Evening College Classes

A Christmas Joy

Tuesday, January 3, 2012 by Gail Gifford

As I sit and watch the Bowl games on TV, I ponder over what happened in my life just last week. I had a wonderful time as I ventured down to Nashville, Tennessee to visit my youngest daughter who works as a manager at Roast Inc.. It is the best coffee I have ever had. They roast their own beans and make each cup of craft coffee to your liking as you wait. It is well worth the wait as it is so good, you will be hooked. So, if you are ever in the Nashville area, please look it up. I also spent a few days with my grandson who is almost five. We went ice skating one day which was really fun even if his legs didn't work right, so he says anyways.

I remember learning how to ice skate when I was young, I remember that feeling and probably thought "what am I suppose to do on this one blade?" I am sure he probably thought the same as he could not keep himself upright for too long without the help of Grammy supporting him.

The next day my daughter had off so the three of us went up to Cave City Kentucky to go through Mammoth Cave. He had never been in a cave so I was not sure how he was going to be and my daughter was really young when she last went through. It was about a two hour drive from Nashville but it went by fast as we stopped for a snack along the way. I am all about making these experiences FUN so he will want to do it again someday. I pretty much have that attitude with everything. Even when I attended Granite State College in Manchester New Hampshire, I was thinking how can I make this a fun experience. It was easy as I met some really neat people to hang out with, study with and smile our way through one class after another. Yep, learning can be fun and what you learn can enrich your life so much that the outcome is fun. I would love to go back and get my Master of Science Project Management degree someday. School was fun and even though it was lots of hard work and time management skills, it was well worth it.

For my grandson, skating and spelunking through the caves, were something new for him. If school is something you want to do, just do it. It may be new to you but you will never get that degree until you make that first step kind of just like my grandson learning to skate.

Milestones and Pie

Wednesday, December 14, 2011 by Heather Carter

When I first enrolled at Granite State College, I knew that my grand goal was a Bachelor degree. Because of my lifestyle-- working a full time job, raising a child on my own-- it was necessary for me to take one class a term and I knew that added up to years and years of evening college classes, online classes, and weekend college classes. The idea was daunting and scary.

My adviser suggested a pitstop, a milestone to aim for-- a smaller goal to focus on that wasn't so intimidating. She convinced me to pursue my Associates degree first. I thought it was a great idea. (Thanks, Allie!) It seemed so much more attainable. I loved having a more tangible goal to strive for and keep me going.

On top of that sweet arrangement, I got to wear a cap and gown twice and attend two commencement ceremonies. It was a great honor to be able to stop halfway through my college path to recognize my achievements and feel proud of the progress I made.

And after that first graduation, acquiring the additional credits I needed to get my Bachelor degree was easy as pie. Mmmmm.....pie.

My Daughter is Watching Me

Tuesday, December 13, 2011 by Heather Carter

My daughter is 14. She started high school this year and is experiencing a whole new world. On her first day of classes, one of her teachers had her list her goals for her future. I'm not sure she's ever even thought in these terms before. Here's what she wrote:

I want to get straight A's.
I want to be on the honor roll.
I want to take AP (advanced placement) classes.
I want to be valedictorian.
I want to go to a really great college.
I want to get a college diploma.

Then they asked who her role model was. She wrote:

My mom.

I'm the first person in my immediate family who has a college degree. Granite State College's adult and continuing education program made that possible when it seemed impossible.

My daughter wants to be the second.

Post-Turkey Gratitude

Thursday, December 8, 2011 by Heather Carter

Just because November is over, doesn't mean I shouldn't still be able to state what I'm thankful for, right?

The great thing about this Granite State College blog is that it reminds me to really stop and consider what the school has meant in my life, how my life might have gone without the opportunities it offered me, and how much richer my life has become because of my experience there. It also reminds me how grateful I am to many of the college folks I've met along the way.

So...

Thank you to Allie Kaplan, my first advisor when the college was known as the College for Lifelong Learning. You were supportive, helpful, and put me at ease, making the process of enrollment as easy as possible. I honestly wouldn't have perservered if it hadn't been for your guidance.

