Night College Classes

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

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.

Wow, have you ever taken an online course? You might think you just read the things online and submit your papers. But have you thought about forums? They are the greatest thing about an online course.

Think about the Early Childhood Certification or Elementary Education Degree at Granite State College. You are busy working in a classroom all day helping children, but you want to complete a degree, or get those courses required for a promotion. Getting to class at night is difficult but you want some support from your peers. You think online education might be too hard because you won't have contact with others in the class.  

The online forum is the perfect answer. Here you post a question or a thought about the reading you have done, and your peers respond with their answers or additional thoughts. You have an ongoing conversation with the other people in your class, right from your own computer. So consider the online college option as the perfect answer to your busy life.

I was so delighted when I went to my Dad's harmonica group gathering. He has played the harmonica for years; I think he said, that he "has played since he was around ten years old." He still has the first one he ever played. He  taught me how to play at a young age also. I can remember driving to Florida when I was just a child and my dad would have the holder strapped around his neck and would playing songs throughout the long drive.  Since we really didn't listen to the radio, we had better learn how to play the harmonica or the spoons.  My choice was the harmonica with the first song being You Are My Sunshine.  It was a good night with all his friends. These are all older folks as my dad just turned 90 on Sunday and his friend is 92, who calls my dad young!!

Life is good being back in Michigan. I think dad enjoys me being around and sharing some time with him.  Time is all we have; time to grow, learn, enjoy and have fun.  I had so much fun going to the Manchester NH college campus and meeting new friends at Granite State College. We would laugh about our classes at times, about your essays about each other really, we were all on the same boat, we wanted our degrees and we were going forward to get it. 

Those days in New Hampshire were happy days and happy memories, same as days with my dad.  So if you are thinking school and getting an adult education degree is all work, think again and just do it!!

Yep, it was a great weekend. It started out with a golf outing and learned how to set my golf ball when teeing off to use my driver...it worked and I have never seen my ball go so far!!  After that on Friday night, I enjoyed a day at the Detroit Dream Cruise. We went down Mustang Alley as we reminisced about the old Stangs as well as the new upcoming ones.  The power they have is remarkable and the old relics brought back some fond memories of cruising days.

We first stared in Royal Oak then went through Birmingham where we were hit by a sudden storm.  The rain came down so fast and furious that big branches of trees ripped off and tents were flipping. Some of the cars took off early as they were calling for hale and Collectors do not want hale damage to their beautiful vintage cars.

It has been over 30 years since I've been to Birmingham. The last time I was there my son was in a baby buggy being pushed down the main street. He is now 31 and everything has changed in Birmingham. Speaking of change, life has its' way of changing for all of us. Some times in our life everything is good and other times it is low and depressing. School is a great avenue to get a fresh start on life. It gives you a goal, a plan and plans seem to help one focus on the Now and Present. Granite State College can work with you to get the goal heading in the right direction.  Either on site classes or on line adult education classes,this could just be the right plan for you.  Don't wait another minute, get a plan and follow through with it, one class at a time.

    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.

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.

As a father, husband, uncle, caregiver, pastor, blogger, AND a full-time student of Granite State College, one of the questions that I sometimes encounter is "where do you find the time?"

Honestly, that's really a loaded question.  If time were something to be found, I would never find it at all.  When I stop to think of the sheer amount of relationships, roles, and responsibilities that I have to juggle on any given day, I find myself bordering on hyperventilating, especially when I factor in all that I have yet to do in a given week, or at least by the term's end of any of my adult online classes.

The true answer to "where do you find the time?" is simply "I don't."

I have to MAKE the time.  But how is this done?

I recently watched a video by motivational time management speaker, Stephen Covey, on this very subject.  Given a challenge to fill a bucket with a certain amount of pebbles and rocks, people will often put the pebbles in first, before attempting the big rocks, which, to their frustration, will not fit neatly in the bucket, no matter what they do.  This problem is solved by putting the big rocks in FIRST, and then pouring the pebbles in around the rocks, which then all fits neatly together.

In life, we are given a certain amount of responsibilities, and it is up to us to determine the priorities we give to each.  Like in the big rock illustration, what may appear to be overwhelming when approached from one perspective, becomes manageable when approached from a different mindset.

Of course, I can't answer for you just what constitute your own pebbles and rocks, but I can tell you, from personal experience, that you CAN do it!  You will never find the time to pursue your education, but you can make the time.  It's a small distinction, but it's an important one.  Granite State College is a lifelong learning college, one that recognizes the unique challenges faced by nontraditional adults, and accommodates for them through night college classes, weekend college classes, and, the option that best suits my busy life, online classes for adults.

