Long over due
Feb. 28, 2008
Here’s an update on our original group of nine:
Brenda became a first-time grandmother when her son Cory and his wife
had a baby girl in December. She says she’s going crazy taking algebra
and chemistry classes. From the chemistry class she goes directly to a
chemistry tutor. She considers it her third class. She still works
nights at UPS and part-time in home health care. She pulls up her
sleeves to show the muscles working at UPS has given her. Because her
work schedule was changed, Toya is taking evening classes now. She has a
math, a Psy and a Soc class. Her oldest son is a smart little third
grader who made the honor roll again. Her baby turns one in March.
Lori e-mailed that she really misses the “adult learning” atmosphere of
last semester. She feels, “There’s a HUGE difference in the classes’
now—so many kids.” That part makes me laugh—“so many kids.” She is the
only Non-T in her Com 103 Speech class. There are three Non-T’s
including herself in her Psy class, and she decided to switch to an
online math class. There are so many more adults in the evening classes
that she’ll probably switch to evening classes in the future.
Cathy’s Irish wit comes out in her story telling and it’s fun to hear
what her four children are up to, especially Sean. Cathy is taking a
full load again this semester. According to her, “This IS my job now.”
When she gets home, she and the kids do their homework together. Renata
isn’t in any class with the rest of us but we’ve seen her around campus.
At the start of the semester, Melissa, Josephine and I were the only
ones in our particular math class. However, all of us including, Shirley
and Cathy, were in the Com 102 class together. Unfortunately Melissa had
to withdraw from classes to deal with a family matter. We miss her wry
sense of humor. She would turn part way to look at you and lift one
eyebrow before she’d say something that would make us all laugh.
As I said, Shirley is in the Com class and she has decided that that was
enough for this semester. Josephine and I are the only ones with the
same school schedule. Sometimes when you’re not sure what the teacher
said because you zoned out or couldn’t hear or just don’t remember, it’s
good to have someone to call. Josephine drives her son Nick to and from
school every day. After school, Nick has martial arts classes five days
a week, and he’s recently started music lessons.
I had to give in and cut back on my volunteering jobs. When my boys were
young and I had my own business, I was much more organized than I am
now. I had to be, but I keep wishing for more energy. I gave up the
treasurer’s position in the garden club and haven’t worked at Lake
Katherine since last fall. I do miss doing the children’s programs. Lake
K is a beautiful place to be 365 days a year.
A Look Back at Getting Started
Nov. 9, 2007
When I began the Returning Woman Program
in the fall, we were asked to write a journal about experience.
Here is a look back.
Aug. 19
Our welcome letter from Moraine Valley suggests that we
arrive a half an hour before our classes to find a parking space and
locate our classrooms. The Sunday before school starts, my husband and I
drive to Moraine to see how long the commute is and to check out the
parking lots in relation to my classes. I’m following the Returning
Woman Program and only have two classes this semester, Psychology 100
and Composition 101. The Psy class is at 9:30 a.m. in Building B on the
east side of the campus. Com 101 is in Building D on the west side of
the campus. There doesn’t appear to be as much parking on the east side.
Aug. 23
Approaching the school on 111th Street, I see what reminds
me of the mall the week before Christmas. Thirty minutes won’t be enough
time to find parking and get to class. Dozens of us are driving up and
down the rows as we search for a parking spot. Finally the police direct
us to park on the interior road leading to the parking lots. Is it
possible to park any further from Building B and still be on campus? On
the bright side, I need the exercise. I did get to class on time. Brenda
and I met looking for our first class. She works at UPS at nights, and
does Home Health Care a couple of days a week. She has four children.
This girl is busy.
There are nine of us in the Returning Woman (R.W.) Psy class. Seven of
us walk together to our Com class in Building D. Shirley drives; this
gives her a chance to grab a smoke. Renata has other classes. The
weather has been great. We’re dreading this walk between classes come
winter. The Com class has about 17 students, all women. One poor guy
showed up the first day of class, but he didn’t stay five minutes.
The first assignment is a writer’s collage. Prof. Bundy described it as
“kind of a verbal portrait” of us as writers.
Aug. 28
Psy Class assignment: Write about an object that most
resembles you and bring it to class on Sept. 4. Our instructor, Mrs.
Adduci told us about a woman who compared herself to a roll of toilet
paper. Actually it was a clever presentation, but…
Aug. 30
Prof. B. had a variety of candy for us to taste. The
assignment was to write a detailed description using as many senses as
possible. I tasted Jujyfruits. Among the ingredients: Corn syrup, sugar,
modified and unmodified cornstarch, white mineral oil, carnauba wax.
????
Sept. 4
Psy class assignment: Brenda’s object is a ball of rubber
bands. She explains it’s one object made of many smaller parts. It
stretches when it needs to. Parts can be added, some parts can be
removed and the object isn’t essentially changed. Toyia brought a gift
box. Like her, you can’t see what’s inside. It could surprise you.
Shirley compared herself to a road atlas. Cathy is multi-faceted like a
Swiss Army Knife. She decided not to find out if Moraine had a zero
tolerance rule and brought a photograph of the knife.
I considered a juicy tomato but rejected it as fun but not very complex.
A piece of chocolate lacked dimension and seemed too Forrest Gump-ish. A
cross-stitch sampler was a strong contender because of its many
intricate stitches and variety of colors, but in the end I chose a rose.
