2010 cannonball

[brape]

Anyone doing it? I want to but it would mean missing a week and a half of school so I'm really on the fence.

[PeterC]

I say, go for it! It would be a valuable, educational experience, and you could even write an account of your travels for school credit.

[brape]

I don't need any extra credits at school, I'm slowly working my way to a teaching certification. I'm just worried about my ablity to make up the work. Once they post the fall class list I can see what days I'll be having classes and if I can get the number of missed classes down closer to a week per class.

[jasondavis48108]

I don't need any extra credits at school, I'm slowly working my way to a teaching certification. I'm just worried about my ablity to make up the work. Once they post the fall class list I can see what days I'll be having classes and if I can get the number of missed classes down closer to a week per class.

I have to say, as an alumnus of EMUs school of ed and as a college instructor, there will be many more Cannon Balls but missing a week or week and a half will have a lasting impact on both your gpa or at the very least, the impression that your professors have of you as a serious student who is dedicated to becoming an excellent teacher. You never know when you are going to need a letter of recomendation and you don't want to be "that person who missed a week and a half of class to go on a scooter run" in thier minds when you come asking for that letter Just my 2 cents.

[brape]

You're probably right. I'm not convinced I'll ever be able to do it while teaching tho. Its always after labor day and I don't think any school will be too keen on a teacher missing a week and a half of work so close to the start of a school year.

On the bright side if I don't go all that money will go into the happy finished with school stella I plan on buying myself

[jasondavis48108]

You're probably right. I'm not convinced I'll ever be able to do it while teaching tho. Its always after labor day and I don't think any school will be too keen on a teacher missing a week and a half of work so close to the start of a school year.

On the bright side if I don't go all that money will go into the happy finished with school stella I plan on buying myself

Its funny how the purchase of a new scooter can smooth over just about any disappointment in life One thing you may consider (depending on when you finish your program) is doing the cannon ball between school and getting the teaching job. I know that I did not get a job the teaching the first year after I got my degree (I live in michigan and teaching jobs are kinda scarce here right now), might be a good way to make use of the time in between time.

[brape]

That may work depending on when I finish. If I continue part time it may be another year and a half before I finish (really 2 summer sessions and 2 falls and one spring semester). If I can swing full time next year it may only be a summer, fall and spring semester, or 2 summers. Next canonball is in 2010 so that would mean if I go part time I'll finish on a canonball year. I'm really sick of school, and moving back in with your parent's and unemployed recent grad of a brother really is not fun.

[TVB]

there will be many more Cannon Balls but missing a week or week and a half will have a lasting impact on both your gpa or at the very least, the impression that your professors have of you as a serious student who is dedicated to becoming an excellent teacher.

I have to disagree, or at least look at it from a different perspective. You will always have "superiors" to impress, whether it's in school or in a job, and a boss isn't going to be any more forgiving if you want to go do something crazy than a professor is. When I was about to start a new job after college I delayed it a couple weeks so I could join some friends on a trip to Europe. I'm so glad I did it, because it was nearly 10 years before I was able to get away like that again. Yeah, your GPA matters, and maybe in the teaching profession it's different, but in my experience the only boss who cares about GPA is the first one who hires you after school; after that all they care about is your work history It almost never gets easier to do something like this; as responsibilities and commitments pile up, it just gets harder. When you say "there's always next time"... sometimes there isn't. I'm not saying "f*ck it all, go have fun", but if you can find a way to do it without screwing up your academics.... it might be worth it.

[siobhan]

I say "go for it!"

Faculty are people...if you really want to do it, TALK to them beforehand. I would think that most (if not all) would be very supportive of you accomplishing something that's important to you. It's an event that builds character and strength and shows deep commitment.

jasondavis48108, I don't know what undergraduate institution you attended, but your faculty experience sound miserable. I'd be all over my students missing "seat time" if the experience can be related to growth of character. I would work with my student 1:1 so that course content would still be accessible and ask the student to relate his/her experience.

I once missed the first three weeks of a semester due to family deaths on multiple continents. I also missed the last four weeks of a semester due to a scholarship opportunity that sent me overseas. All my profs were supportive; communicate and you'd be amazed.

Good luck brape!

[jasondavis48108]

I say "go for it!"

Faculty are people...if you really want to do it, TALK to them beforehand. I would think that most (if not all) would be very supportive of you accomplishing something that's important to you. It's an event that builds character and strength and shows deep commitment.

jasondavis48108, I don't know what undergraduate institution you attended, but your faculty experience sound miserable. I'd be all over my students missing "seat time" if the experience can be related to growth of character. I would work with my student 1:1 so that course content would still be accessible and ask the student to relate his/her experience.

