Graduation Thoughts
I went to school in the traditional route, straight to college after high school, and my master’s degree after that. I was very lucky in my own education, but sometimes I think it would be interesting to go back to school. I wonder if I would have made the same choices in which courses I took. I was an English major and while I do think that was the best choice for me, college gives you a chance to explore some fascinating subject areas. Art history turned out to be one of my favorite courses. Professor Rosenberg was a powerhouse of information. My hands were literally smoking, I took so many notes in his class. And later, when my husband and I traveled to Italy on our “real” honeymoon, I had a better appreciation of what I was seeing. Some other classes I really enjoyed were astronomy (loved looking at close-up pictures of the moon and the planets), and of course, Fiction Writing. 
The strangest class I took was a semester of Irish Gaelic. My parents thought I’d lost my mind, but you know, it’s actually been quite useful in my Irish medieval romances. 
I bring up college studies because my sister-in-law is graduating from college this weekend, and I’m so very proud of her. She got married, worked for many years, and just a few years ago went back to school. I have the deepest respect for someone who can brave the college campus again, after having a full career. It takes courage and I applaud anyone who ever goes back for their degree. It’s hard enough being in college the first time, but there are new sets of challenges when you go back. So congratulations, Marie, and know that we are all behind you 100%. 
Yesterday my local newspaper wrote up a nice article on me. I had to laugh because (although you can’t see it in the article), there’s a photo of me in my classroom. My students came into the classroom, beaming because their DESK was in the photograph. And one of them gleefully told me that her preposition frog made it into the photo. She felt quite famous. 
Kids are great.
Anyway, back to the college discussion. If you could go back to school and be completely frivolous, taking any course you wanted, what would you take? For me, I think I’d love to learn painting or pottery.
Michelle posted in Writing @ 7:15 am | Viewed 2990 times
Bonnie Ferguson Says:
Maybe an archeology course or a history course, as I always enjoyed those.
Suzanne Says:
I would take photography, and horticulture (gardening-related) classes. That would be fun.
Holly Says:
I never went to college. I didn’t graduate from my high school either..home schooled from freshman year on, but didn’t finish it and then got my GED with flying colors,(and a great comment on my essay about my dream of being a writer) but if I could go to college, I would probably go for literature, fiction writing or something in the field of writing. I’m not sure what courses you can take in college, so I’m not sure what frivolous classes I’d even attempt! LOL
Congrats to your SIL!
Melissa Mc Says:
Interesting post, Michelle. I was an engineering major who AP’d out of English so I never took an English or writing course in college. If I went back, I would want to take classes in that just to see what I missed.
Heidi Dahlquist Says:
Wow, awesome article, Michelle,our new local celebrity!!!!
I graduated high school in 1990 in Wisconsin (yes, I have a cheese hat!), married within 3 mo to someone I had been engaged to after dating only 2 weeks. It wasnt until 1993 that I started taking a few classes. I was determined to earn my degree, but being married to a sailor and moving alot, especially cross country creates lots of challenges for cirriculum and transfering classes. Oh yeah and fiancial aid/price.
I lost credits when we moved to San Diego. ARGH!!!! So, I had to start over, I was an architecture major…..Yes me…I was great with designs but not math and ended up in nursing and psychology because I liked helping and analyzing them.
Then we transferred to Va Beach from CA, I had a huge fight with Old Dominion University about my german classes, I only needed one credit hour, they wouldnt let me take an independent study worth one credit, so they made me take the next level of German….and I had not used or spoken in German for 5 years. I was frantic. The whole class was spoken in German…..I prayed to not be called on as I hid my face every class period and learned to say I dont know.
Michelle is doing a great thing by honoring her sis in law, becasue being an older student, and married, is stressful for a college student. Now, I am an older college student, married for almost 2 decades, taking care of 2 needy dogs and hubbie , and being a writer with a revision due June 1st. Talk about stress.
I understand your sister in laws dedication and admire it. Congratulations to her….she finally did it. People can take alot of things from us, but they can never take our education.:smile:
I will always take college classes despite a BS and MS in psych and now im in RN nursing school. I want to take Irish gaelic and be fluent, a conversational german class to refresh my, nicht sehr gut Deutsch, maybe an architecture class because I love architecture, a parapsychology class…..its offered at Duke’s Rhine Center and Univ of Edinburgh in Scotland…..they have a PhD in parapsychology….only place in the world….and it’s SCOTLAND!!! Hotties in kilts, and I know what’s NOT underneath them.:streamer:
Id love to take a conversational french class, and a medievel history class, becasue I have a cool idea and would like to try to write a (I have an outline already) for a paranormal historical in Ireland…..around 1400 or so. Oh yeah, Id like to take two more classes and have wanted to for years…..fencing and Irish dancing. Gosh, I’ll be a student till I die. But its Okay, I think all writers need to keep learning, especially from each other….. Do you agree?
Great job Michelle, see you at your signing this weekend!!!
Tori Lennox Says:
Congrats to your sis-in-law!!!
I’d love to take archaeology classes, maybe astronomy, geology, medieval history, Arthurian studies.
Crystal* Says:
Psychology, sign language, and various other language classes.
Boo. Hiss. On science and math.
Grins*
Lori Says:
Michelle - please pass along my congrats to your sis-in-law. My dh is doing the same this month. I am making him do the whole cap and gown and walk across the stage thing. He thinks it’s silly to do so at his age. I disagree and being a smart dh - he’s doing it for me!
Classes I’d want to take - pottery, more art history, more lit classes, writing from a great teacher, French, history, weaving, photography, and cooking classes - especially in other countries.
jeanne s. Says:
Now that I’m older I think I would appreciate a lot of different classes. Sometimes I think kids are being taught things they can’t quite comprehend. History is rarely important at young ages. And now that I’ve traveled some geography would make more sense. Physcology fascinates me now too. And I’ve always enjoyed anything in the arts. My two favorite tv channels are discovery and the history channel. They make everything interesting. Unfortunately kids end up learning boring facts and figures and are more concerned on passing the tests then really getting into a subject and retaining what they learn. Just not enough time I guess.
Melissa Says:
I actually did go back and get my graduate degree years after I got my bachelor’s. And you know what? It was a very smart decision. I was married and had a two-year-old daughter when I went back. I didn’t fall in with the partying and all that stuff that goes on in college. I took things much more seriously, loved going to class and listening to my professors talk, and loved being in the academic environment. I was a non-traditional student, of course - not a lot of others were married and had kids like I did. But it was the best time, especially the first semester. I soaked up everything, and graduated two years later with my MA.
Now I’d just like to go and sit in on discussions. No tests, no papers, just listen and absorb. I’d go to all the history classes I could!
kacey Says:
hey, congrats to your sil. That takes guts.
If I went back, which I won’t, because I don’t want to take all those tests again
But I’d like to take digital photography, web design, programming, creative writing, history…
But then, that’s all stuff I could learn on my own and not have to take any tests, isn’t it??:razz: