TACKLE College Papers, Volunteering and Hippies

I really didn't want to use that office with the humongous window and fantastic view of George Mason University's (GMU) campus.  I felt so guilty.  I am only a volunteer.

I had just returned from navigating through the English Department's rat maze to find my English Professor.   She has top notch credentials, is sweet as pie, and works in a sardine can.   

I am a student and also volunteer at GMU for Job Recruiting located in the Career Center.  My Professor insisted I take this amazing office to do research on a career workshop for graduating students. 

If my English Professor would walk by and see me, she may get frustrated and fail me or something.  This office is 100 times better than her office.  That just isn't right!  I guess I can lower the blinds.  But the view!

The semester is winding down for Fall 2011 at GMU.  I have been jamming in working, kids and enjoying my hubby while hustling the schoolwork and volunteering.  College has so many group projects which I hate. 

My one group consists of a hippie, a jock, a quiet Indian girl, a big guy who is always late, and me, the mom of the group.  I received a nasty text from the hippie today.  Well, it was directed at the whole group. The whole group chimed in with replies.  We had all fell behind on our deadlines for our last group project.

Funny, I thought in the beginning of the semester that he would be the slacker.  First day of class he strutted in to class with long blond hair and pants hanging too low while appearing a bit "spacey".  Turns out he is a Finance major and smart as a whip. 



His text was a lecture on responsibilities and demanding we finish our portion of a paper by Sunday at noon.  He scared me so much that I gave up my Friday date with my hubby to get my homework done.  Mean hippies scare me.

At midnight I proudly texted him that I finished my part of the paper.  With in two seconds he sent me a text saying he felt bad for being so pushy.  Pushy?  I replied by commended him for his leadership.  He actually motivated me to give up my Friday date and finish my part of the group paper.

This generation needs bossy, pushy, leaders to give the slackers a kick in the pants.  Cut his hair, give him a belt and he could run the country.   Awesome!  Totally awesome!        

   

TACKLE College: Then and Now

Those were the days!





What a difference 30 + years can make!   I first attended college in 1978.  Now, over 30 years later, I am back to school.  I started to compare the two time periods and this is what I remembered from 1978 and what I observed my first week of classes in 2011.

                                                                   Comparing Two Era's: 1978 and 2011  

1.  Classroom:

1978:  Professors smoked in class and were old enough to be my father.  They taught lessons with chalk on a blackboard made of slate or painted wood. 

   

                                              

2011: Many campuses are "smoke free" and Professors are young enough to be my son.  They post class lessons on the university website, "Blackboard".  

2. Majors:

1978:  Academics included Liberal Arts as a popular major for a well rounded education.

2011:  Innovative colleges and universities, such as George Mason University offer Bachelor of Individualized Studies (BIS), where students can build their own major. 

 

3.  Computers:

1978:  Computers were big, bulky and slow.

2011:  A computer can be held in the palm of your hand offering daily technological changes.     

4.  Transportation:

1978:  Students, like me, drove cars such as a 1967 Plymouth Valiant with no air conditioning and no seat belts.  Free parking lots were a few feet from the front door of the classrooms.

2011:  Talking and beeping seat belt alarms and climate control vehicles provide safety and comfort in unpredictable traffic on campus.   Parking requires drivers to stalk walking students to their car for a potential space in over crowded lots.  Expensive parking permits are required and lots are miles away from the buildings for class.

6.  Dining Hall:

1978:  Dining Halls were often the center for socializing, mail and food.  Students retrieved their mail and prayed for letters with money from parents.  The cafeteria included a new healthy addition: a salad bar consisting of veggies and fatty dressings.  Your Student ID included your social security number and provided you with all you can eat food.

2011:  Students rarely use their post office mailboxes.  Email and social media are the acceptable method of communication.  Tofu bars, nonfat, low carbs and various foods to suit special diet needs are on campus food courts.  Complicated meal plans with mandatory student ID cards with encrypted numbers are required for everything in campus. 

   

7.  Getting Around on Campus

1978:  It was safe to walk through campus late at night.  The danger was in balancing on chunky platform shoes and clogs.

2011:  Campuses offer escorts and emergency panic buttons through the campus for security.  Runners are trying the new fad of barefoot running.

8.  Jewelry: 

1978:   Girls had their ears pierced with only two holes.  Hoops were the popular earring.  Some daring boys had one ear pierced, usually with a small diamond.  

2011:  Piercings pop up everywhere on the body.  Hoops are even in the nose septum.



9.  Trends:



1978:  Blue eye shadow and glitter are splashed across the girls in response to the disco craze.

