"Why don't you call me some time when you have no class?"- Rodney Dangerfield asking out his busy professor in 'Back to School'
An underrated classic for sure -- the hilarity of a middle-aged dad going back to college with a bunch of kids half his age. I decided to head back myself this fall to pursue an MBA. So somehow, 20 years after I saw this movie, here I am, nearly living the same experience (although not looking for dates). Not sure if I'll be starting a fraternity or hanging out with the dive team, but so far, so good. And one cool thing about graduate school is that I don't seem to be the only one in my class who is on the downward slope towards 40 (although I may be winning that race).
I thought it would feel strange to step back into a classroom after being gone for so long. It occurred to me that I'd been out of school for 16 years, which means I've essentially been out of formal education for as long as I was in it. That didn't bother me too much, but my mom was quick to point out that it made her feel old. Sorry, mom. :-) In the end, though, it wasn't too bad stepping back in -- I did feel old in the bookstore -- everyone there was about 19, but once I realized there were no Trapper Keepers to be had and that people don't cut up brown paper bags to cover their textbooks anymore, I was good to go.
It's pretty clear from the initial workload that I am going to have to earn this degree. I've read more in the past 2 weeks than I probably had all summer, and from reviewing my syllabus, it doesn't seem like it's going to let up. That's all good though. My classes are interesting, and I've already got my mind working on some new things, which was a big driver for heading back. I've reached a point professionally and personally where I need to push myself in a new direction, and this feels like the right place to go.
At the same time, Ally and Ty are back at the Discovery Preschool for another year. This year they are in the three day class, and so far it's been great for them, too. I dropped them off last Friday, and the difference in their self-confidence from last year was very noticeable. They know all about their classroom, had lots of things to show me, but were also just fine with the fact that it was time for me to go. Perhaps even a bit more ready for me to leave than I was. It's a bit of a drive for us to get them there, but we really like the program and the teachers, and I think it's all worth it. We took a look at their syllabus at Parent's Night last night -- I think they'll be pretty busy too. There is more of a focus on 'play based learning' than I'll be getting, but somehow that seems appropriate. We'll work on Managerial Accounting together next year.
Now if I could only get them to comprehend why they get recess at school and I don't...
