7 Lessons Learned from My First Graduate School Class

Over a week ago I completed my first graduate school class. Remember how I shared how I’m going back to school after a fifteen-year break? Well I began my class in the middle of May. June was mostly a blur thanks to this intense, half-summer session. The course really pushed me to my academic limits.

Several people tried to warn me how tough it would be but I did not understand their words until I was about two weeks into the class. I spent four hours on a Saturday reading journal articles and trying to summarize them and put the sources into APA citation. I spent an average of at least two hours or more reading the textbook chapters. There went half my weekend. I was keeping up with the work load but there was not much time for fun or leisure.

Later I learned that my classmates just skimmed the articles. Wait, you mean I didn’t have to read all that science jargon? Several of them used a site called “Quizlet” that pulls out key terms from the textbooks and provides shortcuts for learning. This is the modern-day “Cliff’s Notes” that I remember using at certain times when I attended high school and took undergraduate classes.

That would be so much easier if I could just do that. Could I? Why was I spending 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on a Saturday (no exaggeration there) reading, writing, researching and composing my paper and assignments for class?

The answer simply is because that was my choice. I’m not someone who wants to take the easy route. I want to see what I can learn by doing the work. I want to know what I’m capable of understanding and putting into practice.

Sure I may complain a little from time to time but the truth is that I signed up to return to school. No one pushed me or encouraged me to go. I just felt compelled within myself to take on an academic and professional challenge.

It’s not easy, I will say that. But I’m doing it. I have learned a lot about myself from completing this first course. Hopefully these lessons will carry me through more classes and finishing my studies:

1) Do the least favorable task first in order to be successful.
The thing that you dread the most, just do it first. Rid yourself of the headache. For me, this usually means reading the chapters to get them over with in the beginning. I don’t mind writing or conducting research. I rather enjoy that actually. But it’s sifting through paragraphs in a textbook that often make me want to be anywhere doing anything else. If I save reading for last and it’s nearly bedtime, my eyes will naturally drift to the closed position and I may not finish what I need to read. Through trial and error, I’ve found that reading the pages in the morning when I’m energized is more helpful. I take notes and then review them later.

2) Plan for reading, writing and completing assignments.
This one should be a no-brainer. Clearly a person must make time to do the class assignments. I knew this, sure! However, I didn’t realize how much would be required. I didn’t understand that I needed to block off hours or a whole day in my schedule to complete the homework. Now that I’ve finished a class, I realize I need to plan for an average of 4-6 hours per week per class to do well.

3) For team projects, make time to know your team members and find out how they relate to the class and assignments.
Teachers love to put students into teams. A part of me always rolls my eyes when this occurs. I worry about how I will interact with others who are different (and often much younger) than me. I fear that someone will be a slacker and I’ll be stuck doing most of the work or details. But I find that if I remain open and I really make time to get to know my team members, I’m surprised at how wonderful, diverse and interesting these other folks truly are. I’ve been involved in several team projects within the last year and I’m so thankful for the exposure to meet individuals who are doing work vastly distinct from my role. To help ease the transition of group work, I ask questions of my team members. I find out why each person is taking the class and what hobbies she or he has. I can typically learn something new about that person and relate it back to myself. By having real conversation with the people in teams, you can often find personal experiences to relate into the classwork you’re doing which makes everyone feel more engaged and vested in the outcome.

4) Be creative when it comes to presentations.
At some point in college (or a job), we all have to give a presentation. Pull out the PowerPoint slides. If you are lucky to be paired with an audiovisual specialist (I have been), you may be able to breathe a sigh of relief. For the rest of us, we must come up with a way to not fall asleep during our own presentations. In my most recent class, we really thought outside the traditional presentation box. We performed a live skit that related to our assignment. In this case, it was a Health Communications class. After getting to know my team members (see tip # 3), I realized that we had some incredible health personal stories in our group. I asked if the people would be willing to share them and incorporate them into the presentation. All agreed. Our group then began adding in ideas of videos, case studies and even costumes and props we could use to make it happen. Each person wrote a script for her piece and two of us served as editors to tie it all together. The end result was a standing ovation and a perfect score on our final presentation. Don’t be afraid to really do something different than just standing up there speaking and pointing at slides!