Thank you to the college librarian (I'm sorry I don't remember your name). You were so easily accessible and rescued me multiple times during research paper nightmares.

Thank you to instructors like Barbara Benham, Claude Caswell, Peter Conklin, Steve Gage, Chris Zerillo, Judy Jones, Jeff Haight and countless others for your excellence in teaching GSC's adult college courses. You fed my mind, challenged me to think, and connected unused synapses.

Thank you to all the administrative staff for always answering my questions, showing me how to utilize the computer labs, directing me to classes, tracking down information, loaning me pens, and preventing me from breaking the copy machine.

Thank you to the college staff who organized the two commencement ceremonies I
attended for my Associates degree and later my Bachelors degree. You made those days even more special by creating events that were meaningful and inspiring. You reminded me that I have much to be proud of.

Mona Lisa Smile

Tuesday, November 22, 2011 by Heather Carter

I happened to be up late last night flipping through the channels, when I cam

e across the movie "Mona Lisa Smile" with Julia Roberts, Julia Stiles, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Kirsten Dunst-- a great cast! It's one of those movies I'd always wanted to see but just kept getting pushed further and further down my Netflix queue. So, I grabbed a bag of pretzel twists and some mini Hershey bars left over from Halloween (one pretzel + one square of chocolate in your mouth at the same time = the best chocolate-covered pretzels ever) and I burrowed into some covers to watch the movie. It was so incredibly good! I had no idea it would make that much of an impact on me. By the time it was over I was simultaneously crying and laughing from my mixed feelings of righteous anger and inspiring hope.

The movie is about women. It's set at Wellesley College in the 1950s and focuses on a strong, "subversive," female art history teacher (played by Julia Roberts) and her female students. The movie portrays the messages that were prevalent at that time about the roles of women, their long-inherited expectations of what they were "born to do" with their lives (basically have babies and serve their husbands), and the misguided and unfortunate beliefs that their value was merely rooted in their looks, their ironing skills, and their ability to have dinner on the table by 5:00. In the end, the art history teacher's commitment to empowering her female students changed the courses of their lives in ways they'd never could've dreamed without her.

It got me all worked up and angry. It made me think of all the messages in today's society that continue to perpetuate women inequality and objectification. It vividly reminded me of a couple of evening college classes I took at Granite State College some years before. And more importantly, it reminded me of a teacher that changed my life-- Professor Judy Jones. She was for me what Julia Roberts' character was for her students.

I hadn't thought about her for years and we'd lost touch, but she taught two Women's Studies classes, the first I'd ever taken, and she was responsible for opening up a powerful arena of study for me that fundamentally changed me. She helped me recognize the subtle (and not-so-subtle) ways that women are raised to accept a less than equal footing in the world. She helped me become an even more empowered woman through her Women's Studies courses. And by extension, she helped me offer the tools my daughter needs to recognize the same messages, at a much earlier age than I could have.

That's the amazing thing about the quality adult college education that Granite State College offers. Almost every class I took not only got me one step closer to a degree, but also made a significant difference in my personal evolution as a well-rounded, thoughtful, critically-thinking, impassioned, engaged member of society. I'm so grateful that I had the opportunity to take those remarkable classes and be impacted by such a remarkable teacher.

Voices, Young and Old

Wednesday, November 16, 2011 by Heather Carter

One of the most valuable things I got out of attending classes at Granite State College was from my fellow class mates. They ranged widely in age and background from me and each other. At both my night college classes and my weekend college classes, I was surrounded by a plethora of experience, knowledge, and unique perspectives in addition to what the instructor also offered.

I was able to give peer feedback to a lively, aspiring writer in his 60's who extended his own constructive feedback to me with grace, compassion, and wisdom attained from his life's journey as a middle school teacher, father, husband, and grandfather. I was given the opportunity to support a recent high school graduate majoring in Psychology who was even more scared and unsure about college life than I was. And I found support, myself, from others like me-- tired, single moms working hard all day long before attending part time evening college classes.

