I have lived almost 52 years, which means one year is only 1/52 of my life. That is why a year goes by so quickly. I remember being in grade school and counting the weeks to summer vacation. It seemed to last interminably. I am back in school now, working towards a B.A. in Organizational Management, and even though time goes a lot faster for me now, I am counting the months and weeks until I am done. I am slogging through this process because I need a degree to be competitive in the job market. All the courses are online, which could be compared to correspondence classes from the old days. There is no professor, only a proctor who monitors the discussion boards and grades the assignments. We must post essays to an online discussion board and read the essays of other students. Some of the students write college-level papers but most do not. This is an example of what one student in my class wrote: “People are humans and should be treated accordingly.” What??
Ben graduated December 13 from UC Davis with a degree in International Relations with an emphasis in Peace and Security in the Middle East and a minor in Religious Studies. I am so excited for him and so proud of his accomplishments. His college experience and mine are vastly different. I see his graduation as a real accomplishment. Having read some of his in-depth papers, scanned some of his assigned books and discussed what he has learned in his classes, I know he has received a deep education, one that has helped to shape his beliefs and set the trajectory of his life, whereas my “higher” education is just a mundane task that should have been finished decades ago. It is like returning an overdue library book, and paying the fine.
Mikayla is thriving at the University of Puget Sound. Among other things, she volunteers her time tutoring Somali refugee children. I would love to be a fly on the wall and watch her command the attention of her kids. They are rowdy, tired and hungry in the evenings yet Mikayla and her friends manage to form meaningful relationships with them while helping them with their homework.
Last May, Scott and I took in a sweet teenage girl who needed a home. We had been neighbors with her for years and we knew each other well. Michelle is a senior in high school now, and will be with us until she goes off to college. I took her on a college trip last summer, where we toured five different campuses throughout California. It was motivating for her to picture herself where she may be next year and it gave her a tangible goal.
It is challenging to work full time and go to school full time in the evenings. My free time now has shackles around it. I am allowed out once a day for exercise. My release date is within sight.
Scott completed his degree years ago. Aside from working two jobs, he is a free man.
Happy New Year! May next year be full of interesting learning!
Love and best wishes,
Rozzi
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