perspective from the perpetual student

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.

I was 49 went I went back to school. I was excited, but a little apprehensive as well. I wanted to take as many writing courses as possible, and I did. Of course I also chose history, astronomy and art classes. In fact, I took a little bit of everything, except math.

I have to admit that I was a bit math phobic. I didn't have any good memories of math class after about 6th grade. Give me addition, subtraction and multiplication and I'm good to go -- even fractions, no worries --but algebra and geometry, not so good, and considering how long ago I had taken those classes I was terrified about passing the math class I would need to take to get my degree. Needless to say, I put it off as long as I could.

I took the Accuplacer and sailed through the reading comprehension part, but I didn't score high enough on the math portion to go directly into the regular college math class. I wasn't too enthused about taking the remedial math as I called it, but it turned out to be the best thing I ever did. I barely made it through my high school math classes and even repeated algebra to try to improve my grade, without success. However, my Granite State College experience was very different.

The Math teacher I had at Granite State College was wonderful; she didn't treat us like we were dense if we didn't get it right away and she explained everything in an a clear, understandable manner.  Even though many of my classmates were fresh out of high school and I was a late learner, I discovered that I had one skill that would make up for my years away from school -- I still knew my times tables! Who knew that all of that memorization would stick with me for so long and apparently it applies to all the other forms of math.  I not only passed the basic math course, I also went on to the Intro to College Math class and passed it with flying colors. 

My fear of math is not unusual in a student returning to school after years away from formal learning. One thing you should know is that even though you may have been out of school, chances are you have still been learning -- at your job, raising your kids, traveling, whatever your life has been will translate into life skills that will be useful in your return to school. There is even a class you can take to help you determine what life skills you have that may translate into credits. Any fear you have about returning to college life is exactly the same fear we have all had; you are not alone.

One of the amazing things about Granite State College is that they really want you to succeed and they provide you with all of the tools you need to do just that. They have supportive teachers and staff, tutors if you need extra help and even students who will help classmates when needed, if you are serious about putting in the work the support system won't let you down. The staff and advisors at the college will help through the process from financial aid to selecting the classes you need to reminding you when it's time to prepare for graduation.

One of the best things about Granite State College is the variety of offerings. I have enjoyed everything from creative writing to Astronomy to Sustainable Gardening, which was my last science class, and more fun than learning in the classroom from a textbook and I learned so much that I can actually use every year when I have a successful garden.

I once spent an amazing four days on the Isles of Shoals taking a creative writing course with a great group of writers. We all just clicked and ended up sharing stories with each other that we would never have shared under any other circumstances-that group, at that time in that place opened up all of the creative flow and it poured out. Even the reluctant writers produced the most amazing work, much to their surprise. But then, how  could anyone not be moved to write while sitting in a porch rocker on the deck of an old hotel on an island frozen in time? If you ever get the chance to take a class or participate in a retreat on the Isle of Shoals, Star Island -- go for it. You will never forget it, believe me.

Another non-traditional aspect of the Granite State College experience is the availability of online and Hybrid (half online, half face to face) courses which many people choose because it works around their job and family obligations. Just imagine a class that is available at 3 in the am or 11 pm and anytime in between! I personally prefer face to face or hybrid classes because I like the real time interaction and the instant response aspect, but that may just be my age-I'm more used to the traditional classroom. While I see the benefits of online, I hope the traditional classroom never goes away.

The most important thing I have learned since going back to school is that the learning process never ends. Whether a student is 18 or 80 Granite State has much to offer, they really are the perfect place for the lifelong student.