It's been a wonderful summer that started with Allison's graduation from elementary school, our family vacation to Seattle and San Francisco, and my retirement from a long, fulfilling career. We ended the summer with a lot of fun family time and ten days in Charlotte and Hilton Head. While it's been a terrific few months, it's time to move ahead with my goal of being an elementary school teacher. But, standing in the way are 74 credits of graduate and undergraduate coursework.
As I start this journey, I can't help but ask myself, "What was I thinking??"
I never desired to leave my corporate career to be a student. Rather, it was to be a stay at home dad and a teacher. But, before I become the latter, I knew I had to be a student first. I know I'm not the only adult to go back to school but for me, it's been over 20 years since I've been a graduate student so it's a daunting task in my mind. Well, with two graduate classes starting this week, the reality is hitting me. Syllabuses, weekly and keystone assignments, research papers - all are terms I haven't seen since Bush (the first one!) was President.
And, starting next month, I will take on the duties of managing the household. I have actually been looking forward to these responsibilities for years. But, the reality of that is hitting me, too. Catherine has done a terrific job as a stay at home mom for eleven years. And, while I have my own approach, I'll have to keep juggling all the tasks that have been done before while being a student.
As I am just starting to transition to my new life, I know that the newness will wear off and I'll settle into a groove. I just need to manage my time and be organized like I've never had to in my life before. After all, I have a deep desire to fulfill the goals I've dreamed of for many years. There is much work ahead indeed but I will do this!
Just breathe.
ReplyDeleteI remember when I attended graduate school there were returning students who were in their 30s, 40s and older. At the time, I couldn't understand why someone would want to return to school. After all, I went straight through from nursery school to graduate school. What I remember is that I learned as much from them as I did from my professors. The depth and breadth of experience they had was eye opening to this former 22-year old babe in the woods.
Not all of the professors appreciated and welcomed the comments from the returning students. Some seemed threatened by them, perhaps they felt as if the student was taking over the class. I guess it comes down to how secure each professor feels. The 2 education classes I took in college were both feminist classes taught by the same professor. She always had older women in her class and loved when they shared their experiences with us youngsters.
In my junior year, her class "Sexism in Education" was where I first learned about discrimination and inequality. I lived a very sheltered life and knew very little about this. It was an eye opener.
I threw out nearly all my college textbooks years ago but I still have most of the books from her classes. One was called "Dick & Jane" as Victims -- Sex Stereotyping in Children's Readers".
Henry, I'm sure you'll learn what you need to in those classes. But even more, you will inspire others because of who you are, what you know and have experienced.