ADHA Access May-June : Page 12

 Success Tips for Mature Students Returning to School By Yvonne Tar eturning to school, for someone with a husband, three children and a stable career, requires a delicate balancing act on several fronts. The promise of improved future earnings against current income, the routine of daily family chores against the new pressures of studying, the certainty of cur-rent life against the uncertainty of competing with younger students are all issues that have to be thought out care-fully before diving into school. These considerations made it clear to me that it was not going to be an easy endeavor to return to school, but after answering these questions, I was determined to get through this new challenge. What I did was to devise a strategy to help me succeed. It was not easy. At times I had doubts that I had made the right decision. Being GLVFLSOLQHG&#0f;¿QGLQJZD\VWRUHGXFHVWUHVV&#0f;OHWWLQJP\H[SHUL -ence in life come across in class, and remembering that my IDPLO\DOZD\VFRPHV¿UVWDUHDPRQJWKHVWUDWHJLHV,DGRSWHG to help me succeed. I am hopeful that other readers, espe-FLDOO\PDWXUHVWXGHQWVOLNHPH&#0f;ZLOO¿QGP\VWRU\HQFRXUDJ -ing. I did it and with discipline and focus; they too can. R dental practice where I was employed. I had been working there for 14 years and enjoyed the work, and had a great re-lationship with my colleagues and superiors. It was certainly GLI¿FXOWWRFKRRVHUHWXUQLQJWRVFKRRODWWKHULVNRIORVLQJWKLV comfortable situation. However, the realization that I was putting myself in a position to better my life professionally and provide better for my family in the future made it a risk well worth taking. The decision was made easier for me be-cause my husband, to my happy surprise, made it known to me that it was a challenge the whole family was prepared to face together. Improving my lot is improving the family’s lot. School Program: A Rude Awakening I must admit, in deciding to return to school, I had hoped, and even presumed, that with many years in the dental profession, I was going to sail through dental hygiene school. But I soon realized that this was not going to be the case. The program has been very challenging, and most of what we learn in school has little semblance to what we practice GDLO\LQWKHRI¿FH7KHVFKRROSURJUDPZDVPDGHHYHQPRUH challenging for me because the cost of tuition and child care meant I had to continue working part-time while attending school full-time. In the beginning, I felt overwhelmed and even suspected I had made the wrong decision and that all of this was going to end in vain. Working part-time, attending classes full-time, and taking care of the children and other home responsibili-ties tested my resolve to the limit. But this new venture elicit-HGH[FLWHPHQW²QRWRQO\IRUPH&#0f;EXWDOVRIRUP\FKLOGUHQDQG my husband. What message about persevering in life would I pass on to my children by giving up? I had to set a good H[DPSOHIRUWKHPWRIROORZ&#0f;VRTXLWWLQJZDVQRWDQRSWLRQ,Q order to succeed, I knew that I had to make certain changes to the way I run my house to allow me to attend school while getting all the necessary things done for my family. { Working part-time, attending classes full-time, and taking care of the children and other home responsibilities tested my resolve to the limit. But this new venture elicited excitement—not only for me, but also for my children and my husband. Returning to School: A Tough Decision to Make Going back to school after having children, and having been working for more than a dozen years, is tough. The GLI¿FXOW\RIPDNLQJWKLVGHFLVLRQLVDPL[RISHUVRQDODPELWLRQ DQGVRFLHWDOSUHVVXUHV2QWKHSHUVRQDOOHYHO&#0f;RQHLVH[FLWHG about putting oneself through this challenge and realizing the goals one had when growing up. Yet, there are also pres-sures from society. What will my friends and colleagues think about me going back to school when my children are still in elementary school? Will they think less of me as mother? Am I so ambitious I would elevate my personal achievement above the needs of my children? It is true that the joy of motherhood comes naturally. But there is a counter force of having to provide for one’s children in the present and future. Namely, tuition costs for future education—which can make mothers forego staying at home and taking care of their chil-dren to instead pursue higher education. In my situation, returning to school was further compli-cated by the fact that I was enjoying my work at the family A Tough Daily Routine My husband leaves the house at 5:45 a.m. for work, so I’m in charge of my home morning schedule and carpool to school. My day begins with getting up at 6 a.m., making breakfast, and getting the children up and ready for school. This is a hectic time for us. For the mornings to run smoothly, we have to do some preparing the night before. Having our book bags, shoes and clothes laid out prior to going to bed was essential. This change, minor as it appears, allowed me to hit the ground running in the mornings. My 13-year-old is in middle school, and my eight-and ¿YH
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ROGJHWV 12 MAY-JUN 2012 access