I remember sitting in the classrooms and looking around me and being very grateful for this exposure to people from all these different walks of life. And these people were still basically aiming for the same goal I was-- a quality education to fulfill my love for lifelong learning and the golden bonus of a continuing education degree at the end of it all as a New Hampshire graduate. Even though we were vastly different from each other we also had at least that one fundamental dream in common. And I stopped regretting not being able to go to college straight out of high school as I once envisioned, because I wouldn't have been able to experience all of those wonderful voices, young and old, that were only available to me through adult education courses at Granite State College.

A new baby

Thursday, November 3, 2011 by Gail Gifford

Yes, I am a Grammy once again. A little girl entered the world at 7:46pm weighing in at seven pounds even. She was embraced by her daddy and mommy at time of arrival. Oh what a joy, oh what a delight and blessing from above. My young son and his wife wanted to be surprised and never found out the sex of their baby. I have always thought it is the one thing in life that should be a surprise. After all, you don't put in an order for a Boy or Girl, you get what you are suppose to have and really folks, we are not sending them back!! I am glad they waited and I know that surprise was wonderful and one they will never forget.

I remember one surprise I got when I received an A on a Business Statistic test I took while attending Granite State College when I was attempting to get my adult education degree. It was such a nice surprise though as that class kicked my butt everyday I was in it. It was one of my hardest classes throughout my education but I did it, I made it through and live to tell about it.

So whether it be babies or grades, surprises are a nice part of life. I am seriously thinking about going back to school and getting my Master of Science Project Management degree. At work I see how project management is a huge part of big businesses these days and I enjoyed school so much, this just may be my next goal. My children will be surprised again if Mom goes back to school. Oh well, surprises are good!!

Rain, Rain go away....

Wednesday, August 24, 2011 by Gail Gifford

Good Morning fans and friends,

I just woke up and saw that Westland is going to be selling Rain Barrels with some of the proceeds going to the cancer foundation. My mum died of cancer so whenever I can give, help promote research, I am in for it. But, it is not just for the cancer research fund, it is for the rain barrel. I have always wanted one to water my flowers, garden and save the water that comes from the sky and recycle it. I think it is a good thing for our earth as well as a good example of conservation. My grandparents had two of them at their cottage in Canada and I can remember at a young age, putting a dipper in and getting out a bucket full of water. The Cottage didn't have running water, so we used it to wash our hair, water the garden and yes, even flush the toilet. I know I won't use mine for all those reasons but I do think it is a good way to reuse our water that comes from the sky.

I have to research it and see where the best down spout to put it under. But, that is no different than researching a subject for school. Learning again is what I am talking about, learning about something new, exciting, is all part of life. I just found out that Granite State College is offering a Masters of Science Degree in Project Management. I am so excited and want to get signed up as soon as I learn my new job better. I want to be proficient in this new position before I put other information in my brain. Taking these classes is a great education and career advancement opportunity. I am so excited about this new class, I have told other colleagues about the program and who knows, maybe a few of us will go to Granite State College and take these accelerated adult studies classes.

OK, I am off to get my rain barrel. I hope you all have a great weekend!!

Death of a wise women....

Wednesday, August 24, 2011 by Gail Gifford

Focus: HOPE has established a memorial fund to honor the organization’s co-founder Eleanor Josaitis, who passed away today at the age of 79. This women was such a pillar in the community, helping rebuild Detroit after the riots years ago and carrying on a dream that we all are worth something, each life is valuable.

Her famous words, "Let your light shine and make the world a better place" What wise words!! Yes, she was a wise woman. She was the woman that stepped in after the Detroit riots to educate people on equality amongst the races. She was also the co-founder of Focus Hope which helped feed, educate young Americans and mainsteamed them into society. She was given many awards throughout her lifetime, including the 1999 “Distinguished Warrior” by the Detroit Urban League and the Ford Employees African-Ancestry Network's 2002 Heritage Award and the National Caring Award from the Caring Institute in Washington D.C, just to name a few. She will be missed as she passed away this morning. She inspired young people to keep learning throughout their lives, embrace life and as she used to say, "let your light shine to make the world a better place." Going to school, learning is just a way of life.

