My name is Marta Smith and I am a student at Granite State College. I work at the Fiske Free Library in Claremont, NH. I started working there in spring of 1988. At that time I didn't have any degree at all. My children were young and I had only recently returned to work after taking 10 years off to be a stay at home mom. We had just bought a new home and I needed to go back to work.
After working at the library for a few months my supervisor recommended that I take the Library Techniques classes at College for Lifelong Learning (the former name of Granite State College) It took me a few years working around my full time job and a husband and four sons. Luckily I was able to take some of the classes during my work day.
After I received my Library Techniques Certificate I took a break as the demands of my job and family took over. I did take a few computer classes through the years to improve skills needed for work, but that's all.
Fast forward several years to the day my youngest son graduated high school and I began to realize how much time I now had to concentrate on what I would do with the rest of my life. I began to look at how many classes I needed for my Associates Degree and it wasn't that many, so I went to the local Granite State office and talked to the advisor who helped me figure out where to begin. It didn't take very long even taking only 1 or 2 classes a semester to reach my goal. But, while I was elated to finally have my degree, I was also sad at the idea of leaving the college, once again my advisor was very helpful in urging me to go for my Bachelors. The advisor even helped me create a self design that would give me a degree in the field of my choice-Literature and Creative Writing.
I am now only one semester away from my Bachelor's Degree and I am still not sure I am ready to leave. I think I may have to rethink graduating and go for another degree. I don't plan on leaving my job, which I love, so I don't have time to pursue my Master's, and I don't want to change schools. Granite State fits my needs so well. I can take all of my classes at night, on the weekend or even online; and the atmosphere at Granite State College is amazing, the professors are supportive and helpful and the students I have met have become good friends. All of them have such unique stories and backgrounds, and the age range makes for a great blend of perspectives in class. I can't say enough about the positive experiences I have enjoyed at Granite State College over the last 20 plus years-it's been amazing!
O.K., I know you are probably sick of my ramblings this week, but I just have to share this! Click on this link to check out the article I found this morning.
It seems that some law students at Yale University are so stressed out that they need a special kind of therapy and they can find it at the library. It is called puppy therapy. You can go to the library and check out a puppy for a half hour to hang out with as a stress reliever. What are they thinking! Would you let someone borrow your puppy just because they have a library card? I have seen some of the books that come back to our library and lord only knows how they got in that condition, but I know some of them have been run over, dropped in the bath or a puddle, peed on by cats and chewed up by angry or michievous dogs-I shudder to think what might happen to a helpless puppy in the hands of a stressed out Yaley! What will they think of next!
I thought I would share a few of my favorite adult education courses and classes with you. I have had so much fun in many of the classes I have taken at Granite State College, which is an adult education school focused on delivering flexible and affordable education.
I have taken so many writing classes with many different instructors and enjoyed them all, some more than others. Creative fiction was my favorite. Of course the class I took on the Isle of Shoals was awesome. Writing outside on the porch of an old hotel on an island in the middle of the ocean - what could be better!
I also really enjoyed the Astronomy class I took at the Pomfret observatory, it was a little cold that spring, but we still enjoyed it. The Sustainable Gardening class I have mentioned many times, but it bears repeating, was amazing, and we were outside for almost every class and the field trips were amazing.
I took a photography class during one amazing summer and I saw and learned so much - it was my first visit to St, Gauden's and I took some really great pictures there. I have an album that tells the story of that class. One of the best things about it is how it got me to be more observant; everywhere I went that summer I was looking for a new and interesting subject to photograph.
Another really good class was the History of New England which taught me a lot about the ecology of New England and introduced me to several excellent nature writers.
I just thought I would mention some of these because I have seen a few of them listed in the spring catalog. They are offered in different locations. Another class that sounds really good is the Field Botany of the White Mountains - which mentions field trips, I would guess that this will be a fantastic class with many really enjoyable hikes in Northern New England. You might want to check it out!
I just realized the other day - I am not the first generation of non-traditional learners.
I know it seems like this midlife, adult education program is brand new, but actually it isn't. I vaguely remember my mother dusting off her books and heading back to school when my youngest sister was about 6. I always thought she did it to get away from my sister, but I may be projecting! Anyway, my mother got her teaching degree beforer she married my father and after they were married they moved around quite a bit. After awhile I was born, then sister number 1 and sister number 2, and my mother became a stay-at-home mom. She may have worked a few part-time jobs over the years, but mostly she stayed home. When my youngest sister went to school, my mother went back to school, taking college evening classes and others, to renew her teaching certificate.