2011:  Tattoos and twitter are sending messages all around campus.

10.  Hair:

1978: Farrah Fawcett posters were plastered on every male dorm room wall.  Her perfect "feathered" hair and big smile were the envy of every girl.



 2011:  The fashion forward girl wears feathers in her hair.

 11.  Music:

1978: Couples crowd the lighted dance floor to the beat of songs like "Lady Marmalade".





2011:  Lady Gaga with her controversial costumes, is a pop singing talent who has stormed the music industry.

One thing that is still the same is homework.  We had it in 1978 and we have it in 2011.  In 2011, Professors usually request hard copies of work, but will often allow email, faxes, and scanning.  No more excuses like, "the dog ate it". 

  

TACKLE College Beginnings

Finally.  The electric is restored at Old Dominion University (ODU) after Hurricane Irene.  Child #5's entire room is packed (with her sister's clothes hidden deep in her boxes) and this blonde or brunette or dark blonde (depends on her mood) is off to college.  Only six days later than scheduled.

Irene delayed the beginning days of the East Coast schools that were hit with flooding, tree damage and electric outages.  Students were on standby waiting for their university to give the "go" to move in.

There was only one problem with the 3 hour trip to move this child to her dorm.  It was also my first day of classes at George Mason University (GMU) with a 7 hour day schedule.

I lost sleep over the decision to let her dad take her to college.  My New York daughter told me to blow off the GMU classes and drive to ODU.   I knew if I missed my critical first day, I would start off the semester  behind and struggle to catch up.

My ODU daughter and I went on the college hunt journey together.  Together we researched our schools, visited our schools, went to orientation and now must part ways.  I feel the grand finale is being split in two parts.  If that darn hurricane would have stayed away, I would have drove her to ODU last week, before my GMU classes started.   

The packing consumed our house.  She started to get stressed with the move and academic schedule ahead of her.  Her tone shifted to "snippy".   Her dad assuming the "mover role" began to sound appealing. 

I really did not want to miss this experience of sending my next daughter to college.  However, she seemed ok with dad coming to the rescue. 

At the end of the first day of college, we talked on the phone to rehash our experiences. 

Her dorm is bursting at the seams, she has a job lined up and she is scrambling for books.  I have a headache from all the material and homework in one day.  Thank goodness I did not "blow off the day".

We were both reminded of each other on our first day of school.  She met an ODU Athletic Staff member who grew up playing in our house (with my son).   In my GMU IT class,  I sat next to a girl who played years of High School Lacrosse with my daughters.  The poor girl seemed a bit freaked out by having a mother in class. 

My daughter was thankful to be 3 hours away from her mother's classroom experience.  I am sure she will miss me if her bank account screams for help.      

TACKLE Cheap Books for College

I should become a textbook writer.  My daughter leaves for college on Thursday, so it was time to check out her book list for her classes that start on Monday.

Her Biology textbook for her first class in college had an outrageous cost of $202.  The Calculus book costs $185.  The required book list for her 16 credits of classes totals almost $600.  I know they are complex, technical books, but what a chunk of change!

The college bookstore claims that they rarely sell used books for science and math classes. Really? I searched abebooks.com and half.com and found both books for 1/3 of the price.  The problem: delivery may take 9 days.  Why didn't I think of this sooner?

We considered renting books, but my daughter is not disciplined enough to return books.  Forgotten redbox movies are scattered throughout the house.

TACKLE High School Graduation With a Goofy Group Photo!




Goofy Grads and Friends

Patience.  Parents of high school seniors should remember this word during the end of the final school year.

Relax, because you will miss your child one day.



Seniors are very different from their parents during this phase in their lives.

They know it all; parents know zip.
They are free; parents are chained to their phones for senior updates. 
The world is their oyster; parents crave a vacation.  
They dread packing for their senior beach week house ; parents enthusiastically help them.

On graduation day, they are excited, proud and worried.  Reality is right around the corner. 

Celebrate   

Before an evening ceremony, an open house graduation party can include home movies, posters, tons of food, music and goofy candid photo shoots to create memories.


Friends, family and neighbors should be invited to congratulate the senior.



Congratulations Class of 2011!

The graduation march on the massive stage made parents cry.
This was the same cry from that first day of  kindergarten.

Now the graduates will go out into the world--that is their oyster--and with their own patience, find their place in society.



Child # 5 is getting ready for senior beach week,
a month long trip to Africa and college in the fall.



TACKLE High School Graduation Preparation

The countdown continues... The high school graduation looms in the near distance.  Classes are wrapping up for the year.  Multiple dresses need to be bought for all of the various fun activities planned for the next two weeks.  Senior beach week is paid in full.

Tonight was the senior dinner
at the quaint Inn at Vint Hill, Warrenton, VA
http://www.innatvinthill.com/

Teens were trying to stay composed while bursting with excitement knowing that their era is ending. 

During the dinner the awards to the Senior Class of 2011 were announced.  Titles flew around the room... female and male winners for  "Best Smile",
"Best Couple", "Most Likely to Succeed",  "Best Hair". 

As predicted, my smart, funny, athletic, talented daughter received the female senior title, "Senioritis".  The male award winner was missing.  His case is so severe that he couldn't attend the senior dinner.

TACKLE Google for Seniors

My father, a  mechanic, has owned an auto repair business for over 50 years in a small city in Pennsylvania.  His "solid as a rock" shop has always generated ample revenue to support his family.

My dad turns into an accountant during tax time.
During a random, "How are you doing, Dad?" call, I noticed he was stressed.

The customer count was down and he was worried.  I reminded him that it was a bad economy and asked him how he was marketing. His business was generated with old-fashioned techniques; word of mouth with a good reputation.

I told him to fire up his old dusty PC in the back of the auto parts office so we could check google.  My dad can perform a computerized 4 wheel front end alignment with Hunter Equipment, but he has little interest in the informational technology world.

Twenty minutes later, we tried to google "car repair" in his city. Commands like "www" were perceived as "double u?", the "F5" key were "F" and "5" and when we had to "delete cookies", he refused to throw out his Oreos?  

 Finally, twenty businesses popped up in the search engines, but not my dad's shop.

     "My buddy, Sam's Tune Up is listed, but where am I?" he asked.

Sam was grabbing customers because he had a webpage.   My dad said that he also had a bunch of webpages with Yelp, Merchant Circle and Superpages.  After explaining that they were free listings, I told him it was time to have a have a webpage so new and old customers knew his shop existed.

I called the website builder listed on the bottom of Sam's Tune Up's page.  Within one day, carrepairwebsites.com had my dad's shop popping up on google.  My dad was tickled pink when I told him he had website.

Next hurdle is to convince him to activate the voice mail feature on the shop phone system.
  

TACKLE Continuing Education

You can't succeed without brain stimulation. Your body needs exercise to stay healthy and fit and so does your brain.

We have children who are being educated in the military (hefty college GI bill) and in a traditional college setting. Three daughters are still in high school. We have their graduations for the next 3 years.

To continue education, they will work, save, go to in state schools, get aid or scholarships or consider the military option. Student loans will be avoided, because they can financially cripple our children when they graduate college.

Education and work experience are critical to a successful career. Whether it is traditional college, specialty school, the military or online classes, it is important to keep on learning.

My husband and I attend seminars and take online courses. I have recently tackled 6 college online courses while raising a family and working full time to keep the brain conditioned.

Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA www.odu.edu/ offers a four year degree online. Ed2go www.ed2go.com/ offers a variety of online credit and non-credit courses. Both programs are accommodating to a busy lifestyle.

Great sites for college and future planning include: "Petterson Guide" www.petersons.com/ and "CollegeBoard" www.collegeboard.org/

Today, there is little excuse not to continue your education, because there are so many options available.

TACKLE Athletic Scholarships

I was one of those mothers that groomed my child for a college athletic scholarship. The years of mapping out that goal can cause unnecessary aggravation and stress between child and parents.

My 1st child, a son, was a standout athlete. He could play any sport well. I thought he was a perfect student for a scholarship. His senior year in high school he was the starting quarterback in football, won the highest honors as offensive player of the year and the Iron Eagle Award. His dad even helped coach the team.

He was accepted in 4 colleges without an offer for one penny in scholarship money. When I think of all of the money spent on sport's camps and travel teams, we could have had a well funded college savings account.

Now that my 5th and 7th child are making their mark on a lacrosse field, I understand the importance of playing a sport is to have fun and learn responsibility and team work.

My son burned out on sports when it was time for college. Now, he happily jogs and goes to the gym.

Parents should relax and enjoy watching their kids in school, inexpensive church and league sport teams. Be proud if they sit on the bench or hold the record for high jump. Sock away the camp and travel team expense into a college savings account.

Believe it or not, the best scholarship odds are in girl's golf and only 1.6% of high school girl golfer's land the money for college. The worst odds are wrestling at .3%. More details on athletic scholarship odds are at this website: www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/6844161.html