100 Percent!

Okay, it was just a 10-question quiz, and it was just one of 29 I'll eventually take in this class (Plants and Our World), and it only counts for maybe one-onehundredth of my grade but, hey, I'm allowed to celebrate a little!

Scored 90% on the first quiz and dropped to 70% on the second, so to achieve 100% on the third felt pretty good last night. It meant maybe I am starting to "get it" learning how to take good notes. It meant I can really do this if I focus.

I'm thankful it is a web-delivered class where I don't yet have to rely entirely on my memory. They fully expect you to have your notes and your book in front of you, even for the Final. But the quizzes are timed (and the Final will be, too), and you get ZERO PERCENT if you exceed the 7 minute allotment! Seven minutes go by FAST! It's barely enough time to read and digest the question, the four multiple choice answers, remember where to look in my notes (control F helps!), and select and save my answer. That's just 42 seconds per question. The prof said she found that formula somewhere on the web -- that 42 seconds per question is the right amount of time to test someone's knowledge of something.

I can't remember any of the questions I answered correctly, but here are the ones from Quiz 2 that I missed:

Which of the following best describes the fluid mosaic model of membrane structure?
O Cytoplasmic bridges move materials through microscopic hole in cell walls
O None of these
O Double layer of proteins with scattered phospholipids within the layer
O Double layer of phospholipids with scattered proteins embedded in or on the surface.
(Hint: "None of these" is the wrong answer!)

Small metabolites, such as sugar and ions, pass between plant cells via...
O plasmodesmata
O organelles
O middle lamella
O vacuoles
(I could have sworn "middle lamella" was accurate.)

Which of the following is generally absent from animal cells?
O organelles
O plasma membrane
O cytosol
O plastids
(I'll know which of the last three are correct by the end of today! Gotta keep up so my notes for the Final are in order.)

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Being the organized person I (pretend I) am, I put all the assignments from both classes onto a spreadsheet/calendar so I could work out a plan to get everything done ahead of deadline. Adjusting for a one-week gap toward the end of July when I'll be away from internet access makes it a pretty agressive agenda.

In fact, I also worked out four different week-at-a-glance type calendars for the four stages of my life between now and December. From now to August 8th I will have work time and study time. Pretty simple stuff. From August 20 to October 20 I'll have work, two 3-hour classroom classes, and a minimum 12 hours of homework each week.

October 22 I will add in a six-hour Math class and 12 additional hours of homework! I'm gonna call the Arizona State Retirement System real soon to get an EXACT date in October when I can retire! Otherwise, it will be a very intense two weeks.

The fourth calendar is my favorite! The accelerated Math class will be doable because I won't be spending 40 hours a week at work! That calendar is the light at the end of my tunnel.

I think I can, I think I can...!