As I was reading the obituary of an older friend who recently passed away, I realized that she had also taken time off to raise her kids and then gone back to school to finish her degree, and then she went on to teach at the local high school. She raised successful children who went on to prestigious colleges and then highly successful careers and then she went back to teach other children how to be successful in life. So, my point is they are the ones who paved the way for us. It wasn't as easy for them to go back to school and to pursue adult education and training as it is for us. There was less help with tuition and very few places to go and less flexible class schedules. We are so much luckier than those who went before.
Wasn't it just last week when it was 50 degrees and sunny? I looked out the window this morning and what do I see - more snow! I was planning on a craft program this week at the library, we were painting plant pots and then planting seeds in them. But, somehow, the project doesn't seem so timely after more snow. On the other hand it may be the only green growing things we get to see for awhile.
I guess if we were having a spell of good weather it would be harder to concentrate on school and right now I am finishing one class and getting ready to start another one.
Another exciting thing happening this spring is the first semester of OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Insitute) at Granite State College at the Claremont NH college campus. I will actually be helping with the computer class which still has several openings. The classes are available to students over 50 and the cost is very reasonable - appropriate offering from an adult education school!
If you know someone who might like to sign up let them know about it.
I lost a friend today; she passed away this morning from cancer. I have been thinking about her a lot this afternoon. She had many wonderful qualities. She was smart and funny and stubborn and very independent and very strong as well.
She took the news about her cancer pretty well, but she wasn't one to complain about things. She grew up in a time when complaining was not allowed. She was a member of the "Greatest Generation" and had the strength of character to show it.
I thought of her as a mentor in many ways, not the least being her addiction to using her brain and keeping it young. She was 85 years old and still as sharp as ever. She read incessantly and took classes whenever possible. She was still driving to Dartmouth and Colby Sawyer to take enrichment courses and she had recently become involved in the OLLI program that is starting up in Claremont this spring. In fact, her illness is why she had to give up working on the committee.
One of the most amazing things about her is how much she cared about education and the impact it could have on the community. She was so proud when Granite State College opened up on Pleasant Street in Claremont. She was a former English teacher and she taught back when a teacher's salary was even more pitiful than it is today, but she never complained about it. She taught me many things, but the most important was that no matter how old you were you could still learn something new. I think the older you are the more you appreciate the importance of education.
Every time I sign up for adult college classes or take advantage of an educational opportunity I will think of my friend and her philosophy about education.
I was so happy the other day when my Burpees seed catalog came in the mail. Aha! Spring is almost here - it must be since I got the catalog. Imagine my disappointment when I went outside this morning to go to work. As I stood there in about 6 inches of snow, I saw my dreams of an early spring drifting away like a snowflake on the wind.
I slogged through the snow and cleaned about a foot of snow off the roof and windshield and back of the car, started it up and waited for the ice to melt. My hair was dripping frozen ice down my back and my feet were already wet and I hadn't even left the driveway.When I got to work I had to trudge through another 6 inches of snow because of course we hadn't been plowed out yet.
Finally, I was at my desk, a little warmer and dryer and I was doing my favorite thing - checking in new books. One of the first books I opened up was a new gardening book. It had bright colorful pictures, lots of flowers and vegetables in containers and raised beds and neatly tilled garden beds. I daydreamed about the vegetables and flowers I might grow this year, if spring ever comes!
I remembered last year when I planted a garden for the first time in about 20 years, I was inspired to take the Sustainable Gardening class offered as part of the adult continuing education programs at Granite State College. It was taught by Henry Homeyer from Cornish and I learned so much. I noticed that he will be teaching it again this spring, at the Lebanon NH college campus, this time - I think.
If you like to garden, or want to know more about sustainable gardening or just want to get closer to spring check out his class. It was great, we visited several vegetable and fruit farms in the early spring, planned our garden plots and started seeds inside - it gave us something green to watch as the last of the snow disappeared. And, if the snow is depressing you as much as it is me, I recommend stopping into your local library and checking out a few gardening books and start planning your own garden, or dreaming about it anyway, maybe you could sign up for the Sustainable Gardening class if it's been a while and you need a few pointers.
