Christina in GA

I am now an adult college student. I never intended to go to college. I did graduate high school, but I never took the SAT. When I decided to go to college (at age 28) to work towards my finance degree I thought that would be a drawback. It wasn't, though. I took an adult geared class to introduce us to college work. I did have to take some remedial math classes to prep me for Algebra. I have taken English 1101 & 1102 and finished the remedial math classes. I will go back next summer to take my college algebra class. My point is that the college didn't care that I didn't take an SAT. They have alternatives depending on what students did. As long as they get my money they don't care. So basically I no longer want to lie to my son and lead him to think he "has" to do certain things in order to do something else. I am now a firm believer in "don't believe what you are told". When I hear something I check it out for myself. I wish this girl in high school was able to do that and save herself some stress.

Christina in GA
Happiness comes through doors you
didn't even know you left open.


<< she's been told that
if she doesn't pass that class she can't take a certain college
course she needs to pursue her chosen career path. >>

So they're lying to her.
That's not new at school, unfortunately.

We were told lots of things we "had" to do, and none of it was true, in the
1960's.
When I was teaching I told kids the truth about what state requirements were
and what colleges needed, and how they could transfer from a state college
which HAD to accept them into a fancier college if their grades were good
there.

Maybe that's another reason I didn't last.

Sandra



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[email protected]

In a message dated 12/8/02 8:05:39 PM !!!First Boot!!!, clr71@...
writes:


> When I decided to go to college (at age 28) to work towards my finance
> degree I thought that would be a drawback. It wasn't, though. I took an
> adult geared class to introduce us to college work. I did have to take some
> remedial math classes to prep me for Algebra. I have taken English 1101 &
> 1102 and finished the remedial math classes. I will go back next summer to
> take my college algebra class.

Oh my goodness! I've been thinking about going to college but I'm scared to
death! I moved out of my parent's home at 17 and went right to work - never
had the college experience! At 46, the thought of even going to the local
junior college is enough to give me heart palpitations :)

I envy your courage!

Beth Allen


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Christina in GA

Oh, believe me, it's NOT easy to walk on that campus and be in classes with 19 and 20 year olds, even in the night classes. But there are more adult students each year, which is why the college has programs geared for adults. There is a even an adult oriented sorority I want to join! The fun part was the orientation where dh came with me and go to be my "parent" for the day : )

But I do thank you for the compliment. I have not seen that move as being very courageous.

Christina in GA
Happiness comes through doors you
didn't even know you left open.

----- Original Message -----
From: EBA7009@...
To: [email protected]
Sent: Sunday, December 08, 2002 5:02 PM
Subject: Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] High school courses / college courses


In a message dated 12/8/02 8:05:39 PM !!!First Boot!!!, clr71@...
writes:


> When I decided to go to college (at age 28) to work towards my finance
> degree I thought that would be a drawback. It wasn't, though. I took an
> adult geared class to introduce us to college work. I did have to take some
> remedial math classes to prep me for Algebra. I have taken English 1101 &
> 1102 and finished the remedial math classes. I will go back next summer to
> take my college algebra class.

Oh my goodness! I've been thinking about going to college but I'm scared to
death! I moved out of my parent's home at 17 and went right to work - never
had the college experience! At 46, the thought of even going to the local
junior college is enough to give me heart palpitations :)

I envy your courage!

Beth Allen




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Betsy

**I've been thinking about going to college but I'm scared to
death!**

Hi, Beth --

I hope you can cut your fears down to size and follow your dream.

There's some really good stuff in Frank Smith's book (The Book of
Learning and Forgetting) where he says we learn from the company we
keep. He also says that a lot of human learning takes place in social
groups and clubs that revolve around interests and activities. He says
the worst thing that we can do to anyone's learning is make them feel
like they don't belong in the club.

In some areas, community college classes are broadcast on TV. Watching
5 minutes of one class could be a way to dip your toe in the water very,
very cautiously. If you don't have access to these, maybe someone you
know in another part of the country could tape a couple for you, just to
take some of the mystery out of it.

