Last
year I decided I wanted to pursue a dream I’ve had since I graduated from High
School, and that dream was to get a degree.
I told my husband and the supportive man that he is told me to go for
it. I knew in the beginning that it
would be hard; I mean school is never really easy, but it was something I was
passionate about and I really wanted to try.
My first step was to go the NETC and
simply ask questions about what I had to do to get enrolled. All of my questions were answered and I went
home with a college catalog and student handbook so I could decide what my next
move would be.
As I looked through the school catalog I
realized that to earn a degree, there are certain classes that are
required. I got online and found out
what the fall semester class schedules were, and when it was time to register I
knew exactly what classes I could take and when I could take them. This was very helpful to the instructor that
was putting my class schedule information in the computer; he looked at me and
said. “I wish everyone was as organized as you are, it saves me a lot of time
and trouble.”
As my first day of school approached
I have to admit, I was excited, but there was one thing though that concerned
me more than anything else, my math class, called math 150 (or fundamentals of
math).
You see math has never been my strong suit,
even when I was in high school I did not do that well, especially in
algebra. I mean when was the last time
you used algebra when you balanced your checkbook, I know I never have. All that aside, I went into my pre-algebra class
as a student with an open mind and ready to learn.
Everything was going well those
first two weeks I was absorbing the information and I felt that I was learning,
and then the instructor came in with a bombshell. A new instructor would be taking the class
the next week. Not many of the students,
if any, were happy about it and neither was the instructor, but he really did
not have much of a choice and neither did his students.
When the new instructor took the
class there was almost 40 students in the class, by the end of the semester
more than half of the students had dropped the course. I spoke to one of the
students that had dropped out and she told me that she dropped the class
because she did not like the way the new instructor gave test. She also told me she wanted an instructor
that was easier to pass. Now I will
admit that the class was hard and I did not score very well on some of the test,
but I will say this I learned a lot from the new instructor and I am not
talking about just mathematics. The instructor explained at the beginning that the
test she gave were designed to teach us to think analytically, creatively, and
practically, and I must admit, as far as I am concerned that is exactly what
her test did. In the end I passed the
class with two points to spare.
I am now taking the next math class called
Math 155 (or contemporary mathematics) and I must admit it is quite a bit
easier than the first one. The first test I scored a 93 and the second one I
scored 96 plus I answered bonus questions which has brought my average in the
class up. If I continue to pass the test with a 90 or higher average I know I
will end up passing the class by more than two points like I did the first math
class.
Overall I am pleased with my life as
a student as NETC. I have met people and
I feel like I have made friends in my classes. I have no idea what the future
holds for me when I finish and get my degree but I know I am a better person
for it, and isn’t that what it is all about.
