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4 lads mom
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| Posted: Feb 10 2012 at 8:18pm | IP Logged
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I am just curious.....are any of the moms out there currently taking college courses either part time or full time?
Back story....I have an Associates in Nursing, and am an RN. It has served me well, given all of the medical issues in our family, but it is not something I really care to go back to at any time. I have officially been out of the field for 15 years, but boy, have I become a great pediatric home care nurse!!
I have a dream one day of going back to school to earn my BA in English Lit. I LOVE literature and write poetry as well. I just went to a haiku workshop last night with my dh and had the best time. I realize that I can “continue” my education without getting a degree. Believe me, I am all about that, and have read so much in the last year, I think my far sightedness worsened!  But, there is something about being in a class and discussing literature, and the stimulation of having someone more knowledgeable guide the class in that discussion.....I love that part. BUT, I also realize that many English depts. are bereft of any true literature, and many focus on crazy gender issues etc....and in the end, what is my final intention for doing this?? Maybe I would teach later in a community college setting, or write more....I am not sure, but I love the process. I loved college....I wasn’t nearly as enamored with nursing as I was with nursing school. 
I am not sure it is even feasible right now, Lily is still a tiny girl, and we have spent the time since New Year’s Eve with at least 2-3 people here being really sick.....I can’t imagine working in a class and its responsibilities on top of everything else....but in a few years, it will be a bit different here, with a few kids off to college, and the rest much more independent.
Does anyone else have dreams like this? I am not completely bent on this course, and am praying in earnest that God directs all of my decisions. My husband is very supportive of whatever I would like to do....with a careful watch on time and energy expenditures....
Anyone else?? 
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Mom of four brave lads and one sweet lassie
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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: Feb 11 2012 at 7:48am | IP Logged
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I do know people do this--moms work on their degrees or graduate degrees part time.
I was just thinking of it this week when Jen posted her plans for Young Ladies. For years I've loved the idea of this course of study as something I wish I could have done AND something I wish I had a daughter so I could use.
I've been reading a lot of gardening books lately and planning a great deal, and I've often lamented my own lack of knowledge in botany. It occurred to me that *I* could use her booklist for my own course of study NOW. Seriously, there isn't a reason why I couldn't. That's a beauty of living books, right? They aren't bound by time.
I have thought of pursuing a degree as you've said. And I'll preface my other thoughts by saying I see NOTHING wrong with doing it!
But, I doubt I ever will for many of the reasons you cited. My thoughts are that I'm not sure the return on the expense would be worth it.
If you like the classroom setting, you might consider auditing classes. This would help you with your own education and knowledge without paying for a piece of paper that probably would do little to serve you at this stage in life. This would also mean you could audit whatever classes you chose rather than being forced to take classes just for the sake of that piece of paper. The piece of paper won't help you write any better, if that is your goal.
Frankly, it is REALLY hard to get a job teaching English at the college level. I know nothing about your background, ability, or anything, so this isn't a personal statement AT ALL. I just don't think you would be likely to find a job teaching, nor do I think you would enjoy teaching the level of class you probably could find a job teaching. I've never heard a college instructor who had good things to say about teaching intro classes.
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
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[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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Barbara C.
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| Posted: Feb 18 2012 at 6:02pm | IP Logged
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If you were to teach at the community college, you would probably be stuck teaching more basic composition courses than literature...especially if you only adjunct or you are the new person on the ladder. Usually, courses are picked based on seniority.
And when I say basic composition...I mean BASIC composition. My husband teaches sociology at a community college, but I have spoken with many of his colleagues in the "English" department and they have many horror stories.
But my best friend is currently working on her M.A. in Theology at St. Meinrad Seminary. She's in a weekend program. She takes one course per semester that meets for one entire weekend each month. She has four kids, and her youngest is three.
She doesn't know if she'll "use it" career-wise, although right now she is the unpaid DRE for her tiny parish (since her kids make up half the CCD program). But it gives her something to sink her teeth into. It's her "hobby" of sorts.
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Barbara
Mom to "spirited" dd(9), "spunky" dd (6), "sincere" dd (3), "sweet" dd (2), and baby girl #5 born 8/1/12!!
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SallyT
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| Posted: Feb 20 2012 at 10:58pm | IP Logged
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There are non-residential/low-residential M.F.A. programs in creative writing which you might be interested in at some point: you do most of your coursework at home, via correspondence, then meet for intensive class/workshop sessions every so often (when and how long depends on the program). I know you write poetry, so something like this might be up your alley.
Pros:
If you want to write, pursuing a degree basically buys you time to write, and motivates you to be disciplined
Weirdly enough, doing a creative writing degree can mean that you read a lot more actual literature than doing a lit degree, because you're reading to write, not to be a critic. I think I had to take one theory class, whereas the lit-crit students had to take much more of that stuff. I took a class in utopian theory, which was . . . strange, but not as out there as the gender stuff. Of course, even in lit classes you're often asked to read through some kind of political "lens" or other: feminist or what have you. But you do get to read real books.
Being in a writing program means that other people are reading and commenting on your writing, and you can develop a mentoring relationship with an established writer, which can be really helpful and rewarding.
You become a lot more aware of publishing venues
Cons:
Time and money. These programs typically aren't cheap, and low-residency programs don't come with fellowships and teaching assistantships as full-time graduate programs do. And even at home, the coursework can be time-consuming.
Return on your investment. Doing an M.F.A. in creative writing still means teaching the basic comp classes at the community college or working as a tech writer.
Atmosphere. Can be really stimulating; can also be very, very anti-organized religion, which can be dispiriting. Not a lot of sympathy for Christian themes in poetry or fiction.
There are Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees (B.F.A.) in creative writing as well as graduate-level programs. I don't know whether there are any low-residency B.F.A. programs, but it might be worth looking into if that's something that might interest you. I also wonder what's available online.
I did M.F.A. work before I had kids -- ultimately I didn't finish my degree, but I got out of the experience what I wanted, which was time to devote to writing, time to be exposed to what other writers were doing, time to read and hear poetry read aloud. I have a hard time imagining doing that program now, partly because I'm older and the thought of writing all those papers makes me tired! And in those days, it was all I did. Still, it was exciting and stimulating and a privilege to spend time with seriously talented classmates.
For what it's worth, I did rather enjoy teaching intro-level composition classes as a grad-school T.A. Years and years of it would probably have gotten deadly, but I didn't so much mind doing the nuts and bolts with underprepared students. I particularly liked the two semesters of night school/non-traditional undergraduates I taught. It can be fun. But as Lindsay says, it is really hard to find even grunt-level college English teaching jobs. There's a glut of humanities Ph.Ds, and they've filled to overflowing the kinds of community-college jobs which M.A.-holder used to do. Still, you just don't know what opportunities might present themselves, and in any event, I think you have to do these things for reasons which aren't confined to the pragmatic. Everyone always wants to know what you're going to "do" with your studies or your degree, and I think the best answer is that you're going to think and live.
I hope this is helpful, and Godspeed you in your discernment.
Sally
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: Any moms in college??
