Then and Now

Life is full of discoveries. I am amazed that even on the eve of approaching 40 I am still learning so much and am so eager to learn. If I could stamp a word over this week I think it would say, “overwhelmed.” I started my “back to college” this week. It has been quite an adventure.

You know when you watch those time travel movies and there are all kinds of new technology introduced? That’s how I kind of feel. Being back in an academic setting has brought back many memories of my previous college years. Funny though, how I was a completely different person. The “Then and Now” is so interesting I can’t help but compare.

I am taking 3 classes online. That was not even a possibility before. They were starting to use “remote” classrooms. It was a new idea that teachers would lecture on video and the classes would be broadcast on PBS or a special local channel. Students who were ahead of the game, recorded their classes to VHS. And, if they had a really fancy VCR, they could record it without even being home.

Every class has emphasized “no cell phones or texting during class.” That was not an issue before—hardly anyone carried around a big brick cell phone back then. And texting—I would have been like texting? What’s that? Sending your textbooks to other people? Then, if someone explained, “Oh, it’s like online chatting just on your phone.” I would have been like, “What? You can’t do that.”

All of the teachers have made their email and cell phones available to students. Before—you had to catch the professor during his office hours or leave him a note. And, as an added bonus, all of your classmates can become your friends on Facebook.

Powerpoint is the new way to lecture. One teacher walked in with his jumpdrive and plugged into the computer that was in the classroom. That’s new. In the 90’s someone would have said, “Jump what?” Or what is that tiny little thing on your keychain, a 16 MG memory chip. No…it’s the equivalent of a 2GB hard drive. And then, I would be like, “What? That’s impossible. That’s like putting the storage space of 50 of my Mac’s on to that little chip.” That’s right—at least 50 of my Mac’s. And, I was really cool because I had a computer. No one had computers back then. At least not in college.

I think I have changed as a student. I thought I was a nerd back in the day, I have grown into an even bigger nerd. I can’t stand being late and I’m over cautious about neatness. In math, I typed my homework, included all of my information and put it in two columns with lines dividing each problem. The poor girl next to me said, “Were we supposed to type our homework?” I responded, “No, I’m just anal. I have issues—as in psychological disorders. You know, lots or problems that have initials—OCD, ADD, ADHD.” She just said, “Oh.”

I actually love to sit in the front row and be early as opposed to previously sneaking in just under the wire and grabbing a backseat. I’m very worried about getting perfect scores now. I used to just be glad to pass—although I would do average or above.

The first day of my math class, we had to take a pretest. It included a section on your perception of your abilities and ideas towards math. The last part was actual algebra problems. I gave myself high marks for confidence, but failed miserably on the skill section. I smiled as I imagined the teacher looking at my paper. He probably thought I was a little out-of-touch with reality. I’ve just been through enough in life, that I know I can do anything I put my mind to. I don’t think I believed that in my twenties. I also have gained a lot of life skills over the years that I have kind of taken for granted. I’m not at all afraid to talk to the person next to me and ask their name. I’ve been much more outgoing. In fact, I enjoy reaching out to people and making them feel more comfortable.

There’s still old fashioned fun about buying new notebooks, pens, pencils, and highlighters. The hard chairs and teachers lecturing hasn’t changed. History is still history, and math is still the same bunch of formulas. I’ve kicked myself many times over the years for not finishing my degree when I was so close. But, I don’t think I really new what I wanted to be when I grew up. It’s taken me a long time to discover myself and what it is that I actually want. I wish I could have known sooner, but life is a journey. Even if you get to where you’re going, you don’t stay there very long.