Sept. 6
Cathy and Josephine are planning to be teachers. They were
sitting in the student lounge area outside our Psy class when I arrive
about 9:20 a.m. Cathy tells us that she lost 7 lbs. the first two weeks
of school because of nerves. There’s one good side effect of stress.
Cathy, Renata and Vallorie are all full-time students; they also work
and have children. My schedule is a breeze compared to theirs. LaToyia
Cooper and Vallorie are going into the nursing program. Renata is
interested in the pharmacy program, and Shirley is taking business
classes to advance in her career.
Sept. 18
Sherry Scapaci, a Moraine graduate who went through the
Returning Woman Program, spoke to our Psy class. She told us that this
program had, and continues to have, a profound effect on her. In fact,
it changed her life. Sherry recently became a published author and will
be having book signings at local bookstores. Her mystery novel is titled
Lullaby. Sherry asked us why we decided to come back to school and why
we chose the R.W. Program. Melissa said, “It’s something I should have
done right out of high school, but for a variety of reasons, didn’t. I
can improve my life by earning a college degree. This is my chance for a
do-over. The R.T. Program is already laid out. It couldn’t be easier.”
Everyone in the class nodded in agreement.
Sherry developed close ties with the women she met going through the R.W.
Program that continue to this day, 20 years later. She has also met with
the same writer’s group for many years. She finds their encouragement
and support critical to her success. Sherry recommended that anyone
interested in writing should find a writing group and enroll in
workshops run by an accomplished author. It was great hearing about how
well Sherry’s done as a result of the Returning Woman Program. Even at
our age, it’s good to have role models like Sherry.
Sept. 19
I thought this was an interesting coincidence in light of
what Sherry said yesterday. The September issue of the Oprah magazine
has been sitting untouched since it arrived in mid-August. Last night I
finally took some time to read it. The first article I turned to was in
the Connections section. It was about a group of eight women writers who
meet every month. The author detailed how they structured their meetings
and their process for critiquing each others’ work. The article’s
author, Z.Z. Packer said, “…we decided that the most supportive
relationships aren’t the ones you never want to leave but the ones you
keep returning to.”
In Com class, we are sometimes broken up into small groups to read and
review each others’ papers. It is helpful getting peer feedback for our
revisions. At the beginning of her class Mrs. Adduci sometimes starts
with what she refers to as “housekeeping.” She explains that the college
is looking for people to attend a focus group meeting and the school is
implementing a student-written blog. They would like a variety of
students to contribute. Mrs. A. asked if anyone would be interested in
representing our group. We are a small part of the Returning Woman
Program. We are also referred to as nontraditional students. Shirley and
Brenda have read some of my Com essays and kindly suggest that I should
consider this.
In Psy class we’re discussing stress, how to recognize it, and how to
deal with it. Mrs. A. suggested that changing the way we respond could
be a better way to deal with a difficult person or stressful situation.
“Change the way you look at the situation. It could help put you in a
more positive frame of mind. And to de-stress, be in the moment. Be
aware of what’s around you. Take time to smell the roses.” Shirley made
us laugh when she told us how effective that technique was last week.
She lives on the east side of Chicago and was stuck in a traffic jam on
her way home from O’Hare. She decided not to get upset and to sit back
and enjoy the music and the opportunity for time alone. See? With the
right point of view you can enjoy being struck in traffic.
Sept. 26
I’m the only “nontraditional” student to attend a meeting to
talk about writing a journal for the college’s Web site. We were asked
to write some sample entries. I’m so nervous I can’t think of anything
interesting to write about. We’re told that not everyone will be chosen.
They’ll let us know in a week or so.
Oct. 5
A woman from the college’s marketing department e-mailed
that I’ve been selected as one of the college’s online student journal
participants. They need to take my photograph and get some information
about me.
Oct. 7
There’s an article in the Tribune magazine that’s
worth including here. Sports writer Melissa Isaacson wrote about the
vitality of relationships between women. She was asked about whether
women athletes had a tendency to let personal feelings affect their
competitiveness and if that made them weaker players than men. “I
ultimately realized,” she explained, “that this only made us different.
No better, no worse. Just wired in a way that makes women who they
are—empathetic friends, loving sisters—and yes, great athletes, too.”
Oct. 9
We’re discussing the negative effects of stress in the Psy.
class. They use the acronym K. I. S. S.—Keep It Short and Simple.
Oct. 10,
The Art Institute has a new exhibit, Perpetual Glory in
Islamic Arts. Artist Fayeq Oweis presented a slide show about the art of
calligraphy. He explained the history and the different styles of
calligraphy. It’s a beautiful art form in itself, but it was amazing to
see examples of how Islamic calligraphers use the words of poems about a
thing, such as a lion or an antelope, to form the object. Mr. Oweis
showed us his drawing of a dove and a heart. The words that shaped these
forms were, “peace and love.” The calligraphy above the door leading to
the exhibit is Mr. Oweis’ work. This is definitely worth seeing.
My first entry
Oct. 20, 2007
Being at Moraine has been a great
experience. The Returning Woman Program has helped ease me into a school
routine. The people involved with the program are friendly and helpful.
I don’t worry about failing because there is a tremendous support system
here. The hardest part was getting started. Once I finally got myself
here and enrolled, things have just flowed. There are about 10 women
enrolled in the daytime Returning Woman Program. We have a lot in common
and are comfortable together after just a few weeks.
