The Week Leading Up to Thanksgiving Break
When going home to see family and relax is in sight, it can get pretty hard to feel motivated. I, like many of my classmates, had quite a few papers and projects (although thankfully no tests WOO) during that last week leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday. However honestly, it really wasn’t that bad. What is my magic trick to getting through a tough week of assignments before a much-anticipated vacation? Simple: Stay busy.
This may seem counterintuitive, since you should be busy with assignments and therefore the expected advice would probably be to relax when you can. However, I find that the best strategy for me is to plan fun activities to break up the less fun activities, like studying. This has always been my way of coping with the tougher weeks [I always say that the amount of homework and tests etc. truly ebbs and flows week by week over every semester].
So this was the schedule of my week before Thanksgiving Break, so any of you readers can get a glimpse into what a “tougher” week academically looks like at Vanderbilt:
Monday 11/14
9:30 Complete my Nature Journal for Science (aka sit and appreciate nature for 30 mins)
10:10 Class: How to Teach Social Studies in an Elementary Classroom
11:10 Class: How to Teach Science in an Elementary Classroom
12:00 Lunch @ Commons with friends and outside because the weather was BEAUTIFUL
—
1:10 Class: Love and Honor in Medieval and Golden Age Spanish Literature
2:10 Class: Advanced Spanish Conversation
3:00-4:00 Relax/homework
4:15 Barre Class @ the Dailey Method (such a fun/challenging way to exercise!)
6:00 Dinner @ Grins aka SO yummy
7:00 Chapter Meeting @ the Pi Phi house
8:00 Swingin ‘Dores (acappella group on campus) Concert
9:00 Morale Meeting (for Vanderbilt Dance Marathon!)
10:30 Sleep!
Tuesday 11/15
8:40 Breakfast with friends @ Kissam
9:35 Class: How to Teach Math in an Elementary Classroom
11:00 Practicum Meeting (where we rehearse our lesson plans for the week)
12:00 Laundry (much needed!!), lunch and homework
—
3:00 Visited my buddy at Susan Gray! We played tag it was awesome.
4:10 Class: Classroom Management
6:00 Tour Guide Meeting
7:30 BYX Date Party
9:30 Homework
10:30 Sleep!
Wednesday 11/16
9:30 Breakfast @ Commons
10:10 Class: How to Teach Social Studies in an Elementary Classroom
11:10 Class: How to Teach Science in an Elementary Classroom
12:00 Lunch @ Commons with friends
—
1:10 Class: Love and Honor in Medieval and Golden Age Spanish Literature
2:10 Class: Advanced Spanish Conversation
3:00-5:00 Relax/homework
5:30 Barre Class @ the Dailey Method
7:00 Dinner from Bread & Co (right next to bookstore and can use Commodore Card to pay!)
8:00 Met with friends to plan our birthday party for next weekend (!!!)
9:00 Homework
10:30 Sleep!
Thursday 11/17
8:40 Breakfast @ Grins
9:35 Class: How to Teach Math in an Elementary Classroom *Handed in Curriculum Redesign Paper!
12:00-3:00 Taught a lesson on Buffalo Soldiers @ East End Prep (practicum)
—
3:30-5:30 Relax and homework
6:30 Dinner @ the Pub with my friend who I went to the concert with (see next line)
7:30 Frankie Ballard concert @ Exit/In!!!
10:30 Went downtown with friends
2:00 Sleep (oops!)
Friday 11/18
~Slept in~
10:30 Breakfast in room (oatmeal mmm)
12:00 Lunch @ Bamboo Bistro
—
1:10 Class: Love and Honor in Medieval and Golden Age Spanish Literature
2:10 Class: Advanced Spanish Conversation *Gave presentation!
3:00 Packed for home
4:30 Left for the airport
7:00 Boarded a plane for Thanksgiving Break!
And I survived! I am now sitting at my kitchen table surrounded by food, family and my dog (is there really anything better?) and I know that the two weeks before Winter Break will be tough too (end of semester finals etc.) but I am POSITIVE that I will be just fine. And don’t worry, I’ve got plenty of fun activities scheduled already to keep myself as busy and stress-free as possible!