finish my dissertation proposal

Ugh, I look back on the entry two weeks ago and think, ‘was I really feeling optimistic?’ I went on vacation to reward my hard work and got sick on day 2, so three days laying around sick in a hotel that cost me $100 a night that has turned into an entire week off of work! So I have done nothing for two full weeks and I am going to have to work like a dog this Saturday to have any hope! Ugh!

Coming along swimmingly now that I have shelled out $$$$ for a dissertation coach. It really is worth the money to get me un-stuck. If I would work on the weekends instead of procrastinating, this would be going much quicker.

I’ll recommend to anyone the dissertation calculator at University of Minnesota, just plug in the date you want to be finished by and it gives you the deadline dates to monitor your progress for you. It can be found at: http://www.lib.umn.edu/help/disscalc/

and not plans. This is good for me because I usually don’t accomplish things on my crazy time line then I feel bad when I don’t hit my target. So on tomorrow’s list is to hit the UNO library because they have a book I need, which means a two hour round trip. To top it off, I can’t check the book out without leaving a $100 deposit, which is ridiculous, but since I’m not a student there, I guess they have no way of claiming the funds should I abscond with a book on the roots of constructivist educational practice. I’m sure they have that problem with a lot of insomniacs. I am waiting on a dissertation from Florida State (which will have to go to MN before it comes here to New Orleans, and then they will charge me an arm and a leg for postage). I am hoping that it contains THE formula for my methodology! If I can use someone elses methodology, I might be able to move forward . . . July MUST NOT BE WASTED!!!!!!!

And I have to say it feels good! I’ve had a whopping 10 days off since 2005! Who can keep this pace! I am reading, reading, reading and thinking, thinking, thinking about a design. I really want to finish a proposal by September 30, which is over the top ambitious and I really need to get going on!!!

I am out of excuses, the summer is here, ABD status is calling -MUST WRITE PROPOSAL!!!! Research reading needs a schedule starting next week when the elementary school year ends. I am going to be over ambitious and try to blitz it from June-September, because if I don’t, I have no idea how I will do data collection. I still don’t have a real design in mind, and hoping that the readings are going to make this really clear. My streams are professional development, constructivism, transfer, and whatever fluffy writing will get me the credential the quickest. That’s right folks, I need to get our before I completely lose my sanity and I don’t care how good it is!!!

Well now I need to make a decision, my dissertation adviser tells me the methodology I have selected will cost me an extra year. I don’t know if I can keep this pace for that long . . . I may have to rework this thing (again!), so discouraging . . .

I am waiting for someone to check my research design before I go any further, but now that I have started I definitely feel the desire to work on it. My goal is to get it approved, read like crazy this fall, submit it early 2009 and do my research in the Spring and Fall of 09.

but a prof just forced us to do some work on hypothesis and survey, and just the act of beginning the writing was huge! I suddenly saw a bunch of things all at once. I am going to hold myself back and do some blitz lit review in July before I write some more, but I feel like I have a better grasp of a start. This is so important because I really, really want to be collecting data in the spring semester of the 2008-2009 school year, work on the details next summer and graduate December 09!!

It’s freaking me out to see the time pass by so quickly on this, I always want to do a little at a time until its done, I just can’t find time with all the other stuff in my life. I think I just need to dedicate the time and blitz it. The question is when??? I have been working since August to get my license portfolio to be a principal done, and every time I look at it, it seems inadequate, but thats really what is holding up doing any work on the dissertation. Ugh!