Betsy

tessimal <[email protected]>

--- In [email protected], Betsy <ecsamhill@e...>
wrote:
<>In some areas, community college classes are broadcast on TV.
Watching 5 minutes of one class could be a way to dip your toe in the
water very, very cautiously. If you don't have access to these,
maybe someone you know in another part of the country could tape a
couple for you, just to take some of the mystery out of it.<>

Is anyone else here involved in or following MIT's Open Course Ware?
It is up and running, started this past September with the first 37
courses. They will be adding more every six months or so until the
entire MIT catalog is up and available on the web. This is a big
deal, making life-long learning from one of our top universities
available, at least in part, to everyone, all over the planet. No,
it's not the same as taking a course in class, or even over a closed
circuit network, and you don't get college credit for these courses.
But it is FREE!!!! And it is another way to learn more, or at least
to get specific learning moving in a certain direction.

I am hoping that other colleges will follow MIT's lead, that we may
find more who open their doors to expand possibilities this way.

http://ocw.mit.edu/index.html

Check it out. They want our feedback, so if you are excited about
this concept be sure to let them know how you feel.

Norma
"In a consumer society there are inevitably two kinds of slaves: the
prisoners of addiction and the prisoners of envy." - Ivan Illich

Helen Hegener

At 5:02 PM -0500 12/8/02, EBA7009@... wrote:
>Oh my goodness! I've been thinking about going to college but I'm scared to
>death! I moved out of my parent's home at 17 and went right to work - never
>had the college experience! At 46, the thought of even going to the local
>junior college is enough to give me heart palpitations :)

Check out your nearest community college. I've taken lots of courses
- on everything from philosophy to painting to private pilot ground
school - through community college classes. They're a good way to get
your feet wet, get back into the swing of attending a class, doing
bookwork, etc. without committing yourself to the whole enchilada.

I've never wanted to go on to formal college (although I've sat
through plenty of their classes just to see what they're about), but
I've had a blast learning stuff via their smaller cousins.

Helen

Christine ONeal

I teach community college in the evenings. Most of my students are my age (32) or older. Night classes have more older students in them than day classes. Most of them have also never been to college. If you want to try it, why not take one class, maybe a literature class or something that interests you to try it out? You don't need to sign up for a major right away or commit to anything. Good luck!
Christy

Betsy <ecsamhill@...> wrote:

**I've been thinking about going to college but I'm scared to
death!**

Hi, Beth --

I hope you can cut your fears down to size and follow your dream.

There's some really good stuff in Frank Smith's book (The Book of
Learning and Forgetting) where he says we learn from the company we
keep. He also says that a lot of human learning takes place in social
groups and clubs that revolve around interests and activities. He says
the worst thing that we can do to anyone's learning is make them feel
like they don't belong in the club.

In some areas, community college classes are broadcast on TV. Watching
5 minutes of one class could be a way to dip your toe in the water very,
very cautiously. If you don't have access to these, maybe someone you
know in another part of the country could tape a couple for you, just to
take some of the mystery out of it.

