Coming Together

Now the semester is in full swing. Yesterday, I finally started my second class on L2 research methods. We'll have to write a few small papers, complete other little homework assignments (for no credit!), and design and carry out an original research project. It'll be a significant amount of work, I think; but I had the professor last semester and he's very kind and easy to work with. Now, I just have to figure out what I might want to do for the research project. I already started jotting down ideas yesterday, but I always have a hard time making the decision. I also want to see if I can somehow combine what I'll be working on in the technology class with the research methods class. Maybe I can do a bigger project and turn it in for both...something to check with the professors about.

Speaking of the technology class, I'm really enjoying it so far, and love that both the class time and the readings so far have given me lots of practical ideas for my teaching. Some will be hard to implement in my current class, but I'm keeping a list to use down the road. I have posted my first entry on that class blog now, so if you want to read more about that, I should be updating it weekly.

Besides school, I've been working on finding a roommate for the TESOL convention in March. I'll be presenting a paper, so I can apply for funding, but even if I get the maximum amount from the two available sources, it won't be quite enough. So, I've been emailing, facebooking, and talking to everyone I know, hoping someone else will sign on to split the hotel tab. After about two weeks of real searching, it looks like I've got one! It's actually a friend of a friend of a friend...another grad student from Pennsylvania. She's staying one day longer than I am, but I was able to change my reservation to make it simple for her. Maybe we'll even find a couple more girls to bring the cost down even more. It's been kind of fun to see social networking (via facebook, originally) make this happen.

Also, Mark has been practicing like crazy to prepare for his upcoming auditions and recital. And, he's been invited out for more auditions. So, he's in the process of looking at flights and hotels for those trips, which will be in February and March (I need to write the dates on my calendar, because I can't seem to remember them otherwise). This is great news, because it means that the schools liked his DVDs and are interested enough to ask him to play in person. It also gives him a chance to see the schools and check out their studios (he's been to two of the schools before, but two are new). All the travel will be pricey, but I hope that it leads to him having a choice among several schools for his next step. We're also hoping for a teaching assistantship! I'm convinced that his hard work will pay off, but we'll have to wait a few more months to find out exactly how. It's starting to become more real to me that we could be moving again this summer. I'm not really ready to think about that, but I imagine that once we know where we're going, I'll be able to start getting more prepared and excited. Time sure flies!