Keep the faith - spring is just around the corner - I think.
Beginning this spring, there will be something new at Granite State College at the Claremont NH college campus: OLLI!
OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) at Granite State College is a volunteer-run organization that offers free or low cost educational opportunities to residents 50 and older. Healthy communities require healthy stimulated brains and OLLI has many brain-stimulating offerings statewide - and now in Claremont!
You must sign up for a membership - $40.00 a year and you have access to free or low cost programs in the area of literature, history, world cultures, arts, social issues, environment, theater, religion, science, music and other topics.
This spring in Claremont there will be several different offerings - Watercolor Painting, Beginning Computers, Personal Biography writing to name a few.
On Wednesday, February 23, there will be a Kick-Off Event at Granite State College at the Claremont NH college campus, from 11 am to 1 pm. Stop in and sign up to become a member or to take a class. Keep your brain young and fit and the classes are fun!
For more information about OLLI at Granite State College, click here.
There are many myths about adult education colleges that keep people from applying:
1. College is only for the young. Wrong! In fact, the average college student is 27 years old. Actually many college students are more than 27 years old - age doesn't have much to do with the ability to learn, and many older students are more focused and ready to learn.
2. College is only for very smart people. Actually, many college students are of average intelligence. Why would you go to college if you already knew everything there was to know?
4. College is only for people who know what they want to be. Actually, college is the perfect place to figure out what you want to be when you grow up. You will find plenty of opportunities to explore.
5. College professors are less patient and understanding of older students. Not True! Many of them actually prefer older students because they are often more focused on learning and more prepared. But, professors are also understanding of the fact that many of the older students have families and jobs to juggle with the school schedule.
6. College is only for people who have a lot of free time. Actually many colleges, including Granite State College, are so flexible with their schedule that students can work around jobs, families and other commitments.
There are many other fallacies about adult college classes and many reasons you can come up with not to enroll, but any reason you might have for thinking you can't fit college into your life is easily overcome. Granite State College offers evening classes, online adult education classes and Hybrid classes which combine online and face-to-face classes. Just two classes a semester makes you a full-time student and it doesn't take long to complete your degree.
I have never found any of the professors to be impatient or condescending to the older student, in fact they are all very supportive. The advisors are very helpful in creating a game plan for you to attain your goal and in some cases you can even take the CLEP test to get the credit you need in certain classes. Of course, that takes the fun out of it for me. I prefer to actually take the classes, but it is a way to save on tuition and attain your goal that much sooner.
I have to say that most of my classes were a diverse mix of students, but more of them were over 30 than under 30, and the younger students were also very supportive and added a different viewpoint to the classes. When I recently took a class in Issues in Women's Health, it was a very mixed group - one man, three women in their early twenties, three middle-aged women and one who was over 60. It was great we had women at every stage of life, from childbearing age through menopause and beyond, plus the male take on all of the stages. It made for an interesting class.
Most of the classes I have taken at Granite State College have offered that kind of interaction. I have participated in some enlightening and valuable discussions throughout the years at GSC. The diverse ages and backgrounds of the students offer a unique opportunity for learning.
Remember when you could pick a job and stay with it until retirement? When I graduated from high school there were two kinds of graduates - the college-bound and the factory-bound - or at least that's how I thought of it.
Well, there was also the house-bound, but many women were choosing to forgo marriage and babies for awhile - I graduated in the 70s and women were exploring their options more since the 60s revolution that took women out of the home and into the workforce, but I digress! Many of the students I graduated with had parents in local factories and they were quite content to follow the same path into a nice secure union job. Sure it was hard monotonous work, but it was steady and paid well - the only thing better was a government job, the benefits were great! Sure many graduates changed jobs a time or two until they found the right niche, but then it was punching the same time clock until retirement. Not so anymore.
Times have changed since then and factories are few and far between, and even the students who went of to college back then may be out looking for a job at a time in their lives when they should be thinking of retirement. Nothing is certain anymore when it comes to jobs and even government jobs can be risky and without all the benefits they used to offer.