Granite State College is a good place to start that dream, vision. Give them a call, make an appointment, work in those adult college classes in the evening or weekend. It can be done, it is never too late.

Student Success Teams

Monday, July 18, 2011 by Jan Hodges

At all of our Granite State College campuses, we have recently implemented a new model for serving students on their path to degree completion. We have formed Student Success Teams at each of our campuses.   I am very excited about this because it provides students with even more support than they have previously enjoyed.

At the Conway NH college campus where I work, everyone is coming together to support our learners.  We have so many new options to make college learning easier!  We are offering a series of workshops, including writing and math labs, workshops on time management, organization....lots of different kinds of information to help students be more successful. These workshops are offered in a small group format, which allows us to support more students while fostering networking and relationship building.

Another exciting direction we are moving in is offering Career Advancement Services. We have always offered one-on-one career counseling, but we are expanding our programs and will soon have more to offer to students who need extensive career and life planning.

We are very unique amongst colleges with online classes in that we offer so many different kinds of learning supports. We have online 24/7 tutoring, "Smart Thinking" and online students who have access to one of our GSC Campuses, are also able to attend the live workshops.

Another exciting tool we offer is a degree auditing system called CAPP. Its available online, 24/7 and helps learners track their path toward an adult education diploma. CAPP shows students where transfer credits fit in, display grades and gpa information, and allows students to do a "What If" analysis that shows where their credits would fit in if they switch majors.

If you have a suggestion for workshops you would like to see to support your learning, please email me your suggestions at jan.hodges@granite.edu.

The story of John; a true lifelong learner

Tuesday, July 12, 2011 by Deidre Romeo

The inspiring story below is that of John, another ALA Scholarship Recpient for 2011. John is just one more example of the unique and diverse student population you will find within the classrooms or on the blackboards of Granite State College.

   My educational journey has encompassed self-learning for most of my life after high-school. My father passed away when I was in seventh-grade and I was a C+ student in a Catholic High School in Lawrence, MA. I began college in Maine intending to study Marine Biology but being a mediocre student I needed student loans to cover all of my expected expenses. I dropped out several weeks after the start for fear of mounting student loan debt. At eighteen I entered the workforce as a high-school graduate, married my wife in 1981 and began a family in 1983. As expected my job choices were very limited but I held a desire to enter the technology field. After much research I chose Sylvania Technical School and entered the Telecommunications Electronics program using student loans once again, but these were limited and controllable. Our first daughter, Bethany, was born with a heart defect and passed away after heart surgery at 7-days old. Our second daughter, Noelle, was born just over a year later in 1984 but was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy at 1-year. Her care was a significant part of our existence and it took a huge effort on my part to attend Sylvania Tech three days per week at night after my job to attend classes in addition to sacrificing that time away from my family, but it was for their benefit that I was educating myself to better position me for employment that provided a living wage and benefits that we so dearly needed for Noelle’s care. Just before I graduated in 1988 with a diploma I interviewed for an Information Technology position at Raytheon and because of the reputation of Sylvania Tech and my grades I was hired as a Data Communications Field Tech.

   Wentworth Institute of Technology purchased Sylvania Technical School before I completed my program so my diploma bore the Wentworth name. Because of this relationship Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston offered graduates of Sylvania/Wentworth Tech advance standing entry into an A.A.S. in Electronic Technology degree program. Raytheon’s tuition reimbursement benefits were significant enough to allow me to attend one course per semester at their Boston campus and continue my career college training. It took me five years from 1992 till 1997 to complete my associate degree. Five years of time and travel into Boston and precious time away from my family. Nights and weekends I worked at our kitchen table on study and research while my family patiently gave me the time I needed for my studies. My wife supported my endeavor by taking on additional care responsibilities for our daughter. I wanted to complete my associate degree so that I could advance my career, become a better provider, and show my growing daughter that education is important and is a lifelong endeavor. Noelle passed away on the second-to-last day of a wish trip to Disney on May 19, 1996. My life was shaken for months after that event. I did not attend the spring or summer semesters that year but eventually wanted to complete that degree for my daughter. Two more semesters and I was finally able to dedicate my degree to Noelle during graduation on May 18, 1997, one day short of the first anniversary of her death.

