I have now attended 3 separate universities in the last 16 years. Yes, sixteen years is how long I have been pursuing a degree and in this pursuit I have encountered a vast sum of pressures.
In the beginning was the pressure to just dip my feet in the proverbial college water to see if it was something I dared to pursuit. Was it something I could handle? If my high school grades were any reflection on how I could perform in college, I was going to be in trouble.
To fix this pressure, I took only classes that I knew would be fairly simple and easy to pass with a perfect A as my grade. I never sat down with any counselor or advisor to help me figure things out. I assume they assumed I was old enough to know what I was doing and knew what I was after. I did not.
After a while, classmates would ask why I was not taking English or Math or any of the core classes. Heck, I did not know that there was some certain order these things were to be taken in, and the word "core", to me, that was the center of an apple, not some set schedule a person was to follow.
Then the pressure was to start these "core" classes and get my path going on towards something I could get a degree in. After that was the pressure to decide what that path was going to be. What was I interested in enough to pay thousands of dollars to learn even more about, and then use once I learned it?
I suffered a lay off and two pregnancies, that put pressure to have to pay for school on a very limited income. All I can say is THANK GOD for Pell Grants! To this day I remain debt free only because of the governments help.
The pressure I am facing today is my family asking when will I be done with all these classes. They do not like all the time I am spending away from them, and now that I have four grand babies, my time is even more precious to divide between all of them.
I think I will be one of the only persons who will have earned a 4 year degree in the short time of twenty years!
Gale R.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Difficult classes by Gale R.
My most difficult class had to be physics. The teacher admitted to us that she would rather be teaching a math class than to be teaching physics.
I recall on my first day being excited about learning "science" and all the experiments we would be doing as a class. I was disappointed to learn that most of the hands on meant opening books and playing with models.
She was right on time every day, with one minute to spare. Our class had to wait to start though, until she unloaded her things, made excuses as to why she was just coming in the door, blah, blah, blah. The 3 hour class felt more like 5 because of her disorganization and monotone voice, but even more because of her disinterest and underlying disappointment she was not teaching math.
One day during the first several weeks a student told all of us about a web site the teacher was using for the tests and the quizzes and how we could look things up, cheat in other words. I could not bring my self to even type in the site, my conscious, my religion, prevented me from cheating. My grade really could have used help, but not in that way. I would not have felt like it was me earning that grade. What if we would have gotten caught? Doesn't matter, wrong is wrong and I am glad I listened to myself.
She quit teaching after that semester, I don't even remember her name, but I remember she did not have the drive or enthusiasm to make the class worth its while. I almost felt sorry for her.
Gale S-R.
I recall on my first day being excited about learning "science" and all the experiments we would be doing as a class. I was disappointed to learn that most of the hands on meant opening books and playing with models.
She was right on time every day, with one minute to spare. Our class had to wait to start though, until she unloaded her things, made excuses as to why she was just coming in the door, blah, blah, blah. The 3 hour class felt more like 5 because of her disorganization and monotone voice, but even more because of her disinterest and underlying disappointment she was not teaching math.
One day during the first several weeks a student told all of us about a web site the teacher was using for the tests and the quizzes and how we could look things up, cheat in other words. I could not bring my self to even type in the site, my conscious, my religion, prevented me from cheating. My grade really could have used help, but not in that way. I would not have felt like it was me earning that grade. What if we would have gotten caught? Doesn't matter, wrong is wrong and I am glad I listened to myself.
She quit teaching after that semester, I don't even remember her name, but I remember she did not have the drive or enthusiasm to make the class worth its while. I almost felt sorry for her.
Gale S-R.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Notebooks
I truly believe in keeping notebooks as Didion did, not so much to keep in touch but to keep as reminders of that precise moment. I feel they are a way of keeping your own history not only for yourself but to share with those who will come after you.
When I was much younger, I began a notebook as a way to share my experiences and feelings with my first child due to some hard issues. I wanted my child to understand why I made some of the decisions I had and to clarify these affects on their life. This would give me more than my memory to use as a tool. It gave me more than word-of-mouth to rely on for their questions that were sure to come in the future.
With the news of each new pregnancy, I began that child's own notebook. In these I would add all sorts of information such as the prices of things, the happenings of the rest of the family, what they were up to, their hurts and praises, their ups and downs, their dreams and their disappointments. Just yesterday I was honored to write about my newest grand baby (yes I keep a notebook on my grand babies, too) and all the minutes leading up to, during, and after his birth.
Notebooks do not necessarily have to come in paper form. The social media tools of today enable people to share nearly anything that can be photographed, written, sung, drawn, and so many other forms of keeping in touch and informed or sharing a persons individual life. Blogging certainly comes in to play with keeping a notebook as so many have a desire to share their lives, to be heard, to stand apart. People have always wanted to share their ideas throughout history, and social media gives instant gratification today like never before.
Some day my family will sit down to read the things I have written and hopefully be able to see just how special they were, to see how they have made an impact in others lives, and to see how they came to be the wonderful people they now are.
When I was much younger, I began a notebook as a way to share my experiences and feelings with my first child due to some hard issues. I wanted my child to understand why I made some of the decisions I had and to clarify these affects on their life. This would give me more than my memory to use as a tool. It gave me more than word-of-mouth to rely on for their questions that were sure to come in the future.
With the news of each new pregnancy, I began that child's own notebook. In these I would add all sorts of information such as the prices of things, the happenings of the rest of the family, what they were up to, their hurts and praises, their ups and downs, their dreams and their disappointments. Just yesterday I was honored to write about my newest grand baby (yes I keep a notebook on my grand babies, too) and all the minutes leading up to, during, and after his birth.
Notebooks do not necessarily have to come in paper form. The social media tools of today enable people to share nearly anything that can be photographed, written, sung, drawn, and so many other forms of keeping in touch and informed or sharing a persons individual life. Blogging certainly comes in to play with keeping a notebook as so many have a desire to share their lives, to be heard, to stand apart. People have always wanted to share their ideas throughout history, and social media gives instant gratification today like never before.
Some day my family will sit down to read the things I have written and hopefully be able to see just how special they were, to see how they have made an impact in others lives, and to see how they came to be the wonderful people they now are.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
The beginning of the semester.
I am a non-traditional student who has taken more than 12 years to get a Bachelors degree in Business, with probably another 5 to go at the rate I am able to take classes.
I have four beautiful children and four adorable grandchildren, and I love to spoil each and every one of them in the things that are special to them.
One child loves noodle dishes. That being the case, I fix either tuna and noodles, chicken and noodles or fried Chinese noodles for her. Another child loves meat dishes, still another loves deserts. That being said, I love to go out of my way to make my family feel special. This includes my most excellent husband, who loves anything cooked on the grill!
I am excited about a job interview coming up in the next few days and have hopes to enjoy a better paying job with many more benefits than I am able to with my current employer. I will let you know if I am successful in my endeavors.
I have four beautiful children and four adorable grandchildren, and I love to spoil each and every one of them in the things that are special to them.
One child loves noodle dishes. That being the case, I fix either tuna and noodles, chicken and noodles or fried Chinese noodles for her. Another child loves meat dishes, still another loves deserts. That being said, I love to go out of my way to make my family feel special. This includes my most excellent husband, who loves anything cooked on the grill!
I am excited about a job interview coming up in the next few days and have hopes to enjoy a better paying job with many more benefits than I am able to with my current employer. I will let you know if I am successful in my endeavors.
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