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Indulge me
Please indulge me if I pause a bit today to celebrate the final day of coursework in....my.....LIFE! I started kindergarten when I was 4, back when they were much more flexible about deadlines and birthdays.
first day of class^
And now, 35+ years later (with some years off in the middle) I have finished my final class of my ed-joo-cation (with still a couple of years of dissertating ahead of me).
Some school-going wisdom I've acquired over the years, or what I wish I'd known before:
Always read the syllabus ahead of time. Trust me on this.
Go ahead and raise your hand and talk. Ask questions, be skeptical.
Sit toward the back with the sarcastic people (part rebel) but speak up (part teacher's pet).
Eye contact and nodding will go a long way toward making your teacher/professor think you know more than you do. Especially if you are really texting your daughter on your phone at the time.
The semester system was not created with mothers of three in mind, especially around the holidays.
Some reading is optional.
The older you are, the more likely you are to do the optional reading just because it's interesting.
There's no shame in dropping a class.
Good writing skills go a long, long, long way. Thank you, Mrs. Stock (and others).
Attendance, while not always mandatory, is usually a good idea.
Years from now, will you really care what grade you got in Psych 301? No. Just do your best and move on.
Group projects are an exercise in futility and frustration (and scheduling nightmares) but just go with the flow.
Email yourself your papers just in case your disk drive crashes. Sigh.
College and graduate school degrees just mean you sat in class for a certain number of hours, read a lot, and wrote a bunch. No magic involved, just work.
I will admit to some lesser moments. Like my last class of my undergraduate years, BIS 140 (said with derision), a class that taught you how to use a computer (rolls eyes). I felt I already knew how to use a computer so I didn't attend very often and learned, when I showed up for the final, that in fact I did not know four different ways to save a document using WordPerfect (who needed to know four ways? And, it turns out, who needed to even know WordPerfect?) and other trivial but tested concepts. The sad result was a mediocre grade that, I found out after graduation and walking across with pride, kept me from getting the Summa cum laude distinction after all. Whoopsie!
What school memories or wisdom would you add to the wish-someone-would-have-told me list?
12.17.2009
Reader Comments (13)
CONGRATULATIONS!! good stuff.
i wish i would've KNOWN that they had awards like "zumma zumma cum laude". maybe i would've made more of an effort... me being extrinsically motivated and all. i got to graduation and said "what are those things around their necks?" when someone told me, i was irate. who knew??
Congratulations Annie! I think I will be sad the day I take my last class...it'll definitely be bittersweet. Biggest lesson I've learned as an older student...it's quite amazing how much of a difference just going to class makes. :D
<3 Jen
Congratulations! Do you mind if I brag about you?
Celebrate!!
I'm making this post required reading for my boys!
congrats Annie!
I think that is fantastic, my friend. I remember way back when you started down this path. I am so proud of you. Way to go.
Congratulations!
Seriously.
You amaze me.
Well done.
I graduated with high honors from Cosmetology School. Summa Cum Scissors.
You don't need 4 ways. Boo on that dumb class. I'm impressed you were that close to a Summa cum laude. I'm impressed all over the place with you, anyway.
Advice: The weekend does NOT start on Thursday and yes, you have to go to your Friday classes too. Good Job girlfriend! I hope to say this too someday.
Congratulations, Annie. We are intensely proud of you. With love, A and S
HOORAY for YOU, ANNIE! So proud. So amazed. I so relate to the "oops" factor regarding attending class and assuming one is perfectly knowledgeable about a subject: My experience was with a music conducting class taught by Dennis Griffin at USU. I actually registered for it, then asked him in a "puleeze, I know everything" tone, "Dennis, do you think I NEED to have this class?" He was a friend, so he looked at me and said, "Carolyn, you would probably do well in the class, but I suggest that you come and see if we have anything to add to your expertise." WOW, was I glad I attended. I learned SO much, and I was chagrined at my original condescending attitude. It was a tough class, believe me.
Love you squirrel story. Adrenaline plus! Way to save $200 on pest control. And Louie, way to stand down and hold your ground without actually participating.
Happy Christmas, wonderful Annie.
congratulations! great advice/lessons learned - especially the last one. on the eve of receiving my graduate school degree, my uncle asked "what do you call a female who is getting her master's degree?" and without hesitation, i said, "same thing you call a man who's getting his master's degree: 'tenacious.'"