5) Start strong so you can slack off at the end, if you want to or need to do so.
Another lesson I’ve learned from my studies is that I like to start strong and get ahead early. Often I read the chapters days ahead so I wasn’t last minute. I conducted my interviews a week ahead of time instead of worrying over cancellations or technical issues. By doing this, when I was feeling more tired at the end of the semester, I could relax a bit. Because I did well on my first dozen class quizzes, I could skip the last one and consider it my one “dropped quiz” that the teacher allowed for the course. After that weekend I spent doing non-stop paper writing, I could then spend my next weekend at the beach with my family taking a much needed break.

6) Speak up and share experiences.
There is usually one person in every class (or in the workplace) who talks too much or goes on and on (and on) about a topic that can just be put to rest. Don’t be that person! Instead, speak up when you have something valid to say or have an experience that can educate and enlighten classmates. I may agree with someone else’s statement but I can simply nod my head without adding on tedious filler to a discussion. Rather I found during class dialogues, if I thought of a past example in my life that could add more meaning to what we were speaking about, I would chime in and talk about that experience. At times I weighed my decision to either share with the class or just send a quick email to the teacher later to let the professor know that I related the class to a specific event. Use good judgment when speaking and plan a few words in your head before saying them aloud.

7) Lead when compelled or able to do so. Step back when needed as well.
Perhaps the biggest lesson I have learned from my graduate school class is that I’m capable of being a leader, more than I realized. I offered up ideas for my team project early on. I also listened to each member’s ideas and found out what they were passionate about. By doing tips # 3 and 4, I had everyone feel involved and gained input that contributed to our class assignment. This really helped our group connect. Everyone bought into it and took personal pride in it. That was key to our success. My strong suit for our team was that I did my tasks first. I helped set a tone and then laid a foundation for others on our team to follow. After that I could assist in writing, editing and tweaking the details for clarity. Once I saw the other team members knew their role and understood what they had to do, I could step back and let them do their thing. I encouraged them along the way. This made our group unique and triumphant.

The above seven tips were the key lessons I learned since returning to school. I know more advice will come as I continue my professional development. I wanted to share these in hopes that they may help or even inspire others.

The idea of having a work-family-education balance is a myth. There is no such thing as a real “balance” in my opinion. However there are ways to fit in the things that are important to me, that I most care about. At times I sacrificed sleep or lunch breaks to do my schoolwork. Other moments I slacked off on school to pay attention to my family. When you are determined though, as I was (and am), you find a will and a way to be successful.

(And sometimes the 12 hours of work on a Saturday you put into an assignment pays off and grants you a perfect score! ) 🙂

Invest in yourself – you are worth it. Happy studying and creating professional development training work you put into yourself! I’m now taking an online class so I’ll share my experiences with that and how it compares to traditional face-to-face classes later in August.

Play Local Tourist on a Budget

My family’s budget was tight in the summer of 2013. We had no travel plans. With my children home from school, I strove to make our days feel like a vacation even though we stayed in our community.

Beach days and pool time became tiresome. We turned our daily routines of shopping, touring, playing at parks and visiting new venues into opportunities to play local tourist.

Here were some ways I had fun with my kids without compromising my wallet:

P1020690

1. Made visits to local markets – Grocery store and market trips were amusing, not stressful. I allowed more time and had my children be involved in the shopping. For example my kids picked out fresh fruits and vegetables. We discussed how to tell if a watermelon or avocado was ripe. We talked to the workers about what was in season. My oldest daughter weighed the produce on the scale and guessed what size it would be. I let the kids bag the produce and load them onto the conveyor belt. If the store was not crowded, my five-year-old (at the time) drove the cart down the aisles. We loved to visit the small farmers markets so we could support local farms and eat fresh.

