Downtime and Life-Long Learning

The semester is finally over and I didn't do as well as I had hoped. This was a rough semester with my daughter's volleyball tournaments all over Georgia during September and October, problems with my ex-husband from summer to the present, and not finding a tutor for Spanish. I could whine about it, but I won't. I need to give myself grace and enjoy the downtime I have. I ended up with 3 B's and a C+ for a GPA of 2.85 - my lowest since my freshman year at the University of Arizona in 1981. What does that mean? Just that I need to focus and work harder next semester. I won't be taking notes for the athletic department next semester, so my nights will be free for studying.

I do want to mention a fellow nontrad, Michael A. Dicianna at http://reaching-lifelong-goals.com/. He had a 4.0 semester. Way to go, Michael!! And to all the other nontrads out there who had another great semester, kudos!! Our hard work will pay off!

I always tell my children that no experience is wasted if you learn from it. As nontrads, we advocate life-long learning. And that should not just be in the classroom. Life-learning happens every day if we let it. No matter what we experience, good or bad, we need to let it become a learning experience.

I am submitting two paid internship applications to be a student researcher at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, TN this summer. I have already submitted one but am waiting on the other one until my English major sister critiques my essays for the application. A friend of mine told me that even though the internships are highly competitive, the administrators try to get a mix of older and younger folks. I hope my interest in Environmental Studies and population and the environment will be enough to get me in the door.

With that said, I will enjoy my downtime over the holidays with my children and friends. School doesn't start back until January 11, so I have plenty of time to gear up and resolve to finish my college career strong. Stay tuned . . .