   Afterward I honestly didn’t have the drive to continue my education at Wentworth. Like many parents who have lost children I grieved by immersing myself in my work. I continued to attend annual technical training to hone my information technology skill-sets which made me a more valuable employee but every year that passed I still thought about completing my degree. After graduating Wentworth I worked with a recruiter from Boston in a job search. He informed me that he would not be able to even get me into some corporate doors for interviews without having at least a bachelor’s degree. Fortunately after interviewing at Lahey Clinic Medical Center they valued my technical skills more than my education and hired me as a Data Communications Engineer. Each year that followed I have given consideration to completing my adult college degree but talked myself out of it. Each year I thought, “if I had only begun last year I would almost be done”. Well after a close scrutiny and self-assessment a couple of years ago about my past, present, and future life and career I decided to take that first step to completing my B.S. I realized that as I grow older I am handicapped from further career growth without completing an adult college degree, B.S. After almost twenty-five years working in technical positions in the field of information technology I find myself desiring to move into a leadership/management position within my current field of healthcare IT.

   I began the next iteration of my education journey in the spring of 2009 with Granite State College. I discovered that the program for Applied Studies: Allied Health Services was tailor made to my career. I have almost twenty-five years of technical experience but I needed to round out my business skills that are so valued in industry. This B.S. will give me the necessary business skills with a slant toward the healthcare field that I currently work in, providing a targeted learning environment for me. I began this degree program intending to provide myself and my wife “career insurance” to update and round out my skills, make me a more valuable employee and insure my future ability to provide a home and life for the both of us. That goal has morphed over the course of the past two years, sparking my interest in pursuing an advanced degree after I complete my B.S. this spring at GSC. Plymouth State offers a M.B.A. in Healthcare Administration, an ideal advanced degree for my career plans to remain in healthcare.

   After spending over a decade caring for our daughter, Noelle, at home and in Boston Children’s Hospital I would never have imagined that I would be working in the healthcare field yet here I am. My education has been a struggle of work/life/family/financial balance yet we have accomplished much with the time we have had together. I dedicated my A.A.S. to my daughter, Noelle. I plan to dedicate my pending B.S. to my loving wife, Kathy, for her patient support during these past two years and God willing I will dedicate my future M.B.A. to everyone who has supported me and my family. We have a great deal of loving family and friends in our lives, some have been treated at Lahey Clinic, my employer, and at least one had his life saved at Lahey with a liver/kidney transplant. I am proud to dedicate my career to such an institution and hope that my continued education will allow me opportunities to serve in greater capacities. I plan to achieve my B.S. before I am fifty-years old. I still have between fifteen and twenty career years in front of me; I plan to contribute further to the success of Lahey Clinic’s service to our community, friends, and family. I may have started as a mediocre high-school student but I believe with time and continued commitment to the goals I set and achieve for my benefit and also for my wife I am gaining back the opportunities I missed in my youth. Two more semesters and I will have achieved this next goal while I plan yet further!

Please visit John's website to learn more about his personal accomplishments.

In search of missing items.....

Friday, June 24, 2011 by Gail Gifford

Have any of you moved and can't find some of your belongings at the other end? Well, that happens. It has happened to me almost every time I have moved. What is missing, is always the question and what just about drives you nuts looking for it.

That exact thing, happened this time with my move from SC to MI. An iron is lost and a couple boxes I had packed earlier are also missing in action. The movers were so great and nice, I have no clue where these items were put or delivered too. Well, the movers are coming out tomorrow to take a look in my attic to see if they can find the items. I hope they do, I hope they find everything I have lost. Hopefully it will not be too hot up in that attic in the morning.

