What I Learned in School Today

I often ask Olivia and June what they learned in school each day, so I figure it's only fair to tell what I learned during my first day at IUPUI.

I learned that my class is full of all walks of life. We have three probation officers, including me, a corrections officer (prison guard), two police officers, two people who are trying to become police officers, two people who want to work for Homeland Security, three people who want to work for the Drug Enforcement Agency (and two of those are already interning with the DEA), one woman who is the director of an Emergency Response Unit, and several people who don't know what they want to do yet. We have people who just got their Bachelor's Degree in May, and people like me who have taken a roundabout path into grad school. Several students in my class are my age or older.

I learned that there are not many electrical outlets in my classroom. I need to bring my laptop in to class with a fully-charged battery, so it will last through the nearly 3 hours of class time.

I learned that I feel kind of rebellious for checking my fantasy baseball lineup on my laptop while I'm in class.

I learned that I like my professor. He conveys a very relaxed outlook on things. We certainly have a lot of work to do for this class, so this isn't going to be a walk in the park, but he set the tone tonight for a setting that promotes discussion and exchanging of ideas without judgment or excessive pressure. I like that. I feel comfortable in his class.

I learned that this class--and maybe this is the way graduate school is in general--is a lot less lecture and a lot more student participation in discussions and presentations. I like that, too. I learn a lot better that way. And I love to debate.

I learned that my 14 years of experience as a probation officer is going to help me a lot in this class. In the month of November in particular, we'll be covering the police, the Court system, prosecution and defense, and community corrections, such as probation and parole. It's going to be really nice to be able to look back on my own experiences as I absorb the reading materials and participate in the discussions. My work experience won't allow me to simply skate through this class, but in some aspects, I'll have a jump on some of the other students.

I learned that the massive amount of required reading will be my greatest challenge. I'm a slow reader. I always have been. My dad has offered to help me with some tips on more effective reading. I think I'm going to take him up on his offer. Writing a 10-12 page research paper is not going to be a problem. You might have noticed that I kind of like to write. But getting through all of the reading is going to be a huge challenge for me.

I learned that I'm just not comfortable trying to take notes on my laptop. I'm comfortable using a pen and paper. I have my own form of shorthand, and I make a lot of notes in margins and draw arrows and things like that, which I can't quickly duplicate on a computer. So I'm going to take notes in the manner in which I am most comfortable, even if I am 14 years behind the times.

I learned that a lot of other people in my class are likely going to do that, too. I saw a few, but not a whole lot of laptops out today. And none of the other "old-timers" like me had a laptop tonight.

I learned that I fit in just fine at IUPUI. No one cares how old I am. Everyone has their own worries. And there are plenty of other people my age or older who attend class there. No one even gave me a second look today on campus.

I learned that I need to put some money on my student ID, known as a JagTag. You can pretty much pay for anything on campus with your JagTag, much like a pre-paid credit card. Even pop machines accept JagTag payment. So I'm going to put $20 on my JagTag, so I can buy pops and snacks on campus. Then I don't have to worry about carrying cash (which I rarely do, anyway).

I learned that my evening class and, likely, my Saturday class will spare me from a lot of the parking headaches I hear about from other IUPUI students. I had no problem finding a parking spot tonight right across the street from my building.

I learned that being in school at the age of 40 is totally different than being in school at the age of 18. Different things are important to me now, and I'm a hell of a lot more focused. Being married with children, I don't have the distraction of girls at school. I'm not eagerly anticipating the next party or night at the bar anymore. I'm not worried about what my parents are going to think of my grades. I'm not worried about trying to make friends or being cool. I am self-motivated, self-driven, and infinitely more mature than I was way back in 1988 when I took my first crack at college. And having life and work experience to incorporate into readings and lectures is invaluable.

I learned that my days off work will no longer be filled with relaxing on the couch, watching movies all day. I'll be reading, instead.

I learned that graduate school is going to be much more interesting to me than my undergraduate studies. All of my coursework is directly applicable to my life and my career. Even the required core curriculum classes are interesting. There's no requirement for science classes, political science classes, physical education classes, or any other classes I'm not interested in. I understand that the core curriculum classes at the undergrad level are designed to expose students to a multitude of disciplines, but I have a terrible time trying to learn something that I see no use for in my everyday life. Exhibit A: Calculus. Exhibit B: pretty much anything in the scientific world.

Most importantly, I learned that I can do this. I'm not exactly sure what I was fearing the most: sticking out like a sore thumb on campus as "the old guy," not being able to handle the coursework, not being smart enough to earn a Master's Degree, my general fear of failure, or what. But after tonight's class, when the professor went over the syllabus, the course requirements, the requirements of the 10-12 page research paper we have to write, and all of the readings, I realized that I can do this. This is nothing I can't conquer. It might take my brain awhile to get back into college-level shape, but I'm a stubborn SOB, and there is absolutely nothing in this class that I cannot do. That was an enormous weight off my shoulders. It's certainly not going to be easy by any stretch of the imagination, but it's also not going to be impossible.

Hopefully the first day of my other class on Saturday will be as encouraging as tonight was.