Lana in grocery cart

2. Asked to schedule a tour – I paid attention to signs around me. They led me to new places, people and experiences. After reading the label on the local eggs I ate daily, I finally called to inquire about the farm. I spoke with the owner, Rose McCurdy, of Meme’s Poultry and Quail Farm. I asked Rose if she would share details about farm life and show the chickens to my daughters. Rose invited me to her farm. My kids held baby chicks and collected eggs directly from the nests. Meme’s Poultry and Quail Farm did not advertise regular tours but I asked and the owner agreed to let us stop by. Asking led to an educational, free visit that my family enjoyed.

Vivian holds baby chick at Memes Chicken and Quail Farm

3. Played at new parks – Pensacola, the city I live in, has so many parks. We located new ones that we had not been to before. We found the Aviation Discovery Park next to the Pensacola Airport. Although this park does not have much gym equipment, my girls loved the view of the airplanes flying overhead. We listened to the air traffic controllers announce arrivals and departures. Our family liked visiting the Veterans Memorial Park where my girls saw statues honoring military veterans and fallen soldiers. They ran in the open grass and fed ducks. Other favorites were playing on the castles at Perdido Park and Cantonment’s Ascend Park. We drove further than a few blocks from our home to locate a new park to explore.

4. Found one free place to visit each week – We found one, different and free place to visit each week. I challenged myself to find kid-friendly venues in our area that we had not been to yet. I discovered more fun was right here in our backyard than I realized. For example my daughters and I went to Imagination Station at the Blue Wahoos stadium when they offered free admission on a Monday, Wednesday or Friday morning. At the station my children roamed around, read books and played with toys. My kids and I also went to the Pensacola Children’s museum on one of their free days. We spent an hour there learning about history and exploration. In addition, we visited the southwest library near Perdido instead of going to Tryon branch like we usually have in the past. My kids loved seeing a new variety of books and movies. I learned that our city has so many interesting, free things to do. I simply needed to get out there and find them.

These were several ways I played tourist in my own backyard and gave support to Pensacola. We stayed at home but I mixed up our daily routine and found new, free things that my family enjoyed.

(Note: This article originally appeared in the August 2013 issue of Gulf Coast Parent where it was published. It’s being reprinted here with the author’s permission).

Back to School

I did it. I’m back in school, graduate school that is. I’m not as old as Rodney Dangerfield but I’m probably showing my age just by mentioning him and his film, Back to School. I bet most of the students in my night class do not even know who he is nor have they ever seen that movie. (What a shame! Films from the 1980’s are the best!)

I graduated with my B.A. in English (and a minor in Technical Writing) in May of 2000. So it’s been fifteen years since I’ve had to truly study, work on projects and submit work for grading. I may be a little bit rusty. Still I’m rather excited about diving into class mode. I have a real passion for professional development and training. I become rather bored doing the same things and not advancing both at a job and in my personal life. In fact, I tend to make up my own personal challenges if I’m not being stimulated.

I’m probably one of the oldest people in my class (I’m 36) but I am not very bothered by these “kids today.” If anything I may have an advantage over them – I have real world experience that should add value to our subject matter, Health Communications. I have birthed two children, had a PPO plan for over a decade and had several health issues in the last few years. I’ve watched several members of my family gain or lose weight. There have been illnesses, deaths and new discoveries about eating, exercising and body image. I have a big network of resources in the medical field too (Many family members who are all nurses, pharmacists, dieticians or other medical helpers).

So far I am enjoying the class and even the textbook we are reading. Textbooks are normally hard to get through but this one is easy to read, engaging and actually has inspiring stories at many points. I look forward to the discussion and the team project that lies ahead.

I was going to wait until Fall Semester (August) to begin but my advisor said I was cleared for summer session and encouraged me to start earlier. I thought, okay, why not!? Here I am. Of course I wouldn’t recommend waiting until two weeks before the start date to make that decision like I did. The timing (or lack of) was a bit stressful: re-applying, registering and figuring out why I had “holds” on my account and why I could not get into the class I wanted. We worked it out and I made it on time, however.

Attending school two nights a week for a summer session makes for a LONG day! The class is three hours and twenty minutes long and we are there the entire time (6:00 pm to 9:20 pm). I wake up at 4:30 a.m. and I don’t go to bed until about 10:00 p.m. on the evenings I have school. I drop off my children between 7:15 and 7:30 a.m. at school or daycare. So I don’t see them until after they are tucked into bed. My three year old has been waiting up for me but my seven year old is snoring and deep in dreamland when I come home. This won’t be easy but I know someday they will understand why I must do this and will (hopefully) be proud of me for working toward my goals.