Moving brings back my memory of my move to NH. Learning the area, finding some friends, learning a new job etc., all very exciting. I also had to find an adult college program to transfer too from Aquinas College in Nashville, TN. I found a college that took all my credits and continued my education at Granite State College. They had an adult education degree program, they had Accelerated weekend intensive classes that helped me move along to that piece of paper while raising a family and holding down a full time job. I mostly liked their evening college classes - they included other adult learners just like myself.

So, whether it is finding belongings after a move or finding a college to finish your adult college degree, stay positive and you can do it. We can do anything we want to do bad enough, I am a believer, I am proof it can happen.

Are you a perfectionist?

Tuesday, June 14, 2011 by Beth Benoit

A new book coming out, called Better by Mistake: The Unexpected Benefits of Being Wrong, by Alina Tugend, looks very interesting. An article about it in The New York Times describes how making mistakes might be "psychologically healthy."

Teaching psychology classes at Granite State College makes my ears always perk up when I even hear the word "psychology." (There's a similar effect that describes how we are likely to hear our own name, even when in a noisy crowd and no one else heard it. It's called "the cocktail party effect." Social psychology has a million of those cool ideas!)

So back to Tugend's book. She points out that the important difference for those with perfectionist tendencies between a psychologically healthy perfectionism and an unhealthy one is whether those tendencies "rule - or ruin - their lives." An example she gives is a person she describes who likes all the glasses in his cupboard lined up in a certain way. If anyone puts them in a different order, he doesn't freak out. And he doesn't expect to be perfect in everything he does.

I see tendencies like this in my adult students sometimes. Students in my adult online classes have to write papers, and when I carefully correct any errors, I sometimes get an anguished response that they "can't believe they made that mistake." I try to remind them that that's what being a student is. It involves learning, not being perfect to begin with!

So don't think of mistakes as "nasty secrets." Think of all the learning you can be doing if you don't demand perfection from the beginning. At Granite State College, we'll give you the best we have to offer and you may just end up feeling close to perfect!

Raining here in Michigan

Saturday, May 14, 2011 by Gail Gifford

It is another rainy day in Michigan this morning. I am sitting at Panara Bread on Michigan Avenue and just reading about this restaurant. It is a different kind of Panara Bread, it is one of three non-profit ones. You order your food and they give you the estimated amount for a contribution. They only give change and you drop your contribution in a box in front of the register. I just think this is such a good cause with so many people out of work here in Michigan, what a great way to help others. I am going to try to come in often and contribute as I don't want it to close, we need good places like this.

I am not sure if any of these located near the Concord New Hampshire college campus. It would be a great place for one though with people going to their evening adult college classes after work, they would surely get the business when classes let out.

Well, I faxed an offer on a house today. This is the first time in my life I have ever wrote a check to pay cash for it. It will be mine, all mine and I will have the title to the property; man that is going to feel good. It is a small home, only two bedrooms, only 800 sq feet but it is only me, the kids are grown and why do I need anything bigger? I don't!!

Got to run...have a good day, I hope it isn't raining on all of you.

Priceless

Tuesday, May 10, 2011 by Danielle Dodd

I have been thinking about the value of a dollar recently. I remember when I was younger I thought I was rich when I had $100 to my name. I was king of the world and I could buy anything I wanted. Well those days are completely gone (I just got my first cable bill and it was $200!?).

I may not be able to make $100 go as far as I use to, but I am happy with the money I have been putting into my Bachelor’s of Science degree from Granite State College. After a lot of research, I learned that Granite State College offers the least expensive Bachelor’s degree in the entire state of New Hampshire!

That coupled with the small class sizes and more individualized attention that I receive from staff and instructors (staff at the campuses know most of their students names!!!), I am very happy with my choice to return to school to pursue my adult college degree.

