), but since I teach about it I am constantly looking for novels my kids could pick up. This one would fit the bill nicely. It is an easy read and forces the students to look at the Nazi’s in a different light because our main character falls in love with a Nazi POW who is transferred to her hometown in small town, USA. The characters sometimes aren’t as developed as I’d like, and some never change or learn from their mistakes, but this book is more than appropriate for young teens.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini ****/*****
I have heard so many amazing reviews about this novel from everyone I had to pick it up to see what the fuss was about. This is a powerful and moving story that left me crying at points so it is evident the author has you caring about the characters. The brutal horrors that occurred in our narrator’s life helped shape the man he became, and the novel takes you on his self discovery to see if he can relive his past and grow stronger or run from it again. Although this book is frustrating at times-you very much can grow to dislike our main character because of his choices-it makes the reader think how they would respond in similar situations or in a different time. This book was so moving I couldn’t help but tell my family about what was occurring as I read more and more each day. This would be a great book to pick up, but definitely not a summer beach read. This book is one I will not soon forget.
The Pursuit of Happyness by Chris Gardner **/*****
Ugh. I was expecting so much from this book maybe I set myself up to be disappointed. After seeing the movie I thought it would be neat to find out the real story. Some things are better left with the Hollywood version. After reading this I no longer can have the same esteem as I once did for Mr. Gardner. He cheated on his wife, took drugs while they were struggling to survive financially, and came across as pompous and arrogant as he unabashedly told us exactly how great the sex was while cheating. Is he a success story because of his rags to riches fame? Absolutely. But don’t believe the fluff Hollywood threw at us in the movie by believing this man is the victim in his later years. Because of his affair he had Chris Jr. out of wedlock and only then did his wife leave him. It was only then he was struggling financially. Anyway, I don’t want to keep ranting, but I would not recommend this book.
Plain Jane: A Novel of Jane Seymour by Laurien Gardner ****/*****
Another good read about the craziness surrounding King Henry VIII’s court. This book was told from the perspective of Henry’s future queen this time, and because not much is known about her the author had to infer or make up much of the information. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it very much and am looking forward to reading the other book that is out in this series so far.
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart and Carson Ellis
***.5/*****
One of my students gave me this book as an end of school gift because it was one of her all time favorites. The main characters are all gifted students who are trying to stop an evil mad man from manipulating the whole world through the use of subliminal signals in the tv. The book is a pretty good read and definitely has some clever parts, but I don't think I would read any more books if a sequel were to occur (which seems likely given the setup of the story).
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom ****/*****
This is a beautiful novel about one woman and her family's journey as they smuggled Jews in their home and other “safe houses” in war torn Holland during the 1940's. Corrie and her family ended up in jail and finally a concentration camp because of her willingness to protect God's children during the Holocaust. Her faith and God's truth ring out clearly in her writing and remarkable story. It really pushed me to think of a more Godly perspective instead of one of this world. This is an excellent novel.
A City Not Forsaken by Lynn and Gilbert Morris ***/*****
I read a similar series by Gilbert Morris in high school and fell in love with it then because they were historical fiction and always had a love story thrown in. Although the plots were similar (will he follow God or man, and which lady would the main character choose-always the more modest and God-fearing lady. This is, after all, a Christian book series.) I read the 2nd book in this series, and you don’t have to read the first to know what’s going on. This book is different from the others in that there is no love story. Also, the book didn’t seem to read as quickly as the former series. Either my tastes have changed since high school (very likely) or the author has changed his style now writing with his wife. Either way, this book didn’t entice me enough to pick up the third. One nice thing, however, was the book didn’t leave any loose ends unlike the series by Beverely I posed on in June.
Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene ***/*****
I promise that I am not obsessed with Holocaust literature as this is already the 2nd of the summer (with one more later on in this review), but since I teach about it I am constantly looking for novels my kids could pick up. This one would fit the bill nicely. It is an easy read and forces the students to look at the Nazi’s in a different light because our main character falls in love with a Nazi POW who is transferred to her hometown in small town, USA. The characters sometimes aren’t as developed as I’d like, and some never change or learn from their mistakes, but this book is more than appropriate for young teens.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini ****/*****
I have heard so many amazing reviews about this novel from everyone I had to pick it up to see what the fuss was about. This is a powerful and moving story that left me crying at points so it is evident the author has you caring about the characters. The brutal horrors that occurred in our narrator’s life helped shape the man he became, and the novel takes you on his self discovery to see if he can relive his past and grow stronger or run from it again. Although this book is frustrating at times-you very much can grow to dislike our main character because of his choices-it makes the reader think how they would respond in similar situations or in a different time. This book was so moving I couldn’t help but tell my family about what was occurring as I read more and more each day. This would be a great book to pick up, but definitely not a summer beach read. This book is one I will not soon forget.
