Student parents support thread

[Lenni]

I used to come on this topic a year or so ago and post on the general hand holding support thread but it seems to have gone so I'm hoping there might be enough of us to start a new one.

I'm in my final leg of a M.Ed in Education and am currently writing my thesis which is going very slowly okay but am struggling to find time, motivation or energy to study. It would be nice to know others are in the same boat and have a place to handhold, moan, swap tips and motivate each other.

Hi Oumasrusks - that is dedication, I can barely get up in time to shower before the DCs. I'm finding I need more time now as well - I work on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9.45am to about 3pm and try to do an hour or two of reading in the evenings most nights. At the weekend I try to write on one of the two days and read in the car if we go out. If you compare that amount of time to what a childless full time student could manage it really isn't enough for me at the moment to make my thesis deadline. Finding extra time is going to mean either losing sleep or adding more childcare.

Hello Oumasrusks..... welcome

Time is always an issue isnt it, amazing that you can get up like that, my kids seem to wake up as soon as I get up to go the loo

Hope u have all had a good day and enjoy the weekend.

The eldest two aren't twins just very close together, and they drive me mad.

I'm loving my education degree, we just did a whole module on inclusion Lenni and the essay I just handed in was 'discuss can education be effective and inclusive' it was really interesting.

My 19th century literature essay has now been begun, I have a confused idea about what I'm doing, and only 200 words so far but 200 is better than none. I shall be working on it for a few hours this afternoon.

I've started thinking about post grad stuff already and think I will do the PGCE in secondary English, but I'm also really keen on following the education side of my degree along because it is so facinating. Any siggestions as to what I could do.

Hi all,

Sorry I never came back sooner.

Lenni : I have a lovely DH who has some flexability at work and ds does 2 days at nursery too.

mixedmamameansbusiness: I studied the Cold War and Scottish Politics last term. This term history of childhood and medieval gender and sexuality.

Will read through whole thred now to see how you all manage

Just popping in to say hello, I've got the whole house to myself (very rare occurance!) and i should be spending this time reading but can't resist MN and FB!

Good luck googling it lenni, their advertising of it is rubbish, try CCL and UWN. It's a fantastic way to access education. The course title is Sociolgy of Media (Influences and Ideology) but the essay and presentation will be looking at how women are represented in the media. We have to make the poster with images from the media, compile a referenced handout to accompany it and then we're having an open day so our friends and families and hopefully prospective students can come and see what we've been doing. We each then spend a few minutes explaining why we've chosen the images we have and answer any questions relating to it. And then we write a reflective of the whole experience.

They are trying to ensure that community students complete the same sort of assignments as on campus students. I'm really looking forward to it!

Mixedmama, we've not been told what the debate will be yet, I have a feeling it will be Habermas and the public sphere. Or maybe reality. Whatever, I'll be a jibbering wreck beforehand!

Good luck on the essay jacquelinehyde, how do you usually prepare for an essay? Have you got a basic structure? I find I'm ok once I get started, it's just the getting started bit I struggle with!

Right, off to read! Have a good weekend fellow students

Afternoon everyone....

Well DH just left with the DC to go to ILs so have a few hours, just checking FB and MN then must put some washing away and back to books.

Girly - Cold War is something that would definitely interest me. Most eastern european history interests me and am hopig one of my essays will cover this this term.

Buck - step away from MN and FB!!!!

still interested in the 19th century lit essay, is it in relation to specific texts or a general essay.... literature really is a very close second to history with me.

Moles - did DH agree the spend?

Hi everyone else.

Hello everyone

MMMB - DP has agreed the spend, but I'm still dithering! The module is worth 15 CAT points which equates to 150 hours of study over the 11 weeks, and I'm not sure I can manage this on top of my OU stuff. I know what I'm like: I won't be willing to skimp on the reading or time spent on the writing, so I can see it being a rather stressful few months juggling two courses. I'm thinking that it might be a good idea to get ahead on the reading: can I just pick your brains one more time and ask if Birkbeck provide any of the core readings, or do we need to source these ourselves? I've only got a couple of the books on the reading list.

Hi Moles - BBK havent provided anything so far, I have had to source everything myself, but their library is ok and as a Uni of London student you can join Senate House, which I did today and they have a HUGE range. It is a lot of time, especially when you have your OU going on and I have found this term that the reading is huge with Dictators, again partly because I am trying to read beyond what i am given and it is really tight. From a selfish point of view I hope you do enrol

Thanks MMMB, you've been a huge help! I'm going to do a bit of research today on the availability of the core texts (thanks for the tip about Senate House). Many of them are available on Amazon for a reasonable(ish) price, but it soon mounts up, doesn't it?

My OU course has now started so I ought to get cracking ... I just need to finish reading the internet first

How's everyone getting on?

Argh! MN and FB, the biggest drains on my study time, forget the children!!

Molesworth - Amazon should be sued for making us buy so many texts by selling them cheaply! Do you think I would have a case?? I end up buying books I have used a lot just because it is so much easier than having to travel to the library and then there are the short notice recalls to contend with - not so easy to return a book at a days notice when you have two preschool children and live over an hour from the library.

Do any of you use a bookmark and share thing like CiteULike or del.icio.us? I am thinking of signing up to one of them and bookmarking all the research papers I have used/read so that I can avoid having to store so many on my computer but have no experience at all and there are so many to choose from.