In the past the average worker would possibly go through one career change in his lifetime - if that. Today, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, the average worker can expect to go through between 3 and 5 career changes in his lifetime. One of the best ways to be prepared for this, in my opinion is to take as many classes in your field of expertise as possible and one of the best places to do that is at Granite State College. You will have flexible hours and hundreds of different classes to choose from all over the state and even online. You can take a few classes to round out your degree, or start a whole new career by getting a degree in an entirely different field. Granite State College has many people available to help you decide the best option for your needs and even to show you how to manage the financial aid. Stop by your local office or go online and look at the classes offered. Even people who have retired from one career can benefit from the classes offered at Granite State-either for enrichment programs or maybe to start a whole new career or possibly a small business. Learning doesn't stop at 65! The more you use your brain the younger it stays!
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.
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!
I went tree shopping last weekend with my grandchildren and it brought back so many memories of tree shopping with my boys when they were small. My oldest granddaughter took our mission with all of the seriousness only a 4 year old can manage. My son, who was just as motivated at her age was now less fussy about the tree, he just wanted to get the chore over with and get in out of the cold. But as I well know time and a 4 year old cannot be rushed. We went to 3 different tree lots looking for the "perfect" tree-my granddaughters requirement, not mine-I'm not sure what she was looking for in the perfect tree, but we finally found it in a tree that was easily 3 times her height and probably four times her weight. We dragged it home and then unwrapped the ornaments. Hanging ornaments with a two year old and a four year old can be a little nerve wracking. My daughter-in-law and I put the breakable ones up high and let the girls hang the less fragile ones on the lower branches. I could tell the 6 month old, my grandson had his eye on the low branches wondering if he could reach them from his walker! It turns out that he can. Thankfully, I had made a few that were colorful and soft that he could pull off the tree and play with-something I had done for my own kids when they were little. It's wonderful to pass down the traditions to the next generation. This weekend, or maybe next we will be baking cookies, another tradition I love to share. I still remember when my kids were small and I would bake all of their favorites. The day I started the baking they would run home from the school bus looking forward to digging in. Their friends used to start asking about the second week of December if I had started baking yet, and often there would be several more kids coming home with them. The first 2 or 3 dozen cookies barely made it into the cookie jar. I know my blog this time doesn't have much to do with college, but it is the holiday season and almost time for Christmas break, so I am straying off topic a bit. Besides college is another important tradition. If your children and grandchildren see you attending college and doing homework and you let them know how important it is-maybe you can pass on that tradition as well.
Are you madly rushing around looking for the perfect gift, the best sale, the greenest tree? Are you trying to figure out how to stretch your budget to include just one more have to have item your child just has to have? I was doing that just yesterday. But, today I found someone I know in tears because a family member was ill, had been ill in fact for a long time. This time there may not be a miracle, and no amount of money, or praying or wishing may matter. I found myself feeling very ashamed at how frivolous my worries had been. This year I have a warm home, food in the cupboard and my family is fairly healthy. My cousin recently had a quadruple by-pass at age 42, due to a genetic issue, but for the most part we have come through the year in good shape. I think I am done shopping this year-we have everything we need, everything that's most important and I am very grateful.
O.K., I know it's winter, I know we live in New England, but I'm freezing! Everywhere I go it's a chore. Put on my coat, scrape off the car, let the car warm up - which usually happens by the time I get wherever it is I'm going. It seems like I mind the cold more every year.
I enjoyed the face-to-face classes a lot during the summer and fall months when it was still light out when class ended, and it was WARM. Now that the average day is only 4 hours long, and we hardly ever see the sun anymore, the online classes are looking better and better. I just registered for an online class - with a few face-to-face classes thrown in during the semester, and I am looking forward to classes online. No matter how bad the weather is I can still make it to class. No more white-knuckled driving to get to class on time. The best thing about the online classes is that you can sign-in from anywhere at anytime. I have taken classes with people from all over. From Seattle, WA, to Portland, ME. I'm looking forward to taking classes from someplace warm after I retire!
If you haven't signed up for Winter classes yet, you had better hurry up. They fill up fast and you may not get the one you want if you wait too long. Granite State College has so many classes to offer. You can pick up a few classes to enhance you work skills, finish up your degree in so many different fields, or even take some classes to help you become a great foster parent. Just call the local office and ask them what you need to do to get started.
I finally did it! I finished the paper for my independent study project. My paper was on the Influence of Place on the Poets and Poetry of New England. It started out that way anyhow; because I believe the climate and culture of our area definitely finds its way into the work of New England authors. After I began the paper, in fact, when I was almost finished with it, I realized something else: the paper was also about poets who lived very close to the Claremont area. In fact, one of the poets, Wes Mcnair was a graduate of Stevens High School.