Did you know that most of the Instructors here teach as a second job? That means that they actually LOVE to do what they do here. Why else would you take on another job? Instructors here actually take the time to know you as an individual, not just another student in their class. I remember taking a Psychology class at one of the local community colleges and I was one of 35 people in the class. The instructor did not know who I was and did not know I was even a part of his class when I raised my hand.

Here, at Granite State College, I am Danielle Dodd, a student, a worker and a mother. My instructors take the time to ask me about my day, about my son, and to make sure that I understand the work. They take the time out of their busy schedules so that if I am having an issue understanding something, they can meet with me at a time that is convenient for ME, not just offer a time that is convenient for them. Not only that, but the instructors here have full time jobs in their field of study. We have management instructors who are entrepreneurs, Early Childhood Education instructors who have child care centers. We have other instructors who are lawyers and have their doctorates! We are learning from people who not only have the book smarts, but have firsthand knowledge of how the field that we want to enter works! Honestly, I couldn’t ask for a better adult college education.

It’s exactly like those credit card commercials that always play:

School books: $100.

School supplies: $40.

The unique education and opportunities received: Priceless

So convenient it's silly!

Sunday, May 8, 2011 by Danielle Dodd

I just moved into a new neighborhood recently where it seems everyone on my block goes to some local community college. Funny enough, that school is where both my fiancé and I had originally started out. We started to talk about how it's not a good school for someone who has to work and pay bills, because there were times when he had to choose whether to go to class or work and pay bills so he would not be evicted. "Try working, being a mom, paying bills, and going to school!" I had to laugh a little in relief that I don't have to deal with that! I don't have to decide if school is more important than working and paying bills, because with Granite State College I can take all of my courses online so that I can conveniently have a life and get a degree at the same time!

My son got a virus last weekend, and directly after that I got a severe sinus infection followed up with Bronchitis, (when I go for something, I go all or nothing! LOL!). I was horrifyingly ill, not able to speak for days on end. It was nothing I had to worry about, though, because with online classes for adults, there is no need to attend a class outside of my home. I can sit in my pajamas, hair a mess, a red nose from all my sneezing, and still attend class! When I had my appointment on Friday, and then had to wait what seamed like FOREVER for my prescription, I did not have to worry about not being able to attend class, and how it would affect my grade. When you attend online classes for college through Granite State College, if you can't find the time to do class work on Friday, you can do it on Thursday or even Saturday! It's really a life saver! And I don't even have to worry about attending class with a runny nose!

If You're Happy and You Know It....

Friday, April 29, 2011 by Beth Benoit

Remember that children's song? Well, if you live in Somerville, Massachusetts, you don't have to clap your hands to show that you're happy. Somerville (for those who aren't from New England, it sounds like "Summerville") officials, led by its major, Joseph A. Curtatone, thought it would be a good idea because they wanted to see whether projects like parks and bike paths have an effect on the happiness of people in the town.

This is the kind of project that's perfect for a social psychology class. (We have them online for adult education here at Granite State College.)

Even learning how to put together a survey is an important skill. We read all the time about how "surveys show" and "statistics show," but it helps to know that how you phrase a question can influence the answer you get.

Oh, and did you know that Somerville is where Marshmallow Fluff was invented???

Easter Joy...

Monday, April 25, 2011 by Gail Gifford

What a lovely Easter Sunday as I attended the church I grew up in. It brought back lots of fond memories and the hymns that were sung, just reassured me that, nothing has really changed. Twenty-three years later, I sat and enjoyed coffee with old friends and made a few new friends. It was a beautiful day. It was not as warm as I have known my Easters in the past, but it was nice. The daffodils were blooming in Michigan and I heard from three of my children. I even met a lady who has a knitting class on Monday nights that just caught my attention as I have always wanted to learn to knit. I think I will join this group and learn all about it. I wish my friend from Granite State College could come with me as we both have grandchildren to knit for. But, she is up in the great state of New Hampshire enjoying all the great things the state has to offer. I will tell her all about it once I start my new knitting class and will probably send her something at some point.

