School’s back in session (doubly the disadvantage living in a college town like Tallahassee!) so, after I dropped my munchkin off, I settled in to do some schoolin of my own, figuring I’ll get it done early so I don’t have to fox with it later. As I was finishing, a thought crossed my mind and that led to a super long tangent that might just give ya’ll some insight into the awesome-ness that is me and my journeys through the educational system.
As a youngster, I really liked school. I attended so many elementary schools they’re kinda a blur. I have fond memories from each, though, and the few report cards that survived the years show I was a pretty exceptional kid. I figured out I liked basketball and played with the Y through fourth and fifth grades. And I loved the Jump Rope for Heart competitions.
I had fun through the two middle schools (lots of basketball and hangin with lots of friends ranging from 2 years my elder to twice my age) and found a fondness for the advanced language (though you may not tell from my writing here but I promise it’s intentional!), maths, and sciences.
I even started tootin on the French horn in sixth grade because my uber-hot teacher convinced me that I’d be a great kisser if I took on the task. (I was aiming for clarinet but he had too many and asked if anyone would be interested in switching. I figured ‘what the hell, they look cool!’ And there was this really sexy light-skinned 8th grader with blue eyes…Mmm!) My grades were still alright but starting to slide to average. I completely lost interest in applying myself enough to make good grades at the second middle school, opting instead to drop out of the band (I was way more advanced and got bored easily – recurring theme!) and join the ‘special’ class to hang out with the cool kids and teachers.
By the time I hit high school, I was a straight mess. My parents, gods bless em, moved us out to the woods. Not just any woods, but the redneck woods. They sent me into high school with a bunch of country folk who’d, for the most part, been raised together and been at the same schools since elementary. Given my previous hoods (some quite literally)…being out in there with a bunch of snot-nosed teens wearing shit-kickers and sneakin dips in class? Yeah.
I tried. I really did. I got back into band, loved marching way more than concert (but dropped out again somewhere in year two), and even did a stint in the ROTC and the Sheriff’s Explorers. I hung out with a preacher’s daughter and three of her friends, a pair of twins, and a few random people on the outskirts and that was it. I spent a lot of time on the computer starting from my sophomore year, met some really cool people who lived in the city, and started learning all things Geek. It was all that kept me sane. Well, that and my year and a half of French. French was great fun. I should pick it back up…! Anyway!
During the 3.5 years I was at WHS, my grades were absolute crap, I endured a serious rumor mill and was physically harassed by both the male and female species – with no interference from the administration until my parents went to the superintendent and county sheriff. I woke up one morning shortly after Winter holidays in my 11th grade year – just a few more months to go! – and made the decision I wasn’t going back. My mom used my grandfather’s address to get me into a school in the city so I’d at least get my diploma and I went on about my life.
I debated heavily on college but decided to give it a go after about two years of being out, starting my advanced educational career at TCC. I ended up in remedial math because, while I know the hell out of some math and how to work it, I have this retention issue. I remember the procedures, how to solve the stuff, but when I look at a section title and directions, I have no idea which procedure goes where without an example to help me recall.
I tested out of one tech nerd class and took a second that they should have offered exemption for as well. I spent my days in there playing a MUD (text-based computer game) and Solitaire. The instructor was at least kind enough to gently probe to make sure I knew what he was talking about, but just during the first few days, and even called upon me later on to explain MUDs to the class because they were covered briefly by the course.
English 101 was pure hell. I was so bored! The teacher, while nice, didn’t get the ‘I already know this so leave me be vibe’ and decided to call me out one day. She was going over our homework assignment on very basic grammar – something I’d ‘known’ (not been taught) since at least middle school – and I was sitting at a computer, back turned, playing Solitaire. I was half-way listening to the conversation she was having. She called my name, I turned and looked at the question on the screen, gave her the answer, and went back to my game. She got the hint and left me alone the rest of the semester. I think the other class I took was sociology, which was pretty cool. I ended up with an average somewhere around 3.7, thanks mostly to my disdain for the English class.
I don’t think I made it back for my second semester for another few years, with more of the same results. During my third, I decided I’d had enough. I finished up and quit again, my resulting average hovering around a 3.2. My attempt at an AA in Network Administration was a bust.
Some time later, my friend and Guardian told me of the perks offered up by Lively. Lively was an awesome experience for me, especially since they offered web design and I’d been a hobby coder for several years by that point. Tech school is the way to go if you want focused education. I think it’s shameful that the only difference between them and the big dogs is that the big dogs teach crap that has very little practical application in any given field but they give out better paper. I breezed through the course – soaking up everything and excelling. I came away from there with the basis of everything you see before you today, having improved and expounded upon what they taught on my own time and terms.
The only reason I don’t have a certification is because of one little fluke. I’m not sure if it’s still common practice but once you make your way through the books, they set you up with a real client to work with as one of two final projects (the second being your portfolio). They didn’t have a client for me to work with and the two people I knew wanting websites done weren’t able to do it right then. Rather than pay to sit and twiddle my thumbs, I figured I’d take a few sessions off and see about getting the work done before I enrolled again. At least that way I’d pay to enroll, get checked off and cleared as ‘graduated’ and get a refund. By the time I’d accomplished my goals I was broke, so I never went back.
Now, several years later, I’m into my third (successive!) semester at DeVry. With my pursuits, especially those over the last two years (really can’t believe it’s been that long already!), I decided I needed to step my game up and started looking for design degrees. A Bachelor’s in multimedia design and development with a web focus sounded right up my alley and the ‘online’ option rocked my world. I got stuck in remedial math again but the bonus was that it’s self-paced. I finished up two semesters’ worth of work in just one. Heh. Some of my credits from TCC carried over but I’m still enduring a lot of very basic classes that chafe me to no end.
Their schedule options are of great benefit, though. It’s something like a fast-track option, even if it doesn’t get you any further than a traditional schedule. Each semester is split into two-month sessions where, if you’re full time and on financial aid, you’re trying to squeeze in 3-4 classes – one or two during the first session and the third (and fourth if you’re lucky) during the second. It amounts to lots of information in a short period of time but it’s geared perfectly for people like me who want it done and over with.
I just wish, especially for several of these more basic classes, that they’d take a page out of Lively’s book and offer self-paced options. It seems the least they could do for as much as they make off of us. Speaking of money – it is a private institution so be ready to blow through it! I cringe when I think about the amount of debt I have already and how much more I’ll have just to have a piece of paper I am specifically setting out to avoid having to use.
I really, really wish there was something more in line with teaching people how to make their own go of it versus working for someone else. I’m learning a lot of ‘industry standards’ and they are all bunk in my grander scheme of things. I find myself debating, more and more often, if it will even be worth it – in terms of money or sanity – to go this route. Standards are dropping by the day in the educational system – to the point that I want to home school my girls – and I won’t need or want to use a good chunk of what I’m being forced to endure.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m finding some real gems from time to time, but I’m worried I’ll be out of aid by the time we get into the really advanced stuff that I’m in it to learn in the first place. (Maybe there will be some benefit to the ‘gainful employment’ thing, even though I think it should be applied to traditional schools as well.)
I guess I’m doin alright so far. I’m on the Dean’s list and got an invite to the honors’ society. Heh.
I’m just trying to grit my teeth, tolerate the wastes of time and money, and take what I need to away from it. Wish me luck! 
