School seemed like a logical transition after experiencing, first hand, the effect of the recession. I thought, why not. I can finally complete my degree program, hopefully before my eldest daughter starts college. At first the thought of being surrounded by a bunch of young, peppy, fresh out of high schoolers wasn’t very appealing, but I thought, how hard could it be, right?
NOT FOUND: family. jpb ... oh my.jpgOn the first day of class, the professor stormed into the room late and waded through the middle of the classroom which was sardined with students who still had the smell of cafeteria on them. He demanded we start taking notes “Now!”, and just started lecturing. It seemed everyone
in the room started taking out their iPods, iPhones, and notebooks. So I quickly took out my three ring binder and I was a source of amusement
when I started taking my notes on college rule line paper, with my #2 pencil. It was in that moment I realized, I was not in Kansas anymore. Times had changed.
My professor began an intense discussion about geography, global warming, and how our children would not have a world to live in. He continued to weave foreign terminology and obsenities about the government for two whole hours. Then, he exited the classroom as quickly as he came in. It was in this very moment that I asked, what have I gotten myself into.
I went home that night and took inventory of my life. I am 35 years old, a wife and mother of two teenagers, and a soon to be kindergartener. I own a business doing what I love, and serve my community through regular volunteer work. Do I really have time to return to school? I tossed the idea of quitting around in my mind all night, then I asked myself, why didn‘t I just finish in the first place. To answer this question, I had to take a journey back to a period of my life that I didn’t want to visit.
I was nineteen years old and well on my way to a degree in photography. I met and fell in love with the man I married. We agreed that I would finish school while he worked. Then, I got pregnant. I was so sick, I couldn’t get out of the bed. Simple things like house cleaning was difficult. It
seemed that being upright made me sick. So I dropped out of school. Before I knew it, we were working on baby number two and I eventually had to get a job to help support our growing family. Being the first in my family to graduate from college became the distant dream of a girl who didn‘t exist anymore. She got lost inthe joys and pain of motherhood, and the headache of making ends meet. I had to ask myself, what would be the benefits of reviving this dream.
Going back to college will allow me to live out my dream. I would finally get the satisfaction of finishing, the opportunity to expand my and enhance my skill set and get a much needed intellectual workout. I began looking forward to interfacing with fellow students that share an interest in my major. I could be around adults, away from the office and out of the house. Then I started feeling a bit of mommy guilt, but I had to remind myself that I am the roll model and example for my children. My expectation for them has always been for them to go to college once they graduate, why not be a roll model in this area of life as well.
Since I made my decision to go forward and not look back, I have made valuable connections with fellow photographers, and learned so many new ways to grow and develop my business. I get together with a hand full of moms like me and we support each other, study together, encourage each other, or just vent about our professors. I have completed nearly all of my required courses and will graduate next year. I see the light at the end of the tunnel and it looks brilliant. There is nothing that can stop me now! You may be thinking, how did she do it? I will admit, it
wasn’t always easy to stay on track. There are plenty of distractions to throw you off, but you must kick up your determination to hang in there. Here are a few tips that helped me get started.
1. Don’t dive in. Get your feet wet with a class or two, rather than full time. If you plan to start in the summer time remember, these class are accelerated because they are only six weeks long, one is good, two is pushing it, and three is hard core.
2. Have the right stuff. Books, and school supplies have a way of disappearing in the first week of school. You can get online to learn what supplies you need for your classes long before they start.
3. Get registered early. Due to the budget cuts, class availability has been reduced. If you wait until the last minute to register for your classes, you may miss the opportu-nity to take the class. Remember, there are lots of High School graduates, and adults who have lost their jobs, returning to school.
4. Get Organized. It is all about having your stuff together. Get a day planner and document personal schedule, class schedule, appointments, Mid Terms/Final exams, homework assignments and due dates. Have a different ink color for each subject. This will help to manage your school career with your personal life, and the different colors make it easy to follow at a glance.
5. You add value to the class. No matter what it may look like, you bring value to the class environment. Speak up, share your thoughts, ask questions. This shows your professor you are interested in what he is sharing with you, and it also identifies any misconceptions you may have about what you are absorbing. So throw your hand up. Scream for help if its getting to tough. Ask questions the moment you feel lost. Someone else may have the same questions you have, but lack the courage to ask.
6. Relax. I found that once I was in the environment, things seemed to get tense fast. I wasn’t used to due dates, homework, and the possibility
of failure. I had to learn to relax and enjoy the process of learning. Once I purposed to enjoy every class, I began to retain the subject matter with ease which helped me to perform well on test, and even help others to be prepared, too.