Claremont often gets a bad rap when it comes to education, but I like to hope that things are changing, for the better. We now have Granite State College located right on Pleasant Street, we have an active theater group not only at the Opera house, but also in the Middle School and High School. We are also in the process of setting up a branch of OLLI (The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) in Claremont - if you aren't familiar with the program, check it out. OLLI is a program of enrichment classes for people over 50. There are many great classes on a variety of topics at little or no cost, all over the state.
Here I go again getting off topic - I finished my paper! Consequently, I should be done with my adult college classes, ready to walk down the final path in June with my brand new B.A. in Literature and Creative Writing, but somehow I'm still not ready. So for now I am going to continue to take classes; some history, some social studies, and maybe a couple of OLLI offerings. Just because I finished my first goal it doesn't mean I'm done learning. Education is a lifetime process and I intend to enjoy every minute of it!
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!
One of the best things about my time at Granite State College is the many interesting people I have met. In my various classes I have met mothers and daughters who are taking classes together, I have met students just out of high school, one student who was learning English as a second language had recently moved to Claremont from Korea and shared much about her culture with us while we helped her with the very confusing idioms and contradictions of English language. One student was in her 60s and was a frequent participant in many of my writing or English classes. I have met writers, poets, gardeners and even puppeteers all who were not only motivated learners, but who shared a wealth of knowledge with their fellow students. The diversity of Granite State students is endless.
On the weekend of October 2nd and 3rd, I participated in a Writer's Retreat on Lake Sunapee, the second such that I have attended. I saw some familiar faces and met some new people and had a wonderful time.
This time the retreat was held at Hemlock Harbor and our hosts were Lucy and Greg Young, a very warm and welcoming couple who shared Lucy's family home with us, joined us in our writing exercises and on one memorable evening while we sat in front of a much appreciated fire in the "great room" Greg entertained us on the player piano that he had restored.
Several participants joined Lucy in singing a few show tunes and the rest of us just enjoyed the impromptu show. Nothing is more conducive to writing than getting away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and devoting 2 or 3 days to just writing, and the view of the lake is a true inspiration.
The only reason I even know about the retreats is through my contacts at Granite State College; a teacher I had taken a poetry course from told me about them; she is one of the presenters. My renewed interest in writing poetry came about because of her class. However, I also had the option to participate in a creative writing workshop at the same location - maybe next time!
Another of my Creative writing teachers from Granite State College suggested that her students submit articles to local magazines - something I would have never had the courage to do on my own, but with her encouragement I not only did it, I actually got published! Amazing, who knew.
The contacts and friends you make at Granite State College don't end with the semester; I often talk to former classmates and we keep track of each others progress, and every milestone for one is encouragement for all.
I went apple picking with my grandchildren on the last weekend in August; it was early for apples, but the strange spring weather we had means the apples are ready early and won't be as plentiful. (Something I learned in my spring class at Granite State College) It was strange picking apples in the 90+ temperature, not quite as enjoyable, but still fun for the kids. I have to say biting into that just-picked apple, a honey crisp, my favorite, was for me the first indicator that fall was actually on the way.
This week with the weather more seasonably cool, downright freezing actually -- I know, it wasn't really that cold, but when the temperature drops 30 degrees in a week it sure seems like it -- well anyway, it got me thinking about fall and all of the things I like about fall. I love apple picking and the fall foliage and the smell of bonfires in the air, and I love back to school. Even as a kid I liked the whole process of starting the new school year. New books, new teacher and new things to learn -- I know, just call me a geek, I love school!
This fall I am finishing up my BA with my final project -- my independent study -- the Capstone of my degree. I started to worry about the fact that there was no syllabus, no weekly class, nobody to keep me focused, but me! Just when I began to panic, I got the email telling me that the professor I had requested to be my mentor was willing to take on the task which was a good thing. Also, I finally came up with an idea of what I wanted to research and write about -- phew! Who knew coming up with a topic would be so stressful! Once I had my topic and someone to steer me in the right direction, I began to get that old feeling; that prickle of anticipation, that happy back to school excitement. You too can experience this excitement and satisfaction. All you have to do is stop by any Granite State College location (I attend classes at the Claremont, NH college) and register for the many fall classes they have available. Just ask any of their friendly, helpful office staff what you need to do to get started, on a new career, or maybe pick up a few classes to help with the career you already have. Happy Fall!
