The last week is always the hardest, isn’t it? Spring Break is days away, but there is so much to do before then. Having been assigned more papers than I think I ever have been at one specific time in my life, I am swamped with assignments as we approach the middle-mark of spring semester. I will be thankful when this week is over.

Tuesdays and Thursdays are always a nice break for me, since I only have two classes instead of four. Today’s classes were especially interesting. In my GEN230 Creative Expression class, we have just started our “hip hop culture” unit of subversive art. This morning we watched a really interesting documentary on the origins of graffiti art, breakdancing, and rap music. It’s a really fun topic, which is exciting, but I will admit that I am nervous to write my own rap and create my own graffiti (assignments I will have at the end of the unit).

Then I had a really informative Child Development class. We are currently learning about autism, and today, we had a guest speaker. The woman (Debbie) is a single mother of two children, one of which has autism. She talked to us about her experiences having her son diagnosed and the daily problems that she faces as a result of his condition. Learning about autism and the logistics of the disorder is interesting and all, but hearing about the effects it has on a family’s life has even more of an impact. It was a really emotional class, because you could really feel for her and what she deals with every day. As a conclusion to her talk, she read us “Welcome to Holland.” I would highly suggest taking a look at it, because it explains the experience of raising a child with a disability, something that many people don’t know or understand.