First Day of School

Walking up the paved sidewalk under the overhanging branches of the stately trees surrounding Forsyth Community College, I tried to calm the jitters in my belly. After all, I'm 47 years old and it's not like I'm entering first grade. A lot of years and life experiences have passed through my life since I last entered the doors of a school and I was eager to start on my adventure as a student.

I joined the group of new students heading for English class -- young, backpack toting students with headphones in their ears and a college-saavy look about them. They glanced respectfully at my laptop briefcase and called me 'Ma'am' while I gave them a nervous smile thinking surely they had mistaken me for the teacher.

I found my seat in the front row and noticed the professor, a young woman at least 20 years my junior, was already writing busily on the board. It brought back memories of years I had spent in the front row of elementary classes, watching longingly as the teacher pulled out that new piece of chalk and began writing smoothly on the blackboard. The highlight of my day back then was to be chosen as the one to write on the board and feeling the thrill as I pulled out my own piece of new chalk. This, however, was a whiteboard and the teacher wrote with markers. I guessed this would be the first of many changes since I last sat in a desk.

I found myself leaning forward in my seat, eagerly taking in every word as she began to pace in front of the classroom, pouring her heart into her presentation, assuring us she would help us all to be great students of the English language and to develop our writing skills while weeding out problems.

She introduced us to our English book, which had cost me an arm and a leg in the bookstore and for which I had waited in line for two and a half hours to purchase. From looking at some of the chapters, I can tell I will have some interesting things to blog about in the future -- things like illegal immigration, same-sex marriage, and save the animals.

After class, I walked down the hall with the rest of the students and as I headed to my car, I felt such a feeling of excitement for this new phase in my life. I've waited a long time for this opportunity to go to college and I intend to 'suck the juice' out of it. I am ready for this adventure.