Nothing Like a Tuesday Full of Lovely Surprises

My academic advisor e-mailed yesterday to tell me that my application for teaching certification came back to her (coincidentally only after I asked where it was, since the state bureau told me they didn't have it even a month after it was supposedly sent out) from the education school because "you were missing a form."





I was missing a form?





I'm sorry--I was?





The only way I could be missing a form is if you didn't tell me to fill it out, advisor extraordinaire.





After I left a very, very sad message on her voicemail--because of course her phone always goes straight to voicemail, the outgoing message of which states her philosophy that she will respond faster to an e-mail--I called up my former professor of my last class, Dr. D (formerly Prof. D). I got her voicemail, too, so I left a brief but exasperated message with her.

She returned my call minutes later, at which time she expressed her displeasure with my advisor (who at the time of this posting had not responded) from recent experience with her on other matters, and told me (A) I can get around the certification requirement with a letter of explanation, (B) she would write and then e-mail and snail mail me such a letter, and (C) the name of the person at the education school who forwards the applications to the certification bureau.

Feeling somewhat reassured, I looked up the education school person in the directory, sent him an e-mail, and pulled myself together enough to go work at the library for the evening. When I checked my school e-mail midway through the evening, I had a response from him letting me know my application was sent out yesterday. Meaning the same day he'd gotten it from my advisor. Wow.

I felt a little better about that, but I didn't feel like celebrating. Partly because I still have another six or eight weeks to get the actual certificate, and partly because at the end of my conversation with Dr. D., she told me some bad news: one of my classmates had died in a car accident shortly before Easter. I spent part of the evening looking up her obit (and even found the article about the accident--cause unknown). So sad. She was one of my project partners in my second-to-last class, and we were in the last class (student teaching) together. Such a bright, bubbly personality--she was going to be a great school librarian, and (probably the saddest part of the story) a great mom. The world feels a little colder when two innocent lives are cut short. I need to send a donation in her name to her library.

So what have I learned from all this? #1: Your advisor screws up on you once, never trust her again. #2: Perspective. Things aren't great, but they could be way worse.

#3: When all else fails, say a prayer and call on a good professor.

Comments

Lindsay said…
I am so very sorry to hear about your friend and her child. :o( I will say a prayer for her, her family and her friends.

And, boo, people stink. Sigh. At least things will work out, though.
Annie Coe said…
So sad about your classmate.
Glad everything went better with the rest.
Dave E. said…
Sorry about your classmate and her child. It seems your faith has been tested a lot these days, but you have some good things happening on your side as well. Hang in there, it's going to work out fine.
Cullen said…
So sad. Makes you think about things, especially your own driving habits, you know.

As everone else said, hang in there, things will work out.
Lizzie said…
My friend's advisor in grad school "helped" her all the way through her thesis only to totally rip it apart in front of the committee when she did her defense. I have NEVER trusted advisors to have their crap together more than me since.

Great idea to donate to her library in your classmate's name. Very sweet. Such a shame...
nightfly said…
So sorry to hear about your friend. May she and her child rest in peace.
Kate P said…
Thanks, gang. I mailed the donation to Maryland today with a note telling the FOL how I knew her. She was well-liked across many states.

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