Don't wait to FIND the time, MAKE the time!   It's your turn!

The end of the term is approaching fast. I have taken my first 5 week intensive online class. This (of course) is held the last 5 weeks of the term: which is the same time I have major research papers due in my other classes. It's a different type of experience. What's great is that adult education classes have the correct forum to try new things. Everything you do, every class you take will help you in your future endeavors. And everyone is traveling down the same road you are.

I am currently in this place where even though there are only 3 more weeks of classes, I know that time is going to fly by, however it feels like the days are never ending. This is the time when papers are due, quizzes are there to finish, etc. Outside of school, things have seemed to pile up and everything has now been officially moved to "#1 priority" which need to be done yesterday.

Life does this to you. These moments help define who you are as a person. I cannot even begin to tell you how many strong people I have met that will repeatedly stand up to the challenge. It's at these home stretches where you either "break" or walk against the wind "fight or flight."

I am a person who reflects...a lot! I was thinking about my first weekend intensive class I had at the Concord NH college campus here at Granite State College; not so much about the class itself but the atmosphere of it all. It was a very comfortable place for me. Not only was the class itself filled with information, but what was happening around us. Our class was constantly laughing - so much we had to shut the doors. The best part about it: we weren't the only ones! There were Foster Parent Classes right down the hall. Whatever you were there for, everyone seemed to have a glowing aura.

Career College Training is a resource that has become more easily accessible. From 4 year colleges, to strictly online classes, to adult accelerated degree programs (or even adult education certificates) which can be completed during day and/or night classes: there is something for you out there! 

How does this relate with this being the end of the term for me? It's because I have been put in a position where I need to pick myself up off the ground, dust myself off, and get ready to fight for the next 3 weeks. These 3 weeks will be a test and I can guarantee you I will learn more about who I am as a person. Every experience, new or repeated, will help push us to where we would like to see ourselves. Hard work pays off: although I wouldn't mind having a personal genie at times :) 

Are you a busy person? Most people would say yes! Are you an ambitious person? Again, most people would say yes! Are you an adult who thinks college is something kids do after high school because they don't want to go to work, or they don't know what they want? To that, I hope you answered no.

What if I were to tell you that many of the people who come to classes at Granite State College are a lot like you? They are adults interested in adult education courses. They may have found a program they are interested in but most are not going to school full time. They are taking part time classes or even online adult education classes to further their education. That is pretty ambitious because they are working during the day and coming to class at night.

But classes only meet one night a week. So, just think, one night a week you could come over after work to a campus in Portsmouth, or Rochester, or Concord, or Manchester, or Berlin or Littleton and take a class instead of crashing in front of TV.  

Right now I am teaching a child development course. Two people are taking the course for their Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood, one is taking it for a degree in Behavioral Science, another for an associates degree, and one person is taking it because he thought it would be interesting to know about the theories of child development. 

There are so many reasons to come to Granite State College. I hope you will find a reason and I will see you in a class next semester.

Nichole Metallic, a student in my Granite State College online social psychology class, posted this when we were discussing the belief that many people still have, that vaccines cause autism.  We've had an interesting time examining how Andrew Wakefield's work came to convince many people of this.  His work has been completely discredited, but some people are still afraid to vaccinate their children.  Nichole gave me permission to put her insightful post:  

My son will be three in March and I have been conflicted about this topic since I was pregnant. I have given him all of the required vaccinations because I felt that my fear of him contracting something that he hasn't been vaccinated for is greater than my fear of the actual vaccination. When sharing my concerns with my son's doctor he shared a metaphor with me that helped make up my mind about whether or not I was going to give my son the vaccinations.

Imagine you are driving down a dark highway at night. You decide to turn your headlights off, but with the lights from all the other cars on the highway you can still see where you are going. One, then two more cars decide to turn their lights off as well. It's becoming harder to see the road but you can still see. But when everyone turns their head lights off - no one can see where they are going and the highway becomes a mess.

Nichole

This week we were visited by the snowstorm of the year-well this year, so far anyway. I was taken back to my childhood for the day as I had the same feeling I used to get back then when I would wake up to find it had snowed so much during the night that school was canceled.

I haven't had that feeling very often as an adult because my work doesn't follow the school schedule for storm closings. Instead we are given the direction to use our own discretion when deciding if it's safe to come to work. Nobody is ordered to work, but what to do if the building is open and no one is there to man it? We have one person who lives less than a mile away who always makes it in and the rest of us who live on roads that are unplowed until late in the day who really can't make it in-so I didn't.

