Back To School...

For those of us who have been in college for awhile, just started or have thought about going back but havent yet... this blog is for you.

We are adults, who choose to go back to school to get an education which will in turn get us a job, that will hopefully be something we enjoy, we are good at and makes us a lot of money. That is the goal.

Some of us have been out of school for 10 years or more and have lost a lot of information we learned in high school, or are going to be learning things we never even attempted to learn in high school. I myself am 35, just started college 3 weeks ago and havent done any schooling until now,  in 12 years. It is taking some time to reaquaint myself with going to class, having someone tell me what to do, doing homework, taking quizes, amongst other things, however, I am excited about this. I made the decision to move away from my home, all my dear friends/family and good times in order to better myself for my kids and for myself. I want to be able to support my kids on my own without having to rely on other people, who have (or havent) helped me in the past. I want to be a good role model for my daughters and lead by example. It is never too late.

In college you make the choice to take classes, you arent forced like when you are in high school and i think the teachers should admire and appreciate that and embrace you and welcome you, even if they have taught for longer than you have been alive... every student is different, with different learning capabilities, but we are all there for the same reason. I bring this up because a couple weeks ago my prealgebra teacher said things like "you arent studying or else you would know these things" "dont waste my time" and "if you arent here to give it 100% then leave". Now, mind you this was our second class. Like i said before, most of us in this class havent been in school for years, its not that we arent studying, its that we just havent had the time to understand what we are doing in the short amount of time. I feel like instead of telling us to drop the class, get out or leave, he should have been saying things like... "i know its difficult to learn something new", "hang in there, it will get easier, once you are familiar with it" and "if you are having trouble i am here to help". Encouraging words are much more helpful to a new student who is questioning whether or not they are doing the right thing anyway, than negativity.

I am writing this because for a very brief second i thought to myself that day..."maybe i should just drop this class, it doesnt seem like he is willing to work with me and give me the help i need" But i quickly realized even if he wants to be more of a supervisor than a TEACHer, i can do this. There was a reason why i left Washington and started this whole new life path for myself and my kids... and as I sat in class that day, i listened and watched as he was writing the problems out on the board, and something sort of clicked. Now, im not saying i totally get algebra now, by any means, but i understood what he was doing, and why. So i was able to come home, look at the last weeks homework, that i did in a confused state of "WHAT THE FUCK AM I DOING?" and was able to go back and fix the steps i had messed up, and got through that weeks homework in about 2 hours. So i am pretty damn proud of myself. Proud that i was able to stick it out and realize that i just needed a little more time, and i wasnt, in fact, wasting my time or anyone elses.

I know that there will be more confusing things that come up in this class, and in my other class that may make me feel discouraged and overwhelemed but i wanted to write this out now, while i am feeling this great sense of accomplishment and pride, even though its a very small step, so i can look back and read this and go... ok i have been here before, i can get through it, and at the same time, perhaps it can be inspiring or uplifting to someone else as well.

I am enjoying school so far and im looking forward to the journey i have created for myself and want to thank all of you who have been supportive of me for the last several months, it means more than you know.

"No problem can withstand the assault of thinking" ~Voltaire