I've probably said a lot of this before, but it doesn't go away.

[notemily]

I've been thinking about accommodations and disability and school today. Most of the people reading this blog know that I have a LOT of trouble with school--I always have, or at least, I have ever since I started getting a certain amount of homework. (Before then, though, I had problems paying attention in class, so.) Since then, I've had major

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[txvoodoo]

I had issues like this, too. I ended up going to several schools. I'd have a few semesters of being ok, then boom, down the spiral.

One thing that DID work for me were (paradoxically) shorter semesters. Penn State was on trimesters for a while - 10 weeks and over. And I also took summer classes, which were shorter, and did fabulously in there.

So, while I have about 40 more credits than are needed for a degee, I don't have a degree. I wish I could find more compressed schedule classes again.

[notemily]

I did well in summer classes if they didn't have too much homework. I simply could not go to class for three hours and then come home and do a mountain of homework for the same class that was due the next day. I needed a break.

So, there were some summer classes I loved and did well in, and some I hated and did badly in, and one I loved but I got an awful grade in because I just couldn't do that much homework every day. Without those summer classes, though, I don't think I would have graduated, because I rarely ever made it through a regular semester without having to drop or withdraw from at least one class.

[dorian_is_i]

It's like you just sucked the words out of my head. I have pretty much exactly the same problems with school, and while I quite genuinely love it, I don't know that I'll ever be able to work with it--what you say about there being no really fitting accommodation is right on target for me as well.

Thank you for writing this.

[notemily]

♥ you.

[fabulousfrock]

Our society has a ridiculously narrow-minded view of how people need to learn and demonstrate what they've learned. Augh. I become more and more convinced that school is not for getting every child an education, it's for putting everyone in their boxes.

[anonymous]

Hi Sophie

[rhiannon23]

I think you are right on about the structure of the academic world. I struggled a lot with the course load in graduate school but was very lucky to have some professors who were understanding and kind. The attitude that you just have to suffer like everyone else is pervasive. I had a professor who told us that she suffered through graduate and post graduate studies so she would make us suffer too. It seemed strange to me that she didn't say I suffered so I want to be kinder to you.

It never occurred to me that the quarters might have made it easier. DePaul operates on a quarter system and I always complained that semesters were easier because the work wasn't so condensed. But now that you mention it, quarters may just be the reason I graduated at all. I really, really, REALLY struggle to pay attention to anything for more than a few minutes much less 4 months.