Let me tell you about my "snow day;" first, I canceled my early morning doctors appointment, then I tried to call in, but since those who made it in were out shoveling a pathway into the building it took a few tries to reach anyone. After that I logged on and did some homework for my online class, which wasn't canceled, because-yahoo, no driving required!  Ah, the benefits of online classes at Granite State College!
After that it was lunch time and I warmed up some really great leftover boiled dinner from Sunday dinner-which by the way was only better as I ate snuggled up in my chair watching the snow fall outside my window. Later on in the afternoon I was a little bored, so I baked some cookies and then I read for a while. All through the afternoon I watched the snow fall and it was so beautiful, more so since I didn't have to clean the car off or shovel a path to work.

When I think back on the first big storm of the New Year, I will remember it as my guilty pleasure-one I haven't enjoyed in a long while.

I think I jinxed it. We got so much snow last night and through the day, it was crazy.  Wintry mix, not quite, more like a blizzard is what I called it.  I woke up to the white stuff on roof tops, driveways and shutting down the city pretty much. It was not just South Carolina, North Carolina and the mountains got it too.  I ended up with about 6 1/2 inches where the mountains got anywhere from 8-12, it was crazy. Work was called off so I worked from home.  The snow just reminded me of my many times in the parking lot at work in New Hampshire, getting the car cleaned off. Going to school at the Manchester campus to take my adult education classes, was the only thing I had on my mind as I cleaned off the windows of my car. But that is not the case here, the city shuts down.  I took a couple walks with my neighbor as she walked the dog, it felt good to get outside for a bit. I hate being cooped up inside, I am such an outdoorsy person. I had the gear though, Ski pants, ski jacket, mittens, scarfs and hat, oh and lets not forget the boots. They are only ankle boots but I am sure glad I had them. I played a bit too, can't lie. The snow brings out the kid in all of us!! Check out the ducks, standing on the ice. That is not supose to happen in the South!!

Two days later:
We still have ice, schools are closed, some streets are slick and I am staying in side today to sew.  I will go to work in the morning and I believe we are done with the snow at this point. I did see New Hampshire was getting some snow though. Well enjoy it as you venture out and be thankful that you all have the equipment to clear the streets and life keeps going as you know it, even in two feet of snow. Enjoy your Manchester NH Education and Career College Training as long as you can.

I wake up this morning to the radio and the broadcaster calling for a "wintry mix." 

Until I moved to the south, I never knew what a wintry mix was. Growing up in Michigan, winter was just that, winter. It meant snow, ice, cold weather, boots, gloves, hats and long johns. As a child, I was sent out the door prepared for the worse weather ever. Snow pants, boots, gloves and hats were the attire for most of those wintry days. As an adult, I went to work with boots, scarf, hat and gloves, ready for the worse with my snow brush in the car and scrapper. My life changed when I moved to the south. Schools would close when snow was in the forecast that morning. Kids were sent home from school if a white flake was spotted outside, and work had emergency lines to call and see if work was delayed or called off for the day. I am used to it now but thinking about it, brought back a fond memory I had one evening after work in Bedford, New Hampshire.  It had snowed all day and no, we were not sent home, we were working since eight am that morning.  It had snowed about one foot throughout the day and I had school after work to go to at the Manchester New Hampshire college located in the old airport. Some of my coworkers had remote starts, I was amazed; pushing a button to start their cars from inside the office, crazy but cool. Others had gone out early to start the cars. I just thought I would be fine at the end of my shift and had plenty of time to clean off the car and get to my class on time. Well, I was mistaken. That snow had a thin coat of ice under it and my wee credit card (southern scrapper) didn't do the trick. Thank God one of my fellow employees had a good scraper to clean off my car and get me on the road. From that day on, I had a good scrapper ready at all times.

Back to the wintry mix they are calling for this morning. We may get a dusting and up in the mountains, they may get a couple of inches of the white stuff, hence a wintry mix.  The grocery stores will be full of people buying milk and bread as they are afraid they will get shut in for days.  For me, it will be work as usual. I will hit the road early and go slow, remember some driving skills learned in my Michigan and New Hampshire days how to drive in the stuff. I will get to work the same as I got to class that night. It was one of my accelerated studies classes so there was no way I could miss it. I needed to be there to get the assignments for the next few days.  I bet my friends in New Hampshire wish they had more "Wintry Mix Days" than the snow that fell just a few hours ago!!

Periodically, I mention my daughter-in-law in my blogs, mostly because she is also a student as Granite State College, and also because she is a different generation of student, but also because I am so proud of her.

She is only 26, which she is feeling sad about (she thinks over 25 is on the downhill slope). Hah, wait until she hits the downside of 50! Anyway, I want to share what her life has been like the last two weeks.

