I'm happy to be posting this. I feel as if I've made some really good strides in the scheme of this thing... I mean, I've contacted 10 states and the U.S. Dept. of Ed. for interviews - seven of those folks got back to me within one week, which I consider amazing. While I had a difference of opinion with my Chair, I persisted in the avenue I felt would benefit me best, he conceded, and I moved forward with a consent process. And I finalized a draft of my case study which I had revised significantly in response to my Chair's feedback.
It could all fall through; it could all just fall apart. Some states may not respond, may not call me back or may not provide useful data. That would be the best case scenario in thinking of how things could go wrong. I may not be approved to do these interviews. While not entirely the worst thing in the world, it will result in a lot of paperwork and time consumption. Not entirely what I want to do. And I could find out that I completely misunderstood my Chair's feedback and he might just throw my case study back in my face. As long as the feedback is constructive, I don't really mind, I suppose.
In the end, I've rounded a corner. If I were taking a walk around the block, I'd say I'd be halfway there... But there are a lot of corners to the dissertation process. You have to pass 2 72-hour exams, which I did so long ago I don't remember when - pre-children, I'll put it that way. You have to select a worthy topic. That's a HARD one (and the one I struggled with most and sort of regret not reconsidering at this point but oh well) You have to write the proposal; then you must defend the proposal.
That was me as of January 2012. I'd taken four turns around the corner. Four steps forward. And then I sort of stalled; for a year and a half, minus a couple of months of work that in the end I had to throw out (for various reasons).
To get started again I had to sort of retrace my steps around those initial corners to even know what I was doing. That took some time. And ever since I've been trying to collect data. I've been trying to solidify the format and direction of my case studies. I've been working on interview questions
And those attempts have turned into concrete products that I've recently pushed out to other people for their feedback and opinion. This is big. This is good.
I have a long way yet to go - many more corners to turn in the octagonal boxing ring which encompasses the fight of my life. I have to complete 9 more case studies MUCH MUCH more quickly if I'm to graduate in May. I've got to conduct 11 interviews, write them up and incorporate them into my case studies. I have to analyze the results of the case studies as they relate to my research questions. I must revise my Lit Review and then write my Methodology, Intro and Conclusion; and then I must edit.
Anyways, I'm happy. I've done a lot with a long way to go. And I don't mind.
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