Online classes are not my favorite method of learning, but I have to say that for parents of young children they make a lot of sense. It’s hard enough going back to school when your kids are small without the added expense of a babysitter. My daughter-in-law is a student at Granite State College and when she has a class, my son is home with the kids (they have three, ages 3 months, 2 and 3 ½). The reason she likes the online classes is that she can write her papers or post to the class online anytime of the day or night. In fact she is becoming quite good at multi-tasking.
When she sits down with her laptop to do her homework the two girls snuggle up, one on each side, she tucks the baby in one arm so she can feed him while she types with the other hand--talk about a hand full! My daughter-in-law has been working very hard to complete her degree over the last two years, and despite taking care of two toddlers and giving birth to a new baby this spring she is still managing to do very well at GraniteState, even ending up on the Dean’s List. I am so proud of her!
We recently took the same science class (Sustainable Gardening) and she managed to help prepare and plant the garden, participate in the class field trips which involved slogging across muddy fields, over hill and dale while touring local orchards and greenhouses, and completed the class with only a few days off to have the baby - who by the way joined us for the last field trip. I’m not sure that would have been possible at any other school. I have found the professors at GraniteState College to be special people who are flexible and encouraging and respectful of the challenges faced by their students.
So if you need a flexible schedule check out the online and hybrid classes offered at Granite State College. I personally prefer the hybrid classes where part of the course is face to face and part is online - I like the face to face interaction and still have the convenience of being able to go online 24/7 to post my work.
That is the best aspect of the Granite State College experience, it works for just about everyone. If you think your schedule is too full to fit in a class or two a semester you may find that it will work out if you take an online class.
If you are a parent, single or otherwise going back to school is the best way to make a better life for you and your family. And GraniteState has many options to offer the student with a family a job and a busy life.
First off I have to tell you, I don't like gardening! I don't like the bugs, the heat or the smell of manure and I am allergic to the weeds. I grew up in a family of gardeners, a long line of people who grew up working the land -- joyfully, successfully and without complaint. My grandfather grew two gardens well into his 80s -- one for the house and one to sell from. The green thumb gene passed me by.
This spring, since my grandchildren love to plant things and watch them grow, I decided to take the Sustainable Gardening class offered at Granite State. The professor is a well known organic gardener who has written several books on the subject and also writes articles for a local newspaper. I decided that with his help I might be able to actually grow something. I figured that if I grew a garden as homework I would be even more motivated to make it a success. What I found was that even though gardening was still hard, hot and dirty work I wasn't in it alone. Most of the students in the class were starting from scratch just like I was. Over the next 12 weeks we all learned by trial and error and commiserated with each other or celebrated with each other depending on each success or failure-of course we didn't call it failure, the professor called each mistake a learning experience and encouraged us to keep trying new things.
Eventually we all had our gardens in place -- 8' by 10' was the requirement. We all grew different things, some grew flowers, some grew herbs and some vegetables-one enthusiastic student who was a new homeowner planted everything from herbs to fruit trees and we actually learned how to do everything from starting seedlings to how to plant a tree. It was amazing how much we packed into 12 weeks. Besides planting and tending our gardens we also visited many local greenhouses and fruit growers in the area both in New Hampshire and Vermont-not only the organic ones, but also the ones who are part organic and part chemical users. We learned about beneficial bugs, chemical fertilizers and pesticides and the dangers of using chemicals on our food. One thing I learned in those 12 weeks is that I want to grow my own vegetables just so I know what I am eating.
The class ended in June, but our gardens are still thriving -- or as much as they can with the small amount of rain we have had lately. So far I have had tomatoes and squash and broccoli out of the garden, as well as string beans and spinach and beet greens. This is probably one of the most fun classes I have taken at Granite State. I think the program could even be expanded to a second class involving more advanced techniques for pruning trees or even landscape design. The thing about Granite State College is that there is always something new and different being offered and they are open to new ideas from the students. It's great to have a resource like Granite State College right here in Claremont, NH.
My name is Marta Smith and I am a student at Granite State College. I work at the Fiske Free Library in Claremont, NH. I started working there in spring of 1988. At that time I didn't have any degree at all. My children were young and I had only recently returned to work after taking 10 years off to be a stay at home mom. We had just bought a new home and I needed to go back to work.
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