First, her middle child, Emily, had strep throat and an ear infection which kept everybody in the house up all night for about 4 days in a row, which meant really cranky kids. Then during family game night at her house she left my husband, and three of my sons in charge of the two girls while she went in the bedroom to feed the baby. Her laptop was in the living room where the men were playing a game on the T.V. The girls wanted to watch a Christmas movie and the men didn't want to give up the T.V. So somebody decided to set the movie up for the girls (did I mention the girls are 2 & 4) on her laptop. Not a problem the girls are pretty tech savvy & know not to abuse the laptop. Well anyway a few minutes later the oldest asked for a drink. My oldest son, who is childless and clueless handed her a glass of milk-while she was sitting in front of the laptop. This is the child who rarely sits down to a meal without spilling her drink.

Anyway, my daughter-in-law heard her say a few minutes later-uh oh, mommy, daddy, I had an accident-as soon as she said it Heather knew what had happened, my granddaughter had just spilled milk on the laptop, not just a little, the whole thing over the keyboard. Did I mention that her homework was on the laptop and she hadn't printed out a copy because it's for an online class and she was going to submit it online? To show what a nice person she is all of my boys and my husband are still alive and she is still talking to them! I don't know how she manages it, but she does. With 3 kids under the age of five and a husband who could help out more, she still manages to attend college and get on the Dean's List and make sure that the kids are well taken care of and happy. She does crafts with them takes them to the park and ballet and does special things with them all the time. She is amazing and I have no doubt that she will make a wonderful teacher, which is what she is working toward at Granite State. Just in case you are wondering, her laptop may be salvageable with the addition of a new keyboard and her homework has been copied to a disk. So, never think you can't do it. If sh can, you can!

What are you doing today? Maybe you are an early childhood educator. You go to your job, which you love, but you wish you could do more. Maybe you are a paraprofessional and you wish you could take on more responsibility. Then you think of how you could do more. That would mean going back to school. School?? AHHH!!  Then come the excuses. I am too old. I am too tired. I work all day. I have my own kids to worry about at night. 

But have you thought about online education classes? Maybe you knew that Granite State College had online college english classes and online classes for criminal justice. But did you know that many of the classes for Early Childhood Education are also online? Just think, you could come home from work, have your supper, get your kids to bed, put on your pjs, climb into bed and go to school. 

Wow! Wouldn't that be great. Just think, you can take online classes at Granite State College in so many areas. You could get your whole Associate's Degree without ever leaving your room. Or maybe you just need a course or two. Check it out. The online courses at Granite State are designed for working professionals just like you. 

I never want you to feel nervous or scared to start a fresh new life. That's the person I was until a friend brought me to Granite State College. Since I have begun my education by taking many behavioral science classes, I have become a whole new person. I am a go-getter now! I am happy and excited by things and I know I am headed to a great place. If you have any thoughts about starting your education, stop on by! We have so many things for you to take a look at, see what interests you. Maybe you are looking for online classes for criminal justice! Maybe you are looking for foster parent classes or an accelerated undergraduate courses! We have a wide range of things to offer you, and with convenient nights, weekend, and online courses, you can still work while you get your adult education diploma. Whatever you decide to do, I want you to know that I am here for you! You can stop by any time and we can talk about getting you a fresh start too! So come on by to the Manchester Campus and ask to speak with me, Danielle, and become the best that you can be!

P.S. Registration for our Winter term begins today!!

Is it my imagination or did we have a brief return to summer a week or so ago. One day I was opening a window and turning on the fan and the next I was scraping ice off from the windshield of my car, you've gotta love New England! I'm not as fond of winter as I used to be, I know that. Slogging through snow and slush and sliding on ice is not as fun as it used to be - probably because I'm not as flexible as I used to be! 
The only exciting thing about the change in weather is that it means we are getting close to the holidays - Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years. I love Thanksgiving and Christmas, but I usually panic on Thanksgiving because I haven't even started shopping yet.

I have actually gotten a lot of my Christmas shopping done early this year, usually I am a last minute shopper-starting on Black Friday and fighting the crowds. This year I started early and when the stores are full of crazy last minute shoppers frantically looking for inspiration and sales and that last impossible to find gift, I will be sitting at home sipping hot cocoa and reading a good book - I hope. I'm sure I will still be running around looking for just one more last minute item. It wouldn't feel like Christmas otherwise.

Before the holiday rush completely fogs your mind don't forget to sign up for the winter semester at Granite State College. Registration begins on November 22nd. If you don't like driving in the snow and ice you can always sign up for online classes for adults this semester.

That way even on those icy, snowy nights you can go to class without ever leaving your house. Happy Shopping!