A great big balancing act

Posted February 1, 2011 by labrecql

In the Fall 2010 semester, my student loans allowed me to pay for the mandatory health insurance – not only for me, but for my husband and 17-month-old son as well. That’s a pretty big chunk of change, but the insurance covers a calendar year, and I was able to take two classes with the money left over. Since I don’t have that expense in the Spring 2011 semester, I’ve taken on a third class, and boy, does my plate feel full! I’ve got Picture Book and Children’s Lit and Media Collections back to back on Mondays – that’s six straight hours – and Management on Wednesdays. For me, the LIS courses come naturally, because they’re about doing, and they train me to accomplish something practical, but the CHL classes are much more challenging in that I must force my brain into academic/analytic mode. I’m more comfortable there than I was last semester (CHL 401 whipped me into shape pretty well), but I still find it hard to get those gears turning.
I feel so lucky to have made friends in my programs – people to study with, commiserate with, be confused with, and make discoveries with. It’s wonderful to be part of a group of future children’s librarians; it’s such a specific calling that we necessarily have a lot of common ground. And having a like-minded adult friend to chat with after a day of making block towers and cooking invisible potions with my son recharges my batteries.
And now if you’ll excuse me, my son is taking his morning nap, so I should get started on homework. Time to read ten picture books and cut things out of construction paper!