Working two jobs and taking a class online has been challenging, to say the least. After a 15-hour day I have a hard time finding even a morsel of energy to read a novel and write essays on it. Especially when the class I’m taking is Asian Literature- yikes!

I have a novel per week to read and am required to write responses to prompts given by the teacher. This past week was jam packed for me and I just didn’t have the time or stamina to read and process this terrible (in my opinion) book. The entire book plus four essays were due tonight (Thursday) at 11:55 pm and as of 5pm this afternoon, I was still on page 50 of the wretched novel. Page 50 out of 336. It was then that I decided to not read the book. Instantly a two ton weight was lifted from my shoulders. I decided to read 11 pages of Wikipedia, 15 student discussion board posts on the book, and several other online book note sites. I took notes from Wikipedia like a diligent student and carefully outlined my BS answers. I was determined to at least PASS this assignment and make my classmates and teacher think I had read the novel. I felt like I was in high school again, reading Cliffnotes before a reading test!

A few minutes ago I logged onto Blackboard to see if I had gotten any feedback on my posts. A classmate responded to one of my essays:

Hah!! Perfect! If a student with excellent essays herself bought my Load O’ Bull, then maybe the teacher will too. I’m not going to lie, I do feel guilty, as I am in school to broaden my knowledge and make good grades. But…desperate times call for desperate measures. Also, I find a lot of irony in the fact that I work in school administration, and here I am doing the same thing my dang students do! Sigh. Once I learn to balance a 65 hour work week plus a class, it will get better. That is what I must believe!