I hope you all had a great Easter and enjoy your family and friends. Friends and Family is what it is all about. I have made so many friends throughout my life. One of my best friends I made when I enrolled in Granite State College to get my adult education degree. We are still friends today and will always remain close friends even thought there are hundreds of miles between us.

High School VS College

Saturday, April 2, 2011 by Maria Bauer

A few weeks ago, I ran into an old friend from high school. A few days after that encounter, I ran into another friend from high school. It's always amazing how you feel when you run into old friends. There are some people you get very excited to see, and others you get this feeling in the pit of your stomach and in all honesty, you may try to dodge them from seeing you. For most people that I have met (post high school) it's a time in their life they want to forget. And seeing someone from your past can bring up some uneasy feelings that you thought you had buried.

The reason I bring this up is because seeing two of these people (one from each 'category'), I began to run through in my head what high school was like for me. I tried to remember my teachers, how they taught, the environment, etc. A lot of my high school teachers were very strict about assignments and due dates and making sure they made NO exceptions, because they were trying to prepare us for the "real world" and for college.

Because of how we were being "prepared", I didn't want to go to college anymore. Of course I had ambitions and I DID want to go to college, but I was expecting that it would not be the experience I had always dreamed it would be. Not after those experiences...

I may not be where I thought I would be when I was 16, but I'm happy to see where I am today. I'm in college, and in a short number of years I will have obtained two adult education diplomas. The exact same outcome as if I had gone off to college right after graduation.

The differences between high school and Granite State College are numerous! In high school you can become invisible. Very few people know your name, interests, etc. At this Concord, NH college campus, you walk in the front door and you are greeted by your first name! (Side note: I mention Granite State College's Concord, NH college campus because it's my "home base." I go there a great deal, even though I take classes sometimes at the Manchester, NH college campus).

In high school, no exceptions were made; here at GSC, teachers will work with you and they understand that life happens. Many students who I have taken classes with have demanding jobs and/or children.

These adult accelerated degree programs are very different from high school. Of course there are always exceptions, but my guess is that these programs work because everyone there has the same goal: to make life better for us. That includes fellow students, and it also includes the faculty. Hazing and bullying don't go on at college (or at least this one). This is the one place you will always look back on as a positive experience. It's a second chance for people (or third, or fourth...).

In many years down the road you run into someone who you went to college with, there will be no uneasy feelings; you'll finally have an educational experience you are more than happy to revisit.

The moral of this story: don't let your past experiences hold you back from really living your life. It's always the time to create some new experiences, and you know you'll be better off for it.

Life After High School

Friday, April 1, 2011 by Bette Papa

I recently attended the 2011 College Access Showcase sponsored by Campus Compact for NH and NHCUC. One of the workshops I attended was with John T. Kirkpatrick, Associate Dean, College of Liberal Arts, UNH. A dynamic and engaging speaker, John spoke about his experience as Dean and the challenges that new college students encounter. While his focus was on the traditional aged student in the New Hampshire university system, he made some great points that are appropriate for all of us.

The purpose of higher education is more than just filling students with information. It should not only develop the intellect but also the heart, character, integrity and judgment and how to use all of this wisely. We want students to become productive and useful citizens contributing to society in a meaningful way. Intellect needs to be balanced with innovation and creativity.

Look at any job search website and you will find lists of qualities that employees are looking for. Apart from skills in the profession, employers want people who have reasoning skills and the ability to problem solve. Communication skills, both written and oral, are crucial. Understanding of human behavior is important to be able to work well with others. Having an historical consciousness to have that understanding of how we got where we are today.

As I listened to John talk I realized this makes a good argument to the complaint "Do I have to take these gen eds?" Yes, you do! Those classes help to develop skills apart from those specific to your field of study. They help you to learn about yourself, others and the world around you.

Granite State College offers a great variety of general education electives that I encourage students to take advantage of. Whether students are looking for online classes for adults or evening college classes there are plenty of classes to choose from that will help develop their creativity, intellect, and compassion.