"Crikey! Isn't he a beaut?" - Steve IrwinismWhat in the world is he talking about? This might be your initial thought when beginning to read the blog entry, but trust me there IS a point. You see, tomorrow will be my first day of my first semester of grad school at Grand Canyon University. Again I hear you asking questions like, "But Gene, you live in Maryland, 2,260.35 miles from the Grand Canyon, so how in the world are you going to pull this one off?" My answer is simple and concise. I'm taking my grad classes online starting tomorrow. I'll be attending Grand Canyon University, whose mascot is The Pronghorn Antelope, though they have deemed themselves the GCU 'Lopes. Why a 'lope you may ask? (Boy are you inquisitive today)
They are the fastest land animal in the USA peaking at 60 mph and unlike the pathetic cheetah, can sustain great speeds longer than any other land animal. They are graceful,majestic, and peaceful, and use their white rump as a signal flag, so I'd like to ask you, Why not a 'Lope?
(See fun pronghorn facts at this link http://www.gpnc.org/pronghor.htm)
The mascot itself seems to be motivation enough to attend GCU, but I'm also going there because it is all online, a Christian University, and it offers a masters program for ESOL (teaching secondary learners of English) As ya'll know I teach outside of DC and it's a VERY diverse area, but I love it. People come from all over the world and put down roots in our nation's capitol. I have students from all over Central and South America, Thailand, Vietnam, Europe, and even a few native born students. What I've found is many parents have moved here recently to seek a better education for their kids. Though I don't know much Spanish, Portuguese, Thai, or Vietnamese, the parents are very determined to see their students do well. It's one of the difficulties of teaching at Weller Road, but one of the great aspects of it at the same time.
Tomorrow I will not need a pack of sharpened pencils, new backpack, or a Trapper keeper, but I will need your prayers that I'd be using my time wisely and not procrastinating assignments as I so often did in undergrad. I know that as an Antelope if you're lazy, you get eaten and die. Nobody wants that, and I don't want to risk losing my 'Lopehood.
http://my.gcu.edu/athletics/index.htm Click here to see GCU's logo at the bottom of the page.
They are the fastest land animal in the USA peaking at 60 mph and unlike the pathetic cheetah, can sustain great speeds longer than any other land animal. They are graceful,majestic, and peaceful, and use their white rump as a signal flag, so I'd like to ask you, Why not a 'Lope?
(See fun pronghorn facts at this link http://www.gpnc.org/pronghor.htm)
The mascot itself seems to be motivation enough to attend GCU, but I'm also going there because it is all online, a Christian University, and it offers a masters program for ESOL (teaching secondary learners of English) As ya'll know I teach outside of DC and it's a VERY diverse area, but I love it. People come from all over the world and put down roots in our nation's capitol. I have students from all over Central and South America, Thailand, Vietnam, Europe, and even a few native born students. What I've found is many parents have moved here recently to seek a better education for their kids. Though I don't know much Spanish, Portuguese, Thai, or Vietnamese, the parents are very determined to see their students do well. It's one of the difficulties of teaching at Weller Road, but one of the great aspects of it at the same time.
Tomorrow I will not need a pack of sharpened pencils, new backpack, or a Trapper keeper, but I will need your prayers that I'd be using my time wisely and not procrastinating assignments as I so often did in undergrad. I know that as an Antelope if you're lazy, you get eaten and die. Nobody wants that, and I don't want to risk losing my 'Lopehood.
http://my.gcu.edu/athletics/index.htm Click here to see GCU's logo at the bottom of the page.
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