Betsy

~~~~ Don't forget! If you change topics, change the subject line! ~~~~

If you have questions, concerns or problems with this list, please email the moderator, Joyce Fetteroll (fetteroll@...), or the list owner, Helen Hegener (HEM-Editor@...).

To unsubscribe from this group, click on the following link or address an email to:
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Tia Leschke

>
> Check out your nearest community college. I've taken lots of courses
> - on everything from philosophy to painting to private pilot ground
> school - through community college classes. They're a good way to get
> your feet wet, get back into the swing of attending a class, doing
> bookwork, etc. without committing yourself to the whole enchilada.

Not long after I left high school I started at a community college. I loved
it. It was so different from high school. They actually treated you like
an adult! I took what interested me and dropped what didn't.
>
> I've never wanted to go on to formal college (although I've sat
> through plenty of their classes just to see what they're about), but
> I've had a blast learning stuff via their smaller cousins.

After several years of dabbling at the community college, I decided on a
major and transferred to a four year college. I lasted two quarters there.
The classes were actually easier (and boring) than the ones at the community
college. And the students, for the most part, were just there to party for
four years until they got their piece of paper.
Tia

Christina in GA

That's why I like going at night when there are more adult students there. The students are serious about the work and why they are there. Maybe it was because I waited 10 years to go to school but I found the college English classes much more difficult than high school English. But my favorite class was English 1102. There were 6 female students and 1 male teacher that was about 5 years older than me. We all sat in a circle in class and discussed the stories and poems we read. Then we had to write a paper on certain stories or mix similar themes together. That was so much better than the grammar in 1101.

Christina in GA
Happiness comes through doors you
didn't even know you left open.

----- Original Message -----
From: Tia Leschke
To: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, December 09, 2002 12:26 AM
Subject: Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] High school courses / college courses


After several years of dabbling at the community college, I decided on a
major and transferred to a four year college. I lasted two quarters there.
The classes were actually easier (and boring) than the ones at the community
college. And the students, for the most part, were just there to party for
four years until they got their piece of paper.
Tia



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[email protected]

In a message dated 12/8/2002 6:11:10 PM Central Standard Time,
HEM-Editor@... writes:

> Check out your nearest community college. I've taken lots of courses
> - on everything from philosophy to painting to private pilot ground
> school - through community college classes. They're a good way to get
> your feet wet, get back into the swing of attending a class, doing
> bookwork, etc. without committing yourself to the whole enchilada.
>

I took a class at our CC a many years ago, but it was interrupted by some
surgery I had to have. They put me on "academic probation" (for bad grades
because I didn't complete the course) and insisted on a doctor's excuse that
I didn't think was necessary. The "counselor" at the school made me feel
like I was 12 and in the principal's office for a bad report card. I tried
to reason with her as one 30-something adult to another, but she wouldn't
have it. All that over one single course as a "special non-degree seeking
student", not even enrolled full-time.

They way I let that woman make me feel and that "academic probation" label
has been keeping me from going back for YEARS! So y'all keep talking. I
could use some cajoling.

But I did turn it into lemonade. The class I only took half of was medical
transcription, and I ended up getting a contract based on that half class and
my other experience and doing the job for 4 years. ;)

Tuck


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[email protected]

In a message dated 12/8/02 11:37:02 PM !!!First Boot!!!,
ecsamhill@... writes:


> If you don't have access to these, maybe someone you
> know in another part of the country could tape a couple for you, just to
> take some of the mystery out of it.
>
> Betsy
>

Good idea Betsy! Thanks!

Beth Allen


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Kelli Traaseth

Betsy <ecsamhill@...> wrote: **There's some really good stuff in Frank Smith's book (The Book of
Learning and Forgetting) where he says we learn from the company we
keep. He also says that a lot of human learning takes place in social
groups and clubs that revolve around interests and activities.**



Maybe that's why I've learned so much from this list,

common interests, supportive...there ya go.



Kelli






**I've been thinking about going to college but I'm scared to
death!**

Hi, Beth --

I hope you can cut your fears down to size and follow your dream.

There's some really good stuff in Frank Smith's book (The Book of
Learning and Forgetting) where he says we learn from the company we
keep. He also says that a lot of human learning takes place in social
groups and clubs that revolve around interests and activities. He says
the worst thing that we can do to anyone's learning is make them feel
like they don't belong in the club.

In some areas, community college classes are broadcast on TV. Watching
5 minutes of one class could be a way to dip your toe in the water very,
very cautiously. If you don't have access to these, maybe someone you
know in another part of the country could tape a couple for you, just to
take some of the mystery out of it.

Betsy

~~~~ Don't forget! If you change topics, change the subject line! ~~~~

If you have questions, concerns or problems with this list, please email the moderator, Joyce Fetteroll (fetteroll@...), or the list owner, Helen Hegener (HEM-Editor@...).

To unsubscribe from this group, click on the following link or address an email to:
[email protected]

Visit the Unschooling website: http://www.unschooling.com

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.



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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Betsy

** The "counselor" at the school made me feel
like I was 12 and in the principal's office for a bad report card. I
tried
to reason with her as one 30-something adult to another, but she
wouldn't
have it.**

I can relate! I went back to school around the time I turned 30. I
went to a private school program with hefty tuition, so when I got the
same bureaucratic silliness I was **fuming**. I remember thinking "I am
your customer. My employer and I are paying you a heap of money for
this. Why the heck are you treating me so badly?"

It was interesting to be in "school" while being an adult, because they
don't often treat you as an adult.

Betsy

**
But I did turn it into lemonade. The class I only took half of was
medical
transcription, and I ended up getting a contract based on that half
class and my other experience and doing the job for 4 years. ;)**

Hey, now you know more than the teachers.

