Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Back to school at 44




          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. 

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