Somehow I know I will manage to fit in the things that are most important to me – exercising first thing when I wake up, writing throughout the day, eating breakfast with my family each day and dinner with them on the nights I don’t have school. In addition, I will continue my cooking in bulk on the weekends so I can reheat during the week. I make it a point to do a load of laundry and dishes almost daily so it doesn’t pile up too much. I don’t spend too much time on social media and I never watch television, except for an hour on a weekend maybe. My time is used for a purpose and I try to make the most of it.

I’m happy to be back in the classroom but I also realize that life, family and work are some of the best teachers and tools we can have. The last fifteen years have been rather amazing and I’m glad I had that time to grow up, move around, meet new people and take on new challenges. My experiences have made me the person I am and will influence my development in school (and in my future).

Have you considered going back to school? What kind of training do you enjoy most?

My First Feature on Television (five minutes of fame)

A crazy thing happened this week…I was on television! I was invited to be on a local TV station, BLAB-TV Pensacola to discuss the April 2015 Writers Digest Poem a Day competition I participated in. I was also able to talk about writing as a discipline and what inspires me. This was a wonderful opportunity and I’m honored to be recognized for my work. Thank you Blab-TV and the Pensacola community for your support.

Click on the photo to watch the interview segment. It lasts for just over five minutes.

Keep writing. Keep doing what you love to do.

Give Your Family the Farm to Table Experience

Not every family has a garden. My lack of knowledge, labor and time has prevented me from starting one. I love the idea of raising livestock in my backyard but I live in a homeowners’ association that does not allow it. Despite those setbacks, eating fresh, local foods is very important to me. Teaching my family where that food comes from is also vital to our new way of life.

For us natural eating began in May 2012 when my husband’s health was on a steady decline. Heartburn, indigestion and acid reflux plagued him. He was on prescriptions for his stomach issues and visiting doctors way more than he wanted to be. As a family we decided to make big changes to our diet. We no longer wanted to eat from boxes or eat ingredients that we could not pronounce. We threw out all processed foods from our pantry and refused to buy any more. Although I was busy with a five week old and a five year old at the time, I vowed to prepare all of my family’s meals from scratch when we were home. We made a pact and have not gone back on it.

In just a few months after our switch to natural foods, we noticed great improvements in all of us. First my husband felt better. He no longer needed medication. I slept better and had more energy; this means a lot when you have two young, demanding children. Even my five year old was more focused and happier without the sugar and junk she consumed before. Soon my husband and I slimmed down to sizes we have not been in a decade. My family felt better and began to look its best too.

Buying and preparing fresh foods gave me a new enthusiasm for life. I wanted to share this passion with my family. I envied those farmers and natural food producers surrounding me. I wanted to learn more about them. I wanted to show my children where our food comes from and how it grows.

How could an ordinary person, mom and wife like me achieve that? After some thought, I realized that there are simple things I can do for my family to demonstrate how our food goes from the farm to our table. These tasks can be done by any family and anywhere too.

Here are six things that families can do to eat and live more naturally – the farm to table way of life:

1. Shop locally from markets.
2. Talk to the people at the markets.
3. Pay attention to food labels.
4. Visit a farm.
5. Stay in touch with food sources through social media.
6. Cook and eat at home as a family.

1. Shop often at local markets instead of the big food stores. Visit the local farmers’ stands. Find a food co-op or an organic delivery food service near you. Try out Continue reading “Give Your Family the Farm to Table Experience”

New Years Resolutions To Make Your Business More Fit – Guest Writing at NWF Daily News

Small business owners can apply the same New Years Resolutions of losing weight, saving money and reducing stress to their businesses. The principles only change slightly to be more related to the venture. If you’re a business owner, you can:
1. Trim down assets,
2. Review variables to be more secure, and
3.Plan for stress to reduce it in the future.

Read my full story on this topic as I serve as a guest writer here in the NWF Daily News.