[email protected]

On Mon, 9 Dec 2002 08:30:54 EST tuckervill@... writes:
> I took a class at our CC a many years ago, but it was interrupted by
> some
> surgery I had to have. They put me on "academic probation" (for bad
> grades
> because I didn't complete the course) and insisted on a doctor's
> excuse that
> I didn't think was necessary.

I took some classes when I was 18, was hospitalized 8 weeks into the
semester, didn't get out of the hospital for 8 months, and never dropped
the classes. They ended up as F's. When I went back 4 or 5 years later
they were totally unwilling to change the grades to withdrawn or do
anything for me, even though I had all the hospital bills and a letter
from my current doctor. I went all the way to the board, or whatever it
was, and they were just nasty.

I did retake one class, but the other stayed on my transcipt until I
transferred to the university, and once I got there they didn't count
grades from the CC into my GPA so it didn't matter anymore...

Dar

susan marie

There's a wonderful scene in "Good Will Hunting" where he gets in an
argument with a Harvard student - Will explains how he knows just as
much as the Harvard kid, if not more -- and that he got his education
for free with a library card. A great movie, if you've never seen it.

I liked parts of college, didn't like others -- but don't be intimidated
by it. If you can read, talk, think, write -- you've got the basics.
Enjoy!

(I've also taught at the college level and the best students I had were
the women who were going back to school after not having had the chance
out of high school - they were the best! Go for it!!)

peace,
Susan

On Sunday, December 8, 2002, at 05:02 PM, EBA7009@... wrote:

> In a message dated 12/8/02 8:05:39 PM !!!First Boot!!!,
> clr71@...
> writes:
>
>
> > When I decided to go to college (at age 28) to work towards my finance
> > degree I thought that would be a drawback. It wasn't, though. I took
> an
> > adult geared class to introduce us to college work. I did have to
> take some
> > remedial math classes to prep me for Algebra. I have taken English
> 1101 &
> > 1102 and finished the remedial math classes. I will go back next
> summer to
> > take my college algebra class.
>
> Oh my goodness!  I've been thinking about going to college but I'm
> scared to
> death!  I moved out of my parent's home at 17 and went right to work -
> never
> had the college experience!  At 46, the thought of even going to the
> local
> junior college is enough to give me heart palpitations :)
>
> I envy your courage!
>
> Beth Allen
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
> ~~~~ Don't forget! If you change topics, change the subject line! ~~~~
>
> If you have questions, concerns or problems with this list, please
> email the moderator, Joyce Fetteroll (fetteroll@...), or the
> list owner, Helen Hegener (HEM-Editor@...).
>
> To unsubscribe from this group, click on the following link or address
> an email to:
> [email protected]
>
> Visit the Unschooling website: http://www.unschooling.com
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
peace,
Susan

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can
change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
- Margaret Mead

"All we are saying is give peace a chance."
- John Lennon


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[email protected]

In a message dated 12/10/02 10:28:17 AM, scribblers2@... writes:

<< There's a wonderful scene in "Good Will Hunting" . . .A great movie, if
you've never seen it. >>

A wonderful movie, but not for those who cringe at "the 'f' word."
[Just a little disclaimer because this is a big list, and a little disclaimer
seemed in order.]

Sandra

susan marie

thanks.. I meant to add that, but got called away mid-post and forgot.
s.

On Tuesday, December 10, 2002, at 12:50 PM, SandraDodd@... wrote:

>
> In a message dated 12/10/02 10:28:17 AM, scribblers2@...
> writes:
>
> << There's a wonderful scene in "Good Will Hunting" . . .A great movie,
> if
> you've never seen it. >>
>
> A wonderful movie, but not for those who cringe at "the 'f' word."
> [Just a little disclaimer because this is a big list, and a little
> disclaimer
> seemed in order.]
>
> Sandra
>
>
> ~~~~ Don't forget! If you change topics, change the subject line! ~~~~
>
> If you have questions, concerns or problems with this list, please
> email the moderator, Joyce Fetteroll (fetteroll@...), or the
> list owner, Helen Hegener (HEM-Editor@...).
>
> To unsubscribe from this group, click on the following link or address
> an email to:
> [email protected]
>
> Visit the Unschooling website: http://www.unschooling.com
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
peace,
Susan

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can
change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
- Margaret Mead

"All we are saying is give peace a chance."
- John Lennon


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]