Looking Back on the First Semester

Now that the first semester is over and I'm looking ahead, I feel like I'm better prepared than I was a few months ago and know what to expect.  It would be very easy for me to quit now because my kids really need me and I know my husband would like to go back to working days instead of nights.  I'm just going to keep going while I can.  The kids have to be my first priority, but there were some almost irresistable things about being in school, that I am craving now that we are on our winter break.

I loved being on the campus.  I had forgotten how much I enjoyed being a student and learning. It probably sounds cheesy, but I really felt good being challenged and having to think about science and math, after going so long without it.  I didn't feel like an old lady while sitting in class with the 18 year olds.  I almost felt like I was one of them again.   I had forgotten what it felt like to be a college student, but going back and being there again brought me back to those days almost instantly.  When class got out and I had a short break before my next class, I'd sit on the lawn under a tree and watch people walk by, while writing my pre-labs or having a snack.  Sometimes, when I'd left the house in disarray and the kids were particularly difficult or sick, I'd have so much guilt going off to school, then I'd get there and it was like stepping into another world.

On one hand, it was amazing to be challenged intellectually, on the other, I knew I wouldn't be able to work as hard as a lot of the other students because I had a family at home to take care of when class was over.

I have to mention a few things that I did not like about being back in school with all the kids.  First of all, the students were very disrespectful. This new generation has not been taught to respect their teachers or other students.  Kids were walking in late all the time, texting during class, putting their feet up on seats in front of them (even if they were occupied), talking during class, and cheating! I've never seen such blatant cheating before in my life.  One more observation I made was the smoking!  The students smoke everywhere on campus except in the classrooms.  Since I can't tolerate smoking, I was constantly trying to dodge the cigarette smoke.  Maybe these problems I had would not exist at a regular university. I don't know.  I just couldn't get over my biology professor having to stop class dozens of times because the talking had become so loud.

This next semester is going to be busier than the last, but I'm so looking forward to it.  The classes I registered for are subjects that will not be too challenging for me, but are more of a needed review, with the exception of Botany, a required class for my major.