terrshee's Diaryland Diary

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Class Fu, Summer Fu, Refi Fu

Algebra class was much better last night; Prof. Joe Fred was back and it was clear the class was much more engaged in the evening's lesson. The students new to Joe Fred's style were clearly relieved and those of us who already know him fell into our comfortable routine.

There is a hearing impaired student in the class this semester. It is quite interesting to see how much infrastructure one student needs to learn. He's got two sign interpreters (to spell each other during the 3 hour class) and a generous stipend is being paid to one student to take notes for him.

Yet I have to wonder; he showed up for the second night of class without having read the syllabus or done the first homework set. Part of me is sympathetic because of the incredible obstacles he has to deal with in order to obtain an education in a more traditional setting. Part of me wonders how he can risk starting out at more of a deficit than he has to. Still, I know nothing of him or his circumstances.

Also I find the economics intriguing. What does it cost to have two interpreters in a class? Who is footing the bill? I don't doubt that ultimately it is more socially beneficial and cost effective to spend the money to raise the prospects of anyone with any major impairment than limiting access to education for lack of support.

But this is a new experience for me and I have to deal with a fair amount of disruption to the class from interpreters regularly changing places and frequent interuptions from a student who is struggling to master a difficult subject under a handicap (apparently algebra is abstract and ASL is concrete, and conveying ideas can be tricky). So far it is ok, just challenging to my patience. Like that needs another character building test. ;-)

I'm tired of summer. Mostly I'm tired of being hot. No doubt in three months I will be whinging about being cold. But then I'll be able to head to Costa Rica for a few days and see my Faz. I hope.

In theory tonight will be the end of the refi saga. The notary is scheduled to come to my place and the papers are to be signed this evening. If not, I'm so done with this. Yesterday the mortgage broker tried to hit me with a fee to keep my locked-in rate because of a certain risks in lending to me. I flat out refused to pay it and said I was sorry, but we were not going to do business together anymore. How strange that suddenly they argeed to pay the fee if I would agree to go to closing. I should never have let it drag on this long.

11:17 a.m. - 2005-09-20
0 comments

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

past tense - always tense - future tense