The Pursuit of Happyness by Chris Gardner **/*****
Ugh. I was expecting so much from this book maybe I set myself up to be disappointed. After seeing the movie I thought it would be neat to find out the real story. Some things are better left with the Hollywood version. After reading this I no longer can have the same esteem as I once did for Mr. Gardner. He cheated on his wife, took drugs while they were struggling to survive financially, and came across as pompous and arrogant as he unabashedly told us exactly how great the sex was while cheating. Is he a success story because of his rags to riches fame? Absolutely. But don’t believe the fluff Hollywood threw at us in the movie by believing this man is the victim in his later years. Because of his affair he had Chris Jr. out of wedlock and only then did his wife leave him. It was only then he was struggling financially. Anyway, I don’t want to keep ranting, but I would not recommend this book.
Plain Jane: A Novel of Jane Seymour by Laurien Gardner ****/*****
Another good read about the craziness surrounding King Henry VIII’s court. This book was told from the perspective of Henry’s future queen this time, and because not much is known about her the author had to infer or make up much of the information. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it very much and am looking forward to reading the other book that is out in this series so far.
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart and Carson Ellis
***.5/*****One of my students gave me this book as an end of school gift because it was one of her all time favorites. The main characters are all gifted students who are trying to stop an evil mad man from manipulating the whole world through the use of subliminal signals in the tv. The book is a pretty good read and definitely has some clever parts, but I don't think I would read any more books if a sequel were to occur (which seems likely given the setup of the story).
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom ****/*****This is a beautiful novel about one woman and her family's journey as they smuggled Jews in their home and other “safe houses” in war torn Holland during the 1940's. Corrie and her family ended up in jail and finally a concentration camp because of her willingness to protect God's children during the Holocaust. Her faith and God's truth ring out clearly in her writing and remarkable story. It really pushed me to think of a more Godly perspective instead of one of this world. This is an excellent novel.
Where's the Love?
Most people know I am a HUGE ASU fan. I sing the fight song to my kids every year. I have paraphernalia littering my classroom walls. I am a former Devil's Advocate who gave tours for ASU for two years, for free, and recruited students to attend the university on an out of town trip. In addition, I served as the College of Education college council president and senator for the College, each for one year. I was so gang ho about ASU I even appeared in pictures for their catalogs. I say this to you not to brag, but to give you an idea of how much I am for ASU.Then reality hit.
Jon has had nothing but trouble finding classes he can take as a working adult trying to obtain a master's degree. I chalked that up one poorly run grad program.
If Jon wants to avoid driving down to ASU two times a week in horrendous rush hour traffic he could take an Internet class...at a price nearly double of a class on campus-even a class that isn't being taught by a "real" professor but nearly a tape of a previous semester's course. Lame.
But the biggest blow came as I am pursuing my 2nd master's degree in ESL at ASU. I, too, am a full time working adult and luckily for me the College of Education has some great off campus cohort classes that allow me to take classes much closer to home and at more convenient hours than Jon.
I decided to take off from classes last semester and planned on returning to ASU this fall to complete the degree I am halfway through receiving. When I tried to register, the system wouldn't allow me to. After speaking to no less than five individuals I was finally directed to the correct person who could tell me why I wasn't able to register. Late fees? Nope, I was always on time. Problem with my grades? Nah, I have a 4.0 after fifteen hours. What could it be?
"Since you decided to take off a semester, you need to reregister, mam?"
What does that involve?
"A new application and $50.00 readmission fee."
WHAT? For a taking off a semester?
It's not like I am pursuing an undergrad degree and my sole purpose in life is to go to school. I am a working adult with a family, full time and demanding job, and if I need to take off, I should be able to do so without penalty.
Furthermore, why would ASU want to upset a main source of potential revenue, their future alumni, by making them pay out additional money for no reason but for them to earn a few extra bucks.
I might even understand a fee if they needed to do a lot of work to get me "reinstated" as a student, but since I was told it could be done in under 24 hours it doesn't seem like a whole lot of effort is going to be required in order to get me "ok'd."
After the hours of time I have invested in this university for free, and thousands of dollars I have given them for my undergrad and now my graduate degree, this is a really lousy way to treat a former and current student.
It almost makes me want to cheer for that horrible team down south...almost.