All I Want For Christmas . . .

I just read Deb Peterson's post, "10 Affordable Gift Ideas for Adult Students". The majority of the gifts mentioned were book bags. Build a better bookbag, and the world will beat a path to your door (or is that "mousetrap"?). Hmmm.

I was thinking about this recently (gifts for adult students) and here are my top 10 gifts to get the adult student in your life:
1. A gift card to a coffee shop (Starbucks or whatever is closest to campus).
2. If the adult student in your life has a school ID that doubles as a meal card, services card, etc., refill it for her - start at $25 or more. It's nice to have some "mad money" that no one else has access to - especially when the First National Bank of Mom has seen lots of recent activity.
3. A couple hours of quiet time by herself - "Do Not Disturb".
4. An audio book she can listen to and not read (since she probably has a huge 'To Read" pile on her nightstand already!).
5. A night of not having to do nothin'! Pamper her with a foot soak, nice candles, and soft music.
6. A gadget for her computer (wireless mouse, electronic media wipes, a new flashdrive, etc.).
7. Fill up her gas tank.
8. Take her car in for an oil change and a detail job.
9. Make dinner for her while she sits and listens to the children read or plays with the dogs and/or cats.
10. Offer to do her math homework.

I like that last one. I am not a math person, so if my husband would have offered to do my Statistics homework a couple years ago (then went over it with me), I would have been happy. The best gift for that adult student in your life? Be creative! If all else fails, get her flowers! Good luck. Stay tuned . . .

Winding Down Again

Next week is the last day of classes here at the University of Tennessee. I think some of my classmates have already experienced "the last day" as some of them have not been to class in over a month. I don't know how people do that. I have to be in the classroom, taking notes and interacting with the other students and the professor - that's just my learning style -- hands on.

As this semester rapidly comes to a close, I am hard-pressed to say anything bad about it. Some of my classmates have moaned and groaned and have had nothing good to say. Even though some of my classes were a challenge (especially the one I struggled to stay awake in!), I have enjoyed every one of them. Perhaps that is a fundamental difference between nontrads and other students - most of the time, we enjoy the learning process.

I am a pack rat - I hate to throw anything away. I have kept my notes from classes I took two years ago! You just never know when you may be called upon to know something from a past class and instead of resorting to memory, you can refer back to your notes. I may need a bigger flashdrive for that as well!!

I enjoy school for a number of reasons - the learning, the social interaction, the real world human behavior lab a college campus represents, the cultural activities, etc. I enjoy being part of a culture that is so alive, dynamic and in constant flux. I may just have to major in "Student". Is there a graduate degree available in that? Hmmm. Stay tuned . . . .

You're Never Too Old . . .

I just read Deb Peterson's post, ". . . an unquenchable thirst for learning new things". She uses a quote from another source that gives Bill Gates as an example of lifelong learning. Bill is always ahead of the curve in learning new technologies and staying one step ahead of his competition because of his desire to learn new things.

I love to learn. As a student, I need to have a certain number of hours of "upper level distribution" classes - 300 level or above. There have been several times when my husband has asked, "And what does this class have to do with your degree?" Degree-related or not, the ULD classes have been interesting. I have taken things like Development Economics, Cultural Geography, Human Origins, the Pre-History of Tennessee and other exciting subjects. They were not necessarily something I was dying to know about, but I am glad I took the classes. I have become the Cliff Claven of . . . stuff. I know just enough about a smattering of subjects to make me somewhat annoying. I love it!

You're never too old to learn. From what I have read, learning keeps your mind sharp and is a tool against the onset of Alzheimer's. So is reading upside down. That's fun!

Continuing Education does not stop with obtaining your degree. Lifelong learning is just that - a lifelong process. I am enjoying it! What about you? Encourage others to do the same. Stay tuned . . .

Overparenting or The Challenge of Struggle

I am going to stray from my normal topic - nontraditional studentism - and address something I see as a disturbing national trend. That trend is the one of "overparenting" or "helicopter parents".

I have three children and I want nothing but the best for them. I have raised them to be godly, responsible, contributing members of society. I know that parenting is the world's most difficult job because these little people don't come with an owner's manual!

I was talking to a new friend the other day. She is four months pregnant with her first child. We talked about parenting - not as an extension of one's self, but as a responsibility toward another human being. A parent is responsible to raise their children to be kind, to learn to take responsibility for themselves, to know how to handle their emotions, to be compassionate and gracious, to be able to stand up for themselves and not be victims, and to be independent, strong and confident. I realize that's a tall order to fill.

How does one do all that? How does one know when one's child is ready for independence? How does one know how much independence to grant? How does one know when to step in and take charge? After all, parents are not supposed to be rescuers and enablers. Parents are supposed to be nurturers and examples.

I told my Mom recently that the best thing she and my Dad ever did for me what to make me figure things out on my own. When I had to move back home after flunking out of my first year in college, my parents were still raising three younger children. They did not have the time to rescue me. It was hard trying to figure out things on my own, but I did it. I don't think I'm psychology scarred because of that.

So many parents are so afraid their children will have to feel pain, either physical or emotional, and their fragile egos will be crushed beyond repair. I love to use examples from nature. My two favorites regarding children are the butterfly and the baby bird. When the butterfly emerges from its cocoon, it has to struggle. If we were to intervene and help the creature, we'd kill it. The butterfly has to experience that struggle so its wings will be strong and it will be able to fly. The same thing with a baby bird hatching from the egg. It has to struggle to get out of the egg. That struggle makes the chick strong.

Does this mean we abandon our responsibility in parenting? Heavens, no! But we need to allow our children to struggle through the hard times, knowing that we are there if they need us. Can you learn to walk for your 1-year old? No. She has to do it herself. How many times does she fall in the process? You are there to catch her and to comfort her.

The best gift we can give to our children is to to let them experience the challenge of struggle. If we do not allow them to experience struggle, they will never be able to fly. Stay tuned . . .

I Am An Expert - Sort Of

I am excited! Not only is this semester finally coming to an end, but I have also been invited to speak to the Pellissippi State Community College's nontraditional student support group. Being as organized as I am, I put together a PowerPoint presentation for my talk. I am of the opinion that if a group is worth addressing, it is worth having visual aids for.

Betsy Boyd, group moderator, made up a beautiful flyer advertising my presentation. I am humbled. I never thought of myself as an expert at anything except raising children - and even that is questionable sometimes! I guess I am an expert at this nontraditional student thing - sort of. I walked around for two years without realizing there was even a name for people like me - "nontraditional student". Then I found other experts in the field with even more expertise than me - like Deb Peterson, Elizabeth Sheppard, University Mama and Studentmum, to name a few.

While you are going about life on December 3, think of me about 2pm EST. I will be sharing my nontraditional experiences with a group of fellow nontrads at Pellissippi State Community College.

Oh, and did I mention my senior thesis has taken another turn? I am now writing about media censorship in WWII. Interesting. (sigh) Stay tuned . . . .