I have taught writing in middle school, high school,community college, college, and graduate school and am continually inspired by
my students.In 2008, I started teaching
part-time at Strayer University and now teach all the English classes Strayer
offers. When I started at Strayer, I had no idea how much I would not only be
inspired by but grow to love my Strayer students.
I learn something new from my Strayer students every time I
meet or talk with them. Their courage, resilience, dedication, and hard-work
ethic fill me with admiration and awe. When I was younger, I started graduate
school with an eight-month old, four jobs, and a commute to my classes, and I graduated
eight years later with a 4, 6, and 8-year old. I know what it takes to sit in a
Strayer classroom on ground or online and finally walk across the graduation
stage. My students and I have that and so much else in common.
It’s hard work to go to college at any age. It’s hard but
essential because someone’s dream for a life change and self-empowerment is
worth every part of the struggle that each assignment, each class, each
fulfilled college commitment takes. Those who graduate from Strayer University
worked hard for their degrees.
I had no idea when I agreed to teach one night a week for
Strayer University that it would turn out to be one of the most rewarding jobs
I could possibly have. When a student says to me, “Thanks for believing in me,
Dr. S.You have made me believe in
myself,” I go home stunned and feeling lucky beyond measure that I participated
in someone’s empowerment journey. Loving my Strayer University students is easy.
It is one of my life’s joys.
When I was 33 years old, I returned to college. My daughter
was 8 months old, and her fingers--holding my shoulder from her kiddie backpack--were
on my college ID picture.
My daughter, teaching jobs, and marriage were all part of my concern when I planned my return to college. Little did I know that it would take eight years to complete graduate school and finish with not only a degree but 8, 6, and 4-year-old children! My life was a constant swirl of activity. Logistics, stop/reflect, let go, and the power of yet were my survival tools to achieve college/life balance.
First, logistics,
including a support team, must be put into place. My family, friends, and colleagues agreed to
help me with my kids and occasional errands. I asked them to let me know when I
was stressed and overwhelmed. Others can often see what we can’t. Exhaustion
makes it difficult to ask for help, and using a support team is a best preventative
practice. Once in college, I also made my professors and classmates part of my
team. It is freeing to ask for help and a time saver.
Logistics also
includes a reliable babysitter, car (my college was far away with no online
classes), and funding source for both tuition and books. Not factoring in the
cost of learning materials or a babysitter can end the start to a learning or degree dream. In
addition, creating a space at home for quiet study is important. I put small
desks in the corners of a room close to my kids’ play space and upstairs in a back
hallway; I studied in both places when my family was occupied or asleep.
Finding the closest public or college library and studying away from obligation
are also excellent college logistics
tools.
Another central piece of school/life balance is scheduling,
part of the stop/reflect survival
tip for balancing school and life. Learning success takes time, and course work
takes more time as classes advance. A realistic schedule to fit course reading,
writing, critical thinking, test taking, and big assignments requires a stop/reflect analysis about how and
when to get work done. For example, I am not a morning person; therefore, I scheduled
study time at night, at the library when my husband was home and around work
and family activities.
Sometimes, in order to achieve my graduation dream, I had to
give up activities that meant a great deal to me and let go of my guilt and sorrow for not being able to do everything.
Going to school requires self-sacrifice and lots of letting go of parts of a former life! It’s hard. It takes grit. For
instance, confession: I love watching sports on television. I had to let go of a lot of my game watching
during college. It was sad but worthwhile; I got my degree!
Finally, it’s hard to start a dream that requires logistics, stop/reflect, let go, AND still
find that it’s not enough. That’s where the final survival tool to achieve balance
school and life is important: the “power
of yet.” In Janelle Monae’s Sesame Street video, “Power of Yet,” she sings and dances to let us all know that it takes “believing in yourself, working hard, and staying focused to know that one day you'll get to where you want to go. That is the power of yet.”
No one
will ever say that going to college, whether young or old, starting or
returning, is easy. However, everyone says that getting a degree is a dream
come true. With the help of the survival tools logistics, stop/reflect, let go, and the power of yet, it is
possible to walk across a school or college graduation stage with everyone cheering! That
is indeed a dream come true and the secret tool kit to achieve college/life
balance!
I have received millions of dollars of grant monies over the
years.
Why? I follow directions. When the grant directions state: "Write a 500 Word Proposal Summary," I stop at 499. It’s likely that a computer
will reject your grant if there are 501 words. If my written ideas are going to
be rejected, I don’t want that to happen because I didn’t follow word count
guidelines.
In work and school, there are always directions for
assignments. Follow them completely. If there are directions for a school
assignment, there is likely to be a grading scale, too. Follow them both.
Completely. Did I restate that? YES: FOLLOW ALL DIRECTIONS AND GRADING CRITERIA
COMPLETELY.
For example, at some schools, the grading criteria is found in a "rubric." It is typically located as follows: 1) bottom line of directions on an assignment page, 2) colored hyperlink, 3) underlined and labeled "Click hereto view the grading rubric."
In fact, before drafting an assignment, open a Word document, write all the rubric criteria that will be evaluated, individually in a list that skips lines, at
the top of the paper. For an essay, your criteria might look like this:
Body paragraph for reason #1 that starts with a topic
sentence, gives support from an expert, includes your analysis, and ends with a
wrap-up, or closing sentence
Other body paragraphs depending on the
directions
Conclusion that paraphrases the thesis and
includes a general statement to conclude
Whether you are at home, work, or school, there are
directions. Particularly at school, there are directions on how to do your
assignments. Even if you are a rebel and HATE DIRECTIONS & GRADING RUBRICS OR CRITERIA,
follow them for assignments. Why would you sabotage your GPA for something that
you dislike: mere directions?Follow
them anyway, and you will be surprised at how well you will do in school.