I once missed the first three weeks of a semester due to family deaths on multiple continents. I also missed the last four weeks of a semester due to a scholarship opportunity that sent me overseas. All my profs were supportive; communicate and you'd be amazed.

Good luck brape!

I think theres a huge difference between multiple deaths in a family and a callon ball race. I agree that it may well depend on the teacher but I can tell you that if one of my students came to me and said, "I'm going to miss a week and a half of class cause I'm going to do a scooter race", I'd look at them the same way as I look at others when they tell me they are going on vacation when they should be in class. College students are adults and make their own decisions and if they can do it and still pull a high grade then all power to them. If they go on vacation for a week and a half and come back completly lost then they better get a darn good tutor. Either way I wouldn't be prone to right them a letter of recomendation cause it seems to me that they arn't taking thier education very seriously. I'm not saying that they arn't just that signing up for a class when you know that your going to miss 10% of the class time due to a scooter race doesn't seem like a very sound decision to make. I'm not saying that the ventur isn't worth while just that if I were going to do it and it was important for me to do it now, then I would take the semester off. That way you can gain all of the experience that you will gain from doing the Cannon Ball without screwing up your education in the process. Understand, however that this is coming from a teacher who is quite tired of all the myriad of lame excuses I get for missing class as if they arn't adults who make thier own decisions; I'm going skiing, I'm was in Mexico, my 4th grandmas third cousin just passed away for the 2nd time, ect ect. I think that folks simply need to decide whats important to them and then deal with the pros and cons of the decisions they make like grown-ups. I hate it when students make poor decisions and then expect me to help them fix whatever went wrong as a result of it.

[Lostmycage]

...Understand, however that this is coming from a teacher who is quite tired of all the myriad of lame excuses I get for missing class as if they arn't adults who make thier own decisions; I'm going skiing, I'm was in Mexico, my 4th grandmas third cousin just passed away for the 2nd time, ect ect. I think that folks simply need to decide whats important to them and then deal with the pros and cons of the decisions they make like grown-ups. I hate it when students make poor decisions and then expect me to help them fix whatever went wrong as a result of it.

Sounds like you're teaching "Business" Majors. If you were teaching Executives, you'd coddle them a lot more.

[jasondavis48108]

...Understand, however that this is coming from a teacher who is quite tired of all the myriad of lame excuses I get for missing class as if they arn't adults who make thier own decisions; I'm going skiing, I'm was in Mexico, my 4th grandmas third cousin just passed away for the 2nd time, ect ect. I think that folks simply need to decide whats important to them and then deal with the pros and cons of the decisions they make like grown-ups. I hate it when students make poor decisions and then expect me to help them fix whatever went wrong as a result of it.

Sounds like you're teaching "Business" Majors. If you were teaching Executives, you'd coddle them a lot more.

I teach developmental mathematics. They need a lot of tough love if they are ever going to be employable

[Rob]

There will most likely never be a perfect time to make something like this happen. IMHO, if you really want to do it, now is the time to go for it.

Rob

[ericalm]

Two years ago I was a "maybe" for this year's Cannonball. Now, no can do. There may never be a perfect time to do it, but I don't have the funds or time this year. Someday!

Anyone interested should get on the Canonball forum ASAP:
http://www.scootercannonball.com/forum/

And get yerself ready!

[brape]

Any thoughts on how a buddy would do in thinner air/higher elevations?

[iwabj]

oops

[Syd]

Rob Taylor ran the 2008 Cannonball on a (slightly) modified 125 in 2008. I was going to post his URL, but I see he's taken it down. The 2008 route roughly followed Hwy 50 across country, and included an 11000+ pass or two over the CO rockies.

[Dibber]

I always heard teachers had a great retirement program. You may just have to wait until then. That's my goal, only a couple of Cannonballs away for me. Hope it is worth the wait. Will let you all know in a couple of years or Cannonball years.

[Rob]

Two years ago I was a "maybe" for this year's Cannonball. Now, no can do. There may never be a perfect time to do it, but I don't have the funds or time this year. Someday!

For these type endeavors, when I was young, it seemed that funds were usually the issue. Now that I have the money .... time, other responsibilities and committments, etc. seem to get in the way. That's why my "bucket list" is large and continuing to grow.

Rob