It’s back to school — for me

I was not able to finish school because I got married and then had my three wonderful children Ken, Rikki Mae and Ara. I could have, but I wanted to be a hands-on mom and so I devoted my time taking care of my children, and I loved every minute of it.

Over the years though, thoughts of school was something that occupied my mind.  I could have gone back and been a regular student.  While my kids were at school, I, too, could have attended my classes, but somehow that didn’t push through.

Now that I’m 43 and have three grown-up children — aged 18, 14 and 10 — it seems like I have so much more time in my hands. When you’re in your 40s, you think of where you are in your life, what you have done, did you do enough, what have you accomplished or are you content and so forth.

I was willing to go through the regular schedule of college life until I heard about UP’s Open University from Sharon Cuneta and Cheska Laurel. It appealed to me because it is DISTANCE learning. You study from the confines of your home with your computer. How accessible.  How convenient. It was the perfect setup for me. While my children were in school studying, I would be at home studying, too. And when they were done with school, I could still be home attending to them. I don’t ever want to be unavailable to my children. I want to be home when they go home from school. I am even the one who fetches them from school. And if I attended regular classes, I might not be able to do that as much. I love and enjoy being able to pick them up from school. My simple joys.

And so Open University was the perfect choice for me. I went to their site and also got a lot of information from Sharon. I soon found out I had to take the exam first and so I bought a reviewer for College, UPCAT and started to study again.

Boy was it tough! I forgot a lot of things already. It was sometime in 1982 or 1983 when I last went to school.  I’m okay with Reading comprehension and English proficiency, but not with Math!

I needed to ask my daughter to teach me. But that was so much fun for her, tutoring her own mom. It was a beautiful experience for me to be taught by my daughter.  I felt so privileged.

After weeks of reviewing, examination day came. I was a bit nervous but I felt I could do it. English and Reading were easy for me but with the Math questions, I just guessed some of the answers. I made sure I would have correct answers to the questions I know.

And with God’s help, my faith in Him and my days of reviewing, I made it! I told myself, “Wow, I’m already a UP student. Yehey!”

Before I tell you about my experiences as a new student, let me tell you more about UP’s Open University.

UPOU or University of the Philippines Open University was established on Feb. 23, 1995 as the Fifth Constituent University of the UP System. Its mandate is to provide education opportunities to individuals aspiring for higher education and improved qualifications but who are unable to take advantage of traditional modes of education.

Its mission is to give students formal modes of education as well as develop in them discipline and capability to become lifelong learners who are at home in today’s knowledge of society.

Its goals are to offer through open and distance learning degree and non-degree programs that are responsive to the needs of learners and of the society of which they are a part of; to develop a system of continuing education; to sustain professional growth and promote lifelong learning; to develop and adapt a system appropriate to distance learners; to provide leadership in the development of open learning  and distance education expertise in the country and in appropriate use of information and communication technology of education; and to make instructional packages accessible to learners  through collaborative and institutional agreements.

UPOU offers undergraduate programs, post-Baccalaureate Diploma programs, Masters Doctoral, non-formal and certificate programs.

If you are interested, you may visit UPOU’s website at www.upou.org or call UP Los Baños at (049) 536-6001 to 06.

I’m now an Associate in Arts student. This is the course you take if you’re an undergraduate. I decided to take up only one subject this semester because I wanted to get used to the setup first. Communication Skills 1 is the subject I chose.

It’s been exciting and challenging. A learning and re-learning experience for me. Quizzes and assignments are passed on-line with deadlines of course. I’m not so fast in typing so I need to make sure I pass them before deadline so I have more time.

It has also been a thrill for me because once a month, we have what they call “face-to-face tutorials.” We meet our professor and our classmates in school. That was a thrill for me — walking along UP’s corridors, feeling like a college student. I’ve missed that. I like the idea that I can do my studying at home but I equally like the fact that I get to interact with my classmates and my teacher. Always, there’s a lot to learn from that.

Every day is a challenge for me, yet each day is an opportunity for learning and re-learning.

Being a student again, especially at my age, is a humbling experience. I thought I knew enough and yet there was still so much to grasp and take in. I’ve learned to be open to learning and re-learning. I’ve learned there is so much to learn through others. I’ve also learned it is never too late to equip myself with more knowledge. But most of all, I’ve learned to step out of my comfort zone, go back into the world I once knew and not be afraid to find out what’s out there for me.

I believe God has a special plan in my life and this is part of His plan. I know He wants to give me my best life — a life filled with His many blessings.

(E-mail me at babyjackster@yahoo.com or visit www.jackielou.com)