I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here

Roughly ten and a half years after graduating high school, I find myself once again in the position of the student.  It's a surreal feeling, though oddly comfortable.

I was always a good student, excelling in honors-level classes throughout junior high and high school.  I was in the top of my class, and loved what I was doing.  Always the over-achiever, I participated in cross country, volleyball, basketball and track...on top of the full load of honors classes and ever-important art room time.

I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up, so I never went to college.  I've spent the last ten and a half years as a full-time participant in the work force.  Eight and a half of those years were spent at the last company I worked for.  The past two months have been spent on the job hunt and constantly working with my daughter at home, scheduling and attending all of her therapies and play groups, and simply enjoying her company.

This morning at 8:45 I found myself in a classroom with about ten other people, with more trickling in, waiting to find out what was in store.  My first psychology class was to begin at 9:00.

I looked around the room and found myself marveling at how young everyone around me seemed.  The sheer amount of acne and still-not-fully-developed bodies around me was overwhelming.

Then the instructor walked in.  He looked like any normal guy I may have worked with over the past ten years, dressed in a button-down plaid shirt with jeans and hiking boots.  He introduced himself to the class and gave us a short rundown of his background before asking us all to do the same.

As I listened to my classmates giving their abridged life stories, it hit me again how young they all are.  On the list of information being provided by everyone was when they graduated...all within the past six months.  One boy graduated from Johnsburg High School on Thursday.  Of last week.

There is one woman in the class who has to be about my parents' age.  She's been steadily taking part-time classes since she got out of high school, working her way through.  At one point she got into cab-driving, then bought her own cab, which eventually turned into a fleet of cabs.  Nightmare after nightmare caused her to sell her business, and she is currently enrolled full-time with the intent of becoming an art therapist.

Three or four of the other girls introduced themselves as stay-at-home moms, most of whom are focusing on some part of the nursing profession.

One of the waitresses from El Puerto, our favorite Mexican joint, is in my class.

As I listened to their stories I learned that there is one boy in the class who is going to be an air traffic controller, another boy who aspires to be a Christian counselor of some kind, and a whole lot of people who have absolutely no idea what they want to do when they grow up.

My turn.

"My name is Amy, and I graduated...oh, about ten years ago.  I'm the mother of a two-year-old autistic girl, and I am coming back to school to focus on occupational therapy so I can work with kids like her."

Larry, the instructor, looked at me...and I swear I saw his face soften for a moment.  He had been looking rather bored during the previous few students' oh-gee-I-don't-want-to-talk-about-myself speeches, and he gave me a kind smile.  He commented about how great it is that I've found what I want to do with my life, and that I have a personal connection with my intended profession.  He asked a couple of questions about my daughter, and seemed genuinely interested in the answers.

That was all I needed.  What does it matter that the girl who was sitting kitty-corner in front of me was doodling hearts on her notebook throughout the entire three-hour class (when she wasn't turned completely around in her seat staring into space - rudely - while Larry was lecturing)?  Who cares if I've got ten years on most of the people in that room?

The rest of the class was taken up by a lecture on the first chapter of our textbook, which I'm happy to report I found extremely interesting.

Larry is a great speaker, and a motivating teacher.  I can tell already that I'm not making a mistake by going back to school.  Not that I really thought I was...it's just a big adjustment and a huge leap of faith.

In fact, I think I'm gonna like it here.

And for the parents...a picture of me on my first day of school: