NON-TRADITIONAL STUDENTS MEET END OF SEMESTER

C.C. Malloy –Writer 

It’s the end of the semester and life is good. We’re done—almost! Some of us would agree that as non-traditional students, the work didn’t stop because a discussion board, research paper, or PowerPoint was due. The assignments kept coming; sort of like the mail. The projects continued to pile up until the only choice was to prepare and deliver them.

That may seem straightforward enough; mark each assignment on your calendar and check off one project at a time. Easier than sliced bread right? Wrong! Many times, non-traditional students need to navigate Blackboard before they can do anything else. If we misread the directions, we find ourselves duplicating or even falling behind on due dates. I suppose that could happen to anyone. Now I will admit, there are plenty of non-traditional students who are in fact, tech savvy and have no problem finding their way around Blackboard. That is good news because some of us needed their help. I have been known to sneak an email or two to a fellow classmate asking for their assistance.

At any rate, one of the biggest challenges to being a non-traditional student is managing our families. While our families need love and attention, they also need to be driven to practices, doctor visits, and school functions just to name a few. Only after we have prepared lunches for the next day, and double checked to make sure our kid’s PE uniform was clean, then we were able to work on our discussion boards, take a test or outline the next chapter. We non-traditionals, “NT’s” for short, are still the glue that keeps our households together.

We are learners in every sense of the word. Every minute of our time was used wisely. We learned the beauty of carrying our texts books wherever we went. We enjoyed the extra 5 minutes of study time while waiting at the orthodontist or in the lobby of the local bank. We have become very creative thinkers.

At night, when we finally sat down, ready to check a project off our list, we were barraged with announcements and information overload. Something tells me I may have needed some of those helpful emails, but since I like to take one day at time, I crossed those bridges when I got to them; it seemed to work. And let us not forget the endless discussion boards and the requirements for responding to posts. Must everything be so technologically oriented? Can’t we all just be friends?

While we are working on being straight “A” students, we are more like straight “A” super-heroes. We found ways to survive the next project. We took homework assignments and brought them to our hearts! We loved, nourished and put them to bed. We focused on the next assignment like we were a Dodge Stealth fighter pilot. And while waiting in the car for our kid’s practice to end, we carved out the next discussion board with pen and paper, (yes, I said that; pen and paper).

Mistakes were prevalent though; not because we lacked focus but because we were too determined and geared up to succeed. (Yes, let’s go with that!) We got to know our teachers and classmates; at least their online personalities anyway. A couple of our professors may even have been younger than us; now that could be intimidating. I have literally lived through a few of the time frames for some of these discussion board prompts. Why did I need to find a reference? I am a reference!

The worst part so far, is the agony of defeat. Study, write an essay, study again for the test; take the test, and wham! All of a sudden we see some funky essay question on the test. Thinking we had a certain time limit we proceed. There goes that “misread” problem again.

I thought essays were supposed to be subjective? Do they even really count?

Now, here we are at the end of the semester and confident it has been a success. We found the light at the end of the tunnel. We are thinking now about putting strategies in place for continuing our classes and successful completion of the credits.

Nevertheless, for each PowerPoint, research paper or math problem there was an opportunity; an opportunity and a chance to become a better person. These possibilities open doors for achievement of our own goals. I’d like to say I am setting an example for my own teenagers. Are they becoming a better person watching me struggle? Do they even know what I am trying to accomplish? Most likely they do not. This wisdom comes with age.

These learning experiences cannot be taught. We really do have an advantage over traditional learners. We have life skills. We are teachers ourselves. We continue to coach our younger classmates and encourage them to enjoy the challenges. We continue to teach these young scholars that loving who you are, is just as important as loving what you do. We will never stop communicating the importance of staying in school and following a dream.

The time has come to register for the summer and fall semesters. Some of us “NT’s” will do it all over again. Are we tired?—You better believe it! Challenged?—Of course! Happy?—You bet!