November 10, 2010
40Plus & OnCampus
By NETC Student Karolyn Treadeau

I cannot believe there are only a few more weeks left in the semester! Time has surely flown by, especially since I’ve been working. Juggling my time between college, work and home has been challenging. Scheduling study and homework time has been especially challenging. And when I say “challenging,” I mean “CHALLENGING.” 

It’s difficult to divide my time between work and leisure. Before my current employment, I had been unemployed for four years, so it should not be hard to imagine the degree of difficulty I face with this total about-face in my life. Still, I cannot emphasize enough how grateful I am for the opportunity to attend college here in Cheraw, S.C.

I will be meeting with my advisor within the next week to decide what classes I will be taking during the spring semester. I have already decided that I will only register for two classes, which will make it much easier for me to work and attend class. Considering the way my math class is going, I may just be taking it again or letting it go until summer or fall. I wanted to enroll in Spanish, but there is only one class available and it meets in the afternoon, which is not a viable time slot for me. There is a very real possibility that I will take online classes, but I haven’t made a final decision. That’s what advisors are for! It does seem to be a good option considering the time constraints I face. It might also provide me with the ability to enroll in more than two classes. 

Recently, several of my Sociology 205 classes have been spent watching the movie “The Day After.” The film was made in the ’80s and portrays rural Kansas in the aftermath of a nuclear war. It is a very moving and powerful movie and left me with a feeling of dread afterward. However, sociology is the study of society, and much of the movie is pretty realistic in its portrayal of such a catastrophic disaster and how people would handle it. I was left with much food for thought. Sociology is one of those classes I look forward to attending. It is an extremely interesting class with the added feature of much classroom discussion. 

I believe I may have mentioned in a previous column how much I am learning in English Composition about the proper way to write different kinds of papers. As a professed writer, I am embarrassed that I only have about a B average in a class that I feel should excel in. I need to understand, however, that I was never taught to write; it just comes naturally. I also have to remember that it has been a very long time since anybody taught me anything. Learning what my instructor, Mr. Knockemus, is teaching is, and will be, beneficial in my future writing. It just might come in handy when I write “the great American novel!” I would rather the instructor be in the room for class, but I still enjoy English with Mr. Knockemus broadcasting from Bennettsville using the college’s distance learning technology. For those who require assistance with writing, workshops that focus on writing are sponsored by Student Support Services. And, of course, Mr. Knockemus has office hours and is more than willing, like all NETC faculty members, to meet out of class.

Recently, several colleges, including Coker College, Francis Marion University and Winthrop University, set up information tables in the courtyard for NETC’s University Day. Lander University and the University of South Carolina also had a presence via SKYPE. This is a yearly event and gives students the opportunity to learn about different colleges should they be working toward transferring to a four-year institution. I found the information very helpful and thought provoking. I am thinking of transferring to Coker College after receiving my Associate of Arts, but that date is some time in the future, and I’m not concerning myself with it too much for now. However, it is good to know what options there are and how easy it is for NETC students to transfer to a four-year university or college.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! The next time you hear from me will be just before Christmas. As always, please feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions or suggestions or you just want to say, “Hey.” Take care!

Karolyn Tredeau, 63 of Ruby, entered college after taking a 40-year hiatus from formal education.  She is a student at Northeastern Technical College and will write about her experiences in this column, “Plus40 & OnCampus” once a month.  Karolyn can be reached at  karolynt@shtc.net.

Read Karolyn's October column.