Going,going, back, back...

Going back to school after three years isn't easy. Most of your basic skills and knowledge seem to fade away. Reading a book, writing an essay, solving a math equation or looking through a microscope are all past memories, usually never missed. But to tell you the truth, I have definitely missed school. I've missed the feeling of pushing yourself past the point of what you know. Who wouldn't want to learn something new everyday and become closer and closer to becoming a success?
I left my hometown Buffalo, NY after graduating high school in 2005 to start my new life with my husband in Florida. My senior year was a difficult time for me so I wasn't ready to start college that fall. My plan was to start in the spring, but god had other plans for me. When I found out I was pregnant, I knew it would be much longer before I started school and that was okay with me. I was going to be a mother! I had the rest of my life to go to school, plus I deserved some time off. The year our son was born and the next year following would take my husband away for weeks at a time leaving me changing diapers and cleaning up toys all day long.

I've thought about going to college everyday for the past two years but knew waiting for the right time would be the best. My son is at a perfect age now and my husband has completed his first deployment. I think my first semester of school would have been a little tough with my husband leaving for Iraq. My mind is in the right place and I am ready to work really hard to get where I want to go. English 111 along with two other courses were mandatory. I didn't have a problem with taking any mandatory classes because they are usually the classes that help get you into that "college mode." I've always loved expressing myself through writing so I wasn't too worried about how well I would do in Eng 111, or even math and biology, it was the time I would have to take away from my family to get my work done that I was worried about. It doesn't take long to get used to a certain way of living and it takes twice as long to get out of it. I've tried to keep myself on a strict schedule for both my future in school and my family. Most of my classes are over by 2 or 3, then I rush home to get all my work done before I have to pick up my son at daycare and my husband walks through the door.

Since it had been so long that I had written a paper or even read a book, I was a little nervous going into Eng 111. I was relieved to find that my professor was fairly young and had quite the personality (pretending to be a student in the class on our first day). I'm not shy when it comes to expressing my feelings so I really enjoyed the group discussions using rhetorical analysis which is something I hadn't learned before and turned out being the most valuable to my learning during this course. It helped me sort out the main ideas of each text, allowed me to think "outside the box" and discover the author's true purpose. Hearing others opinions and point of views during our discussions really had an impact on my experience during this class. It opened my eyes to new perspectives and views on topics that I hadn't regularly discussed. I learned a lot from the other students in the class because we were all so different, or aren't we? I gained something from every assignment we had to do, especially from the presentations which I rather enjoyed. It's kind of a rush, getting up in front of the class and prooving your point through proper research. Each assignment taught me something different about myself that I maybe didn't realize before. I would definitely reccommend this course to new college students.

I believe I have come to appreciate school so much more than I would have three years ago because of the life I have built for myself. I have been living on my own for four years now and have taken on the incredible role as a mother for almost three years. If living on your own, getting married, and becoming a mother doesn't teach a young women responsibility and appreciation for life than I don't know what does. I am proud of what I have accomplished so far and can't wait to see how much I am capable of doing.