I'm going for the Greek - I think. It looks like Macalester has a class that fits my schedule in the fall. The only problem seems to be the lab. It's scheduled for a day I'm not normally in St Paul. When I first registered at St Kate's, I wanted to take Greek, but it's only offered every other year, so I settled for Latin - and I'm really glad I did. Thanks to a scheduling conflict, I cannot take it at St Kate's until the second semester.
On May 31, I start Elementary Spanish. In eight hours of class a week between May 31 and August 8, I will complete the first two courses. It's cheaper to take the summer classes, and I should be ready to start with Intermediate Spanish I in the Fall so I can take take Intermediate Spanish II in Seville, Spain, for the 3.5 weeks of the January term. How awesome is it that I can finally - twenty years after the longing first struck - study abroad?!?
So why the languages?
It started when I realized I lost my first love when I started working for my family. I loved my education and wasn't ready for it to end when it did, with a Bachelor's degree. I'm not sorry for the years I spent raising my family and working at a place that freed me to fully participate in their activities, watch them grow, and know their friends. But I felt the pull of the classroom when we were preparing Adam for college. This time around, my initial plan was to apply to the University of Minnesota graduate school and become a doctor of Medieval History. My ultimate goal was to write history textbooks with authority and flair so students could share my love of history. All this was born of Adam's comment to someone at his graduation party: "My mom made history come alive for me."
To successfully achieve that higher degree, proficiency in a classical language is required and preference given to applicants who are multi-lingual.
I might change my mind about the ultimate degree. It occurs to me that part of my success in helping history live for Adam was because of what we did and discussed, not what we read. Might my time be better spent with students? In the fall I'm taking the first course required for people seeking a Masters in Education, "Teachers as Leaders." If I like it, I plan to complete my slowly progressing application to the Master's Program. Upon graduating, I would be licensed to teach K-12 students Spanish - and I would imagine capable of teaching Spanish-speakers English. Since our retirement goals have something to do with living in a place where the native language is not English and there's more sand than concrete, this plan has all kinds of benefits.
I'll decide next semester which is my favored option.
In the meantime, I'm going to write a resume just so I can add the qualification "multi-lingual." Doesn't it sound mightily impressive?
On May 31, I start Elementary Spanish. In eight hours of class a week between May 31 and August 8, I will complete the first two courses. It's cheaper to take the summer classes, and I should be ready to start with Intermediate Spanish I in the Fall so I can take take Intermediate Spanish II in Seville, Spain, for the 3.5 weeks of the January term. How awesome is it that I can finally - twenty years after the longing first struck - study abroad?!?
So why the languages?
It started when I realized I lost my first love when I started working for my family. I loved my education and wasn't ready for it to end when it did, with a Bachelor's degree. I'm not sorry for the years I spent raising my family and working at a place that freed me to fully participate in their activities, watch them grow, and know their friends. But I felt the pull of the classroom when we were preparing Adam for college. This time around, my initial plan was to apply to the University of Minnesota graduate school and become a doctor of Medieval History. My ultimate goal was to write history textbooks with authority and flair so students could share my love of history. All this was born of Adam's comment to someone at his graduation party: "My mom made history come alive for me."
To successfully achieve that higher degree, proficiency in a classical language is required and preference given to applicants who are multi-lingual.
I might change my mind about the ultimate degree. It occurs to me that part of my success in helping history live for Adam was because of what we did and discussed, not what we read. Might my time be better spent with students? In the fall I'm taking the first course required for people seeking a Masters in Education, "Teachers as Leaders." If I like it, I plan to complete my slowly progressing application to the Master's Program. Upon graduating, I would be licensed to teach K-12 students Spanish - and I would imagine capable of teaching Spanish-speakers English. Since our retirement goals have something to do with living in a place where the native language is not English and there's more sand than concrete, this plan has all kinds of benefits.
I'll decide next semester which is my favored option.
In the meantime, I'm going to write a resume just so I can add the qualification "multi-lingual." Doesn't it sound mightily impressive?
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