Remember when we used to spell cool like "kewl" because it was unquestionably kewler? No? Before your time? Then you would be very comfortable at college because you're the right age for it. All you "old folks" like me would be branded as NONTRAD's (non traditional students) and you may even have a professor who is younger than you. I am not old, but when it comes to college I'm a bit more seasoned than the average attendee. Lemme paint a picture of my arrival to college life.
My first day of math class went like this. I arrived early and talked to Bob, the shepherd of the hallway. He was literally leading students to their classrooms with a long stick. He was a former professor and retired from Air Force after 33 years of service to which he quipped "I damn near made a career of it" HA! good one, Bob. Time passed and Bob got a little busy with his flock so I was back to my own devices again. Standing there all old and moldy, surrounded by people with at least a decade to go before they develop their crow's feet. I turned and I saw another non-trad. I swear to you we both lit up like Christmas trees when we made eye contact. Bells rang, angels rejoiced, trumpets sounded, sparks flew... we are not alone! So, of course I walked over there and talked to her... nooooooooo. It's the first day, you guys! You know I'm like that piece of Voldemort hiding under the bench in the train station when I start something new. Gimme a couple days! I was even more (secretly) ecstatic when I saw yet ANOTHER non-trad in the bathroom wearing an Ohio State shirt, no less! OMG! Now I am really not alone!! Then. As luck would have it. Both my glorious non-trad soulmates walked into room 143 with me to start our painful reacquainting with the lost art of college mathematics. Oh that class was... how can I even describe this. At one point I swear all I saw was a bright light while she was talking. I couldn't even figure out how to ask a question because I had no idea what she was talking about. I thought about crying, but took a deep breath instead. I kept reminding myself it will eventually end and then I can look at it on my own and have Josh help me. I will survive. My professor is an amazing woman and she's laid back and fun so eventually my fears subsided and I surrendered to the numbers. I understood at least one problem. I got one right answer. HOLY CRAP! I GOT IT RIGHT! More followed. In the span of an hour I went from not even being able to formulate a question to being able to answer them correctly. WOOOO!
Since then I have actually participated in all my classes and talked to my fellow students, nontrads and trads alike. I'm thoroughly enjoying school and my brain, though tired, is jumping for joy as it gets back into shape. As I got acclimated to being back in class I finally started talking to people, even my non-trad soulmate who admitted feeling the same sparks and calling her hubby immediately after finally seeing another non-trad (aka ME). Guess the feeling was mutual ;) ALSO she happens to be former military like me and we have a lot in common. My favorite class is Politics. I have had many conversations with the people in my class, even my professor. I feel like I have something to offer now that I'm older and wiser. I've learned a lot about the education these teens have received and I'm actually pleased most days. I'm not surrounded by dumb kids. They have opinions and ideas and they are respectful and open-minded. It's refreshing and inspiring. I am getting all A's and have already signed up for next semester. I've switched my degree to Education and I plan on teaching 4th-6th grade. I'm so excited to get in there and see what the education system is like from the inside. I'm very passionate about attacking our education problems and I figured it was the best place to start.
There is so much more to talk about. We have changed so much over this past year, all for the better. Our family is growing by leaps and bounds and we are all extremely happy with the changes we've made. We spend a lot of time together playing games and talking. We have extended Saturday Unplugged to 3 days a week. We started a chore chart and allowances. Josh found his dream job and his health has improved due to lack of stress. Everything is fitting together perfectly. It reminds me of Tetris. We spent all this time fitting shapes together perfectly and we finally have our long line to drop. TETRIS!
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