Strive

Yvonne Tar

Success Tips for Mature Students Returning to School Returning to school, for someone with a husband, three children and a stable career, requires a delicate balancing act on several fronts. The promise of improved future earnings against current income, the routine of daily family chores against the new pressures of studying, the certainty of current life against the uncertainty of competing with younger students are all issues that have to be thought out carefully before diving into school. These considerations made it clear to me that it was not going to be an easy endeavor to return to school, but after answering these questions, I was determined to get through this new challenge. What I did was to devise a strategy to help me succeed. It was not easy. At times I had doubts that I had made the right decision. Being disciplined, finding ways to reduce stress, letting myexperience in life come across in class, and remembering that my family always comes first are among the strategies I adopted to help me succeed. I am hopeful that other readers, especially mature students like me, will find my story encouraging. I did it and with discipline and focus; they too can. Working part-time, attending classes fulltime, and taking care of the children and other home responsibilities tested my resolve to the limit. But this new venture elicited excitement-not only for me, but also for my children and my husband. Returning to School: A Tough Decision to Make Going back to school after having children, and having been working for more than a dozen years, is tough. The difficulty of making this decision is a mix of personal ambition and societal pressures. On the personal level, one is excited about putting oneself through this challenge and realizing the goals one had when growing up. Yet, there are also pressures from society. What will my friends and colleagues think about me going back to school when my children are still in elementary school? Will they think less of me as mother? Am I so ambitious I would elevate my personal achievement above the needs of my children? It is true that the joy of motherhood comes naturally. But there is a counter force of having to provide for one's children in the present and future. Namely, tuition costs for future education-which can make mothers forego staying at home and taking care of their children to instead pursue higher education. In my situation, returning to school was further complicated by the fact that I was enjoying my work at the family Dental practice where I was employed. I had been working there for 14 years and enjoyed the work, and had a great relationship with my colleagues and superiors. It was certainly difficult to choose returning to school at the risk of losing this comfortable situation. However, the realization that I was putting myself in a position to better my life professionally and provide better for my family in the future made it a risk well worth taking. The decision was made easier for me because my husband, to my happy surprise, made it known to me that it was a challenge the whole family was prepared to face together. Improving my lot is improving the family's lot. School Program: A Rude Awakening I must admit, in deciding to return to school, I had hoped, and even presumed, that with many years in the dental profession, I was going to sail through dental hygiene school. But I soon realized that this was not going to be the case. The program has been very challenging, and most of what we learn in school has little semblance to what we practice daily in the office. The school program was made even more challenging for me because the cost of tuition and child care meant I had to continue working part-time while attending school full-time. In the beginning, I felt overwhelmed and even suspected I had made the wrong decision and that all of this was going to end in vain. Working part-time, attending classes full-time, and taking care of the children and other home responsibilities tested my resolve to the limit. But this new venture elicited excitement-not only for me, but also for my children and my husband. What message about persevering in life would I pass on to my children by giving up? I had to set a good example for them to follow, so quitting was not an option. In order to succeed, I knew that I had to make certain changes to the way I run my house to allow me to attend school while getting all the necessary things done for my family. A Tough Daily Routine My husband leaves the house at 5:45 a.m. for work, so I'm in charge of my home morning schedule and carpool to school. My day begins with getting up at 6 a.m., making breakfast, and getting the children up and ready for school. This is a hectic time for us. For the mornings to run smoothly, we have to do some preparing the night before. Having our book bags, shoes and clothes laid out prior to going to bed was essential. This change, minor as it appears, allowed me to hit the ground running in the mornings. My 13-year-old is in middle school, and my eight- and five-year-olds are in elementary school. I drop off the younger children at before care first, and then my 13-year-old gets Dropped off by 8 a.m. That way, I am able to get to school by 8:30 a. m. On the days I start at 8 a.m., I drop off all the children at before care by 7:30 a.m., and my husband picks them up from school or from after care on the days that I have to work after school. So there is a lot of juggling going on to make our schedules work. During the week, I cook two meals every other day, and my oldest daughter and my husband clean the house and do laundry. On most days after work, I go to Barnes & Noble and study until 11 p.m. My husband supervises the children's homework and makes preparations for the next day's activities while I focus on my studies. I believe I have been able to pull this off because we approached my going back to school as an endeavor for the whole family, not just for me. Light at the End of the Tunnel Two years have gone by, and I have three more weeks before I take my final board exam. Even now, I can already see the light at the end of the tunnel. It is an exciting but terrifying time. Despite my hectic schedule, I decided to host a Thanksgiving celebration for my family and friends. After school on Wednesday, I started getting everything ready, and on Thursday (Thanksgiving Day), the turkey and everything else were ready to serve at 5 p.m. This special time made my family very happy, and I was particularly happy that I did not let school interfere with family time. As I approach the end of this journey, I feel some of the pressure coming off my shoulders. As I look back, I can say that dental hygiene school has not been easy. I succeeded and won the Hu-Friedy Golden Scaler Award for Clinical Excellence in Dental Hygiene by following these simple routines. I feel that if I could do it with all my challenges, anybody can. For people in my situation who are thinking of returning to school and pursuing their dreams, I say, 'go do it,' but before you do: • First, prepare yourself mentally and understand that your challenges in school will be different from those of your classmates. Let your maturity come across when you are at school, speak to your faculty and classmates in a respectful manner, follow the rules and try not to whine or complain a lot. Think ahead and try to make sure that you don't use your children as an excuse for not doing anything or leaving school early unless it is a true emergency. • In order to maintain an even keel, be sure to study daily so that you will not end up cramming material the night before tests and quizzes. Make time to take care of your husband, because when he is happy, he will help you more and schoolwork will be less stressful. Make time for your children, and spoil them a little when you can, because your time being away is hard for them too. Stay neutral in school, and be nice to all of your classmates because it goes a long way-you never know when you might need one of them to step up for you. I am looking forward to the day after I take my last board exam with great relief. I believe my entire family, especially my husband, shares the same sentiment, perhaps even more so than me. My husband has been my backbone throughout this journey. He was my first patient and was always the one who would call off work and cover for me when I had a last minute cancellation. You need the cooperation of everyone: spouse, children, family and friends to make this work. It takes a village to get through dental hygiene school. Yvonne Tar is a dental hygiene student at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. The faculty mentor for this edition of Strive is Lois Dondiego, AAS, CDA, RDH, instructor, Allied Dental Education, School of Health Related Professions University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

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