Reading/writing day tomorrow, plus a job application to do and have to look after my nephew for a couple of hours too. Must plan my time and then get to bed.

hello! i was chatting to moley on another thread and then noticed this one...

i'm currently struggling to finish my social research MSc, and hone my phd application (but don't tell dh...)

i have GOT to get it all finished and handed in by the summer - for various reasons i took 12 months out, so now i'm playing catch-up. i can't get to the campus, so need some virtual student mates to keep me on track.

i have soooooo much work to do, and (it appears) not enough time to do it in. i've got 3 dcs and a part time job, and massive procrastination/ perfectionism issues...

you all sound very organised - how can i get that way in time to save my degree??? it's timetabling isn't it?

Madwoman - good luck with finishing the MSc and for the PhD application! Procrastination/perfection issues are my problem too...

Lenni - hope you get all your reading and writing done.

Hope everyone else is doing okay.

I have a TMA due next Friday on Robert Owen and I keep procrastinating when I should be doing the reading for it.

Madwoman - I am afraid timetabling is the only way I have found that works, but you have to be very very strict.

Hi all,

Just spotted this thread and thought I would join/introduce myself. I'm in my first year of a BA in Politics and Society at the same place as mixedmama.

I love Senate House, it's a great library and it is without a doubt one of the places I can always go and know I'll get stuff done. They have a great reading room on bottom floor that is really peaceful and relaxing!

I am due to have a workshop this evening but nursery have some staff sickness so I can't make it, things like this are very annoying but as Thursday isn't my usual day to study it's not terribly surprising. I was hoping to go to the library and get out all of the reading for my essays due mid-march. I think I am doing 'With specific reference to a particular country or region, assess the major obstacles to democratisation.' and 'Can the state deliver welfare?' - I'm looking forward to it but really need to get cracking on the reading!

Welcome Ewe... those topics sound really interesting. How do you find BBK? I absolutely love it but have been very lucky that the modules i have picked happen to be with the same lecturer who is great.

I am really enjoying it, also have some very good lecturers and I think as politics is considered one of the core areas it attract good teaching staff.

I do find evening lectures hard as I am usually so bloody tired by the time I get there! What is it you're studying, history?

Yes but I am doing the certificate programme first.... luckily the modules i have been interested in so far have fallen on my day off from work... as of April I will be an evening student though and hope that it suits me.

i'm v jealous of you guys who are sitting in the city! i live two and a half hours drive away from the nearest university (and there are only three hamlets and a few nodding donkeys in between lol)

i do fondly remember my pre-children days in london! (nearly had a breakdown the other day as my athens password wasn't working. i can only get books via amazon now )

isn't mn the oddest place? only here would you 'bump into' people doing the same courses/ at the same place. amazing! i had good nose around bbk at a conference the year before last, always been v impressed by the ethos, particularly for the brood-endowed. v jealous

work hard, everyone!

Hello all

Birkbeck does look very appealing: I imagine I'd fit in there better than I might at other universities (because I'm getting on a bit now ). I just wish they had a proper sociology department!

In other news, I've started using the 'pomodoro technique' i.e. using a kitchen timer (or in my case the timer on my phone) to study in 25 minute blocks. It's helping me to a) feel a bit more in control of time and b) quantify what I've done more easily (i.e. I've done two pomodori today). There's a website and free book you can download, but tbh it's so simple you don't really need to read a whole book about it. Anyone else use this technique?

Not sure if it is the same but I generally set the alarm on my phone and decide what I want to acheieve i.e. read a specific book etc. Then take a break which is ridiculously beginning to be read some Jane Austen DH kinly pointed out that the point of a break was to stop reading.

Sounds like the same thing: I'm trying to emulate your awesome levels of organization and self-motivation MMMB

oo, you two are v strict .

although i have long since realised that my all or nothing approach isn't as productive as it could be!

25 minutes seems quite short though - i think i would only just have sorted out what i wanted to achieve by then, not even started! (or is that the point - you decide what you want to do in the first block of 25, then have a break, then get down to it in the next?...) i don't know if i could be that structured - if i catch the spark i tend to just carry on until the fire's gone out lol (or until dh kindly informs me that if i don't go to bed, the children will be getting up for breakfast...) he does try and keep me fed and watered, but i think gets a bit bored by the endless cups of tea that he collects cold from the desk, and pours down the sink... (usually i then go 'oh, lovely, a cup of tea!' and he mutters - 'yep, it's been there for two hours'...)

i do need to find some healthier work habits...

so pomodoro/ phone - how else do people organise their time?

mad - I try to work out what I want to do before I start, normally on Wedn evening after uni ready for the following week in order of most important etc then I just look at my list and get on with it. When it comes to anything more complex then reading it will prob fall apart. I have taken a week off at the end of Feb in order to work through written work, but will plan what I intend to tackle the day before so I have a broad plan.

Having said all of this though, sometimes if I get an idea I just switch as you have to do it when the brilliance (used loosely for me) hits. I had a brilliant idea for my intro the other night in bed, didnt get up to write it down and now cant remember it.

I am usually a disorganised mess. Try and do reading on way to and from work on the train, twice a week I commute into London so that is about 4hrs of reading time. I usually read on my way to my Tuesday lecture (about an hour) and do Wednesday's reading on the way back.

Before essays are due in I tend to cram and read all my books in the preceding week. I have vowed to be more organised this time around and as it is reading week next week I am actually going to the library tomorrow to sort out everything I need.

Before deadline I put DD in nursery for a few days so that I can do uninterrupted work and that has thus far been fairly successful.

Ewe - if it works dont fix it!