Going to start school.. but scared.

Charlotte - posted on 02/21/2010

use the help the school can give you, try to be organized, always make time for you and most of all think how inspired your kids will be that their mum is so intelligent and capable!!!!!

Beth - posted on 02/18/2010

i'm planning to start studying this september. i'm a single full-time mum and my son is 2. getting to grips with finding available childcare for him is doing in my head slightly! he will hopefully attend the nursery in the school where my mum teaches, but that will be an early nursery place when he's three, he will be 2 years 8 months in september, and i'm not quite sure where he'll go between september 2010 and january 2011. also this is distracting me from my real fear of "can i do it?" i've never been a very motivated student and i'm a bit worried i'll get very relaxed and lapse into my old studying habits!

Leslie - posted on 01/30/2010

Girl just pace yourself. Go part time if you cannot handle full time. School does take alot of work. I am in my second semester of my sophmore year. Online classes are a good option, but you have to be self motivated. Lecture classes is what I would start with if I were you. Take easy classes first. Then mix easey and hard classes after you get adjusted to college life with kids. Stay on top of your work. Do some every night. For every credit hour they expect you to study 2 hours at home. Meaning that if you want to do well you need to study alot. Most classes only have four to two test a semester and that is it. So you need to get all the points you can. Girl you can do this! Good Luck!

Stephanie - posted on 11/15/2009

Sure its a little scary at first, but if its something you have to do, then do it! You have to get your mind in gear. I have found that mapping out my days and making daily schedules is very helpful. When I registered for classes, I only registered for 2 days worth that way I can be home with my son the other days. Luckily your kids are at the age where they can entertain themselves so it honestly shouldn't be too hard. Once you get your routine down, they will adjust, as will you. Good Luck!

Kara - posted on 11/13/2009

If you are a hard worker and keep in touch with your professors, many of them are super understanding about kids,cause many of them have them too. I have always been able to miss class with my sick son or get an extension for kid related problems...just don't ask too often. Really most professors are understanding cause it beats the drunk freshmen, who skip class and never care to contact them. You will be fine.

Sarah - posted on 11/13/2009

Dont worry about it,it will all come to you!!!I have a 2 year old and started school when my husband got deployed to Afghanistan this year.It was hard the first few weeks and I felt like I would never have any time to myself again but you will start getting more organized and get a better grip on your time.And honestly,my child is not suffering from me going to school but alot of the things that I used to do during his naptime I do in the morning now and just turn it into small games.He loves chasing the sweeper vacuum,I give him a kitchen towel and he plays dusting,I felt bad a t first that I had to sacrifice the time we had together for cleaning but now realized that he is having fun doing it.

Tara - posted on 11/12/2009

It depends on how motivated you are about studying to be honest. I ahve been finding it extremely hard to manage financially as I'm on my own with youngest, eldest is also at uni. But the thing that keeps me going is how much I wanted to be at uni and what it represents to me. If you really, really want to go back to school you will find a way of making it all work. Your kids are resillient and as long as they know that you love them just as much as usual they will be ok :-) Good luck with your studies.

Isabelle - posted on 11/11/2009

Candice you make some excellent points in your response to Nicole about raising kids or a child while going to school. Me I'm a single mother, so I can understand where Nicole is coming from and I can relate to the points that you make. There have been plenty of times where I've stayed up late burning the midnight oil doing school work because I couldn't get anything done while my son was awake. You encouraged me through you response to Nicole I see a lot of things in your response that I need to change or start doing. Thank You Candice for you words of wisdom.

Candice - posted on 10/28/2009

here's what i've learned.

1) don't take on more than you can do. I'm on student assistance, so i checked what the minimum number of courses i could take to qualify was, and took that many. If you do more than you are capable of, you will stress out and either fail or drop out...or go insane!



2) STAY ORGANIZED! I have a super-mom calendar with tons of space for school work, kids stuff, and anything else i need. i plan in advance so i have time to do assignments and reading and studying for exams.



3) ask for help! sometimes work gets CRAZY and you need a few extra hours of study time. Don't be afraid to ask for it.



4) SLEEP! there is no point trying to study on no sleep. if you have to choose between the two, but you're too tired to focus, take a short nap at least. reading on a tired brain means zero retention.



5) kids come first. When my daughter is home and awake...school is out the window. if i try to do work while she's here i just get frustrated with her and her with me. Plan out your time so your schoolwork is seperate from you kid time, even if that means working after they go to bed. If they're sick and you have to miss a class or something like that, remember...school can be redone, the kids can't.



and lastly, if there's anything you don't know how to do (write essays, organize your time, whatever) the school will probably have help in those areas. TAKE the help if you need it. My first year a friend of mine tore my essays to shreds to teach me how to do them properly. since then i've had no problems. I was TERRIFIED to go back to school, and terrified to return after my daughter was born, but i'm in my last year now, and i managed to survive my 3rd year with A's even when my daughter barely slept at night. Your kids will be so proud of you when you finish. What a great lesson to teach them...It's never too late to learn and better yourself. GOOD LUCK!

Stacy - posted on 10/28/2009

I start school at the end of November, and I am an only parent of a 9 year old, I understand your fear. I have come to an understanding with-in myself that I am more afraid of where I am at now then what difficulties could be presented with school. I have to remind myself of what I am teaching my son through my actions and that is that fear will not keep me down. I believe the better we are and become the better our children will become. Good luck!