Returning to college as a nontraditional student is not for sissies

Another semester of college is under my belt and I could not be happier. Returning to college as a nontraditional student is not for sissies. My challenge had nothing to do with the classroom and everything to do with acceptance as an adult college student.

This took me by surprise. Everyone has been very accepting until this semester. Don't get me wrong. The students that I came into contact with were all nice. However, being nice and accepting an older student on a college campus are two different things.

It showed up in little ways. Things like a person walking up to tell me how much she supported older students "my age" in our pursuit of higher education. My mobility challenge was mentioned more times that I can count (often in reference to age). It was as though some people had to "prove" how accepting they are of older college students by referencing my age or mobility several times in a single (usually short) conversation. Unfortunately, the "proof" came across as being a backwards sort of fake acceptance.

People who accept you for who you are don't constantly reference those things. "Proving" in this way comes across as short-sighted and shallow. It's like an insecure person who becomes the center of attention because it helps them feel more confident. The person is nervous on the inside, but putting on a mask on the outside.

I think people who struggle in their acceptance of older or non-traditional college students go through something similar. They are insecure or nervous about older students and overcompensate.

Every student isn't like that. Some, like the study groups in my English course, were genuinely accepting. I was just another student to them and it was super nice. That is true acceptance. I talk about it in my video below. If you're a student who followed me here from my YouTube shirt, then I'd encourage you to take a few minutes to watch the video.

To the adults who are considering going back to school, my suggestion is to go. Follow your passion. Live bodaciously and enjoy it. Every time we accept ourselves enough to live our dreams, we're teaching the world to accept us to. Returning to college, being a nontraditional student, homework, classroom time... it's not for sissies. It's for trailblazers.

Photography and Dyscalculia: An Evil Combination

I returned to college for Spring 2016 to take a photography class. Let me tell you, there is a lot more work to learning digital photography that I dreamed there would be. My sleepless nights weren't caused by college gear or by the massive amounts of equipment that a photographer needs. All of that seems perfectly reasonable. You, frustration looms large and you will never guess why.

Photography is math based.

Yup. It's the math part that's the burr under my saddle. Not the photos, steadiness or composition. 

What is the mathematical relationship between focal length and beating your head against the wall? An 18-140 mm lens works well. Unless it's a 181-40 or a 1-8140 mm. Dyscalculia wreaks havoc in a class like this.

Taking a photography course in college means learning the f-stop numbers and a bunch more math gobbledy gook. In f-stops, a small number means a lot of light gets in. Large numbers mean the opposite. My professor insists that these numbers make sense because they double each time and not only that but each "stop" cuts the light in half. It's all so clear now.

Uh huh.

Here's the f-stop chart.
f/1, f/1.4, f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, f/22, f/32, f/45, f/64, f/90, f/128  Making matters more difficult is that my camera measures these f-stops in 1/3 increments. This means multiplying by 3 to get the difference in the stops. For example, if the objective is to move from f/4 to f/8 that's two stops. 2 x 3 =6, so I turn the dial six times to move the two stops, three stops would mean nine clicks and so on. Thank goodness the camera software helps me adjust!

Confused? Welcome to my home.

At least the ISO numbers make sense at 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 and 6400 - as long as they aren't confused with the shutter speed numbers.

Shutters speeds control how long the shutter is open. This chart doubles too. See?
1/250, 1/125, 1/60, 1/30, 1/15, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 1
 Because we all know that half of 125 is 60 and half of 15 is 8.

What this really means is that the faster the rabbit runs, the slower you move. It really doesn't matter because space aliens don't care and the dog is asleep anyway.

If you need me, I and my Nikon D2700 be hiding in the closet.

The Neotnic transformation of Mickey Mouse kept me up at night

Summarizing the "A Biological Homage to Mickey Mouse" kept me up at night. It helped to have a wealth of experience to draw on. At first glance, “A Biological Homage to Mickey Mouse,” by author and Harvard professor Stephen J. Gould, appears to be about Mickey Mouse. However, a closer look reveals it to be an allegory of human interaction with children. Neotany is the retention of juvenile features, which Gould discusses in his article. Gould was influenced by researcher Konrad Lorenz, who postulated that juvenile features automatically trigger an instinctive response in humans to nurture babies. This response is important to the continuation of humanity.
Mickey’s appearance changed as he reached new audiences. Audiences viewing the “Steamboat Willie” (1928) debut demanded better than to see Mickey beat on cows. By his fiftieth birthday, his behavior improved and his sharp-nosed, small-eyed appearance metamorphosed into that of a big-eyed toddler. Mickey’s suspenders became baggy clothes. The neotonic transformation included creating a softer face by moving the ears back on the head, a shorter nose, and rounded jaw line, giving him a more childlike somatotype. Mickey looks like a child, therefore we relate to him as a child.

Because humans are lifelong learners, toy industry researchers are keenly interested in making dolls more appealing; Mickey is no exception. To explore the transformation, Gould scientifically compared three versions of Mickey to Mickey’s less-popular cousin “Morty Mouse.” Except for head length, Morty retained adult features while Mickey appears younger now than at the debut. Ultimately, it is the transference of human emotion onto inanimate objects that enables us to form a lifelong appreciation of Mickey Mouse.

My return to college ended on a high note

I couldn't have ended my return to college on a high note if it hadn't been for my daughter and a supportive husband. With their help, my cumulative grade is now a 3.6. I feel like pinching myself!

It's been about 25 years since my first college experience. Higher education has undergone substantial changes. Everything from registration to financial aid is computerized now. Getting correct answers to administrative questions about things like financial aid can be a more difficult process than 25 years ago. However, the process paying the term bill is easier. 

Going back to school is challenging in another way. Receiving a diagnosis of a couple learning disabilities earlier this year paved the way for accommodations. Yes, as in years past, I failed math. (My arithmetic skills are legendary for their inaccuracy.) Through educational testing we found out that I'm not simply abysmal at math. I have a learning disability called dyscalculia. Thanks to online research, readers like you and Disability Services at the college, we have a plan in place to help me deal with the math issue and it's helping!

My daughter also helps. She works near the college and we car pool. On the way, she reads my textbook chapters out loud. This reinforces what I've already read and studied. Hubby has been great too! My head injury makes it easy for me to get turned around. So, Hubby went to campus a few times to help me find the classes and that helped tremendously also.

Yes, college can happen after foot drop

Emergency surgery for foot drop had me hobbling around in spring 2013. I was finally cleared to drive in May, but only after months of physical therapy and doctor visits. It's been a long haul. Flash forward to 2014, college classes and foot drop. Younger students seem to skip around campus with backpacks are defiantly slung over one shoulder. It's a fast-paced frenzy to the education finish line that they intend to win.

I, in contrast, am a turtle racing with the rabbits. Despite a nearby handicapped space, getting to the building takes a few minutes. Foot drop has seen to it that backpacks have no place in my life anymore.

Trying to fund graduate school

It's pins and needles around our house right now. Our younger daughter is hoping the mail carrier will deliver a positive result on her vet school any day now. She graduates in May and is getting married about three weeks later. Our older daughter has two more years of graduate school to go before she graduates and moves to the next level of education.

Our elder daughter was able to attend a college that provided free tuition for undergraduate work. She was even able to earn a scholarship from there that helped her with graduate school. However, she'll still have tons of student loan debt and so will our younger daughter.

Financing graduate school is an interesting experience. We're finding that scholarships are harder to come by than for undergrad. In this day and age a college doesn't provide job security anymore (or even a living wage). I feel that my daughters will have to find a way to finance college and complete as much education as they can to have a shot at a stable job later.

We're looking into grants and scholarships through the schools and Mission Tuition. Funding from the United Methodist Church is also on the list. We're open to other ideas too.

I'm hoping that this blog post will generate some ideas that will help everyone. Leave a message in the comments section to let us know how you financed college tuition for yourself or for your children.