Spent yesterday slogging away at the PC working on my assignment for the grad dip. Was tearing my hair out after reading academic paper after academic paper on genetic sex testing and selective abortion and the whole ethics of it. Didn't help that the whole assignment comprised of questions that stretched for pages and I only have less than a month to complete this and send this off to Aus! On top of that, it was bloody hot - which made me sleepy! And the baby was so active, moving around inside the whole time. Admitted to KH and Cory that I was so dispirited abt the whole thing - never mind getting a distinction, I just want to pass and forget abt it!

Then in the evening, a nice surprise. The post came and with it, my marked assignment back from Aus. This was on Pregnancy, a paper which stretched to almost 100 pgs and one I completed recently after a one-year hiatus from the course. I didn't think I would do well with this. So imagine my surprise and pleasure when I saw my grade and realised they'd given me a HD - High Distinction! Now that made my day! Especially when I read through the comments attached to every answer and saw that Elaine (my examiner) had written 'fantastic answer!' next to my piece on breastfeeding obstacles.

Am I gloating now? Oh boy yes! Do I have the right to gloat - hell yes! Let me explain why.

This is a graduate diploma - which means that one would have to have a prior qualification eg a degree in a related field eg nutrition, lactation, midwifery etc. I don't. I don't even have a degree. So I had to come into the course as a special entry student, given conditional entry and only allowed to stay if I demonstrated I could handle the material taught by passing two of the written assignments. I did. So they let me stay. It hasn't been easy to grapple with the material though. And generally, for the other assignments I have been graded with credits with one scoring just one mark short of a distinction. So the last thing I expected this time was to get a HD! I am SO over the moon.

For so many reasons, I am determined to do well in this course. (1) I am the only Singaporean here (2) I want my family to be proud of me, since I do not have a basic degree (3) distance learning is tough - especially when you have so many children and hold down a job as well but I am determined to prove I can do it - chalk it down to stubborn pride! (4) this holds the key to a new career for me and the chance to be my own boss doing something which I love, so I cannot give up no matter how tough it's going to get. (5) this qualification matters because it is the only CBE course accreditted by a govt. The only other local alternative is self-accreditted. And doing well and getting this qualification tells me at least that I have gone through and passed a rigorous training programme and am well qualified then to teach. I would not feel ready otherwise with other courses and would feel as if I am shortchanging the people I teach.

Next stop, the workshop in Sydney, then exams in Jan, supervised teaching phase, observations etc...

But for now, yes... just give me a couple of days to gloat and float...