Before you complete any college admission applications, go on a few tours. See not only what the school has to offer but get a sense of what life is like on the campus. Breathe in the air, taste the food and find out what it's like to travel from home to the school and back.
 
To help my God-daughter to get a feel for different colleges, I took her and two more of my nieces out to see Temple University in Philadelphia, PA., Penn State University, and University of Maryland College Park in 3 back-to-back day trips. After hours on the road, tolls, a lot of walking, and Philly cheesesteaks from Max's Steaks (bring cash), there were two votes for Temple and one for College Park.
 
Note to all those applying to schools: Undergraduate school is as good as it gets. Enjoy the process!

Before starting another semester on Monday (🤦🏾‍♀️I know... I signed up for it), I just wanted to take a moment to share the short version of a semester that taught me a lifelong lesson.
 
During the fall of my junior year, I took 17 credits. It was the most stressful semester ever, and not because of the number of credits. It was a stressful semester because of the classes I decided to take all at the same time: Egypt/Mesopotamia Art (not bad), Biochemistry I (🙈), Quantitative Analysis (an advanced Chemistry course 🙉), Physics (🙊) and Statistics. Those last four are not evil by themselves, but the combination was too much for me.
 
In twelve weeks, I lost 40 lbs, and it was not because I took up swimming 🏊🏾‍♀️with a friend in the morning. I was sick. Not only was I sick, but I was also failing three out of those last four classes and not doing so well in the fourth. The information just was not sticking. I felt like Sampson with a haircut. I got up, shook myself, and my strength was gone. It was bad.
 
So, what did I do? I went home, visited the doctor, and withdrew from my classes. Thankfully, I completed enough of the semester so that I did not have to pay back my scholarship and financial aid.
 
In the spring, I returned to school and had the best semester, academically speaking, of my undergraduate career. I took Vertebrate Physiology, Mechanism of Infectious Disease (between this class and Microbiology, I am an official germaphobe), Power of the Nucleus, and Music.
 
To make up my lost semester, I took Drawing I & II, Painting, and Photography at Prince George's Community College over the summer. And, as I hope you can see from my images, I am a better artist as a result of these classes. I also switched my minor from Chemistry to Art. Hey...I needed to graduate on time because my partial (not full) scholarship came with a timeline, four years. 
 
When I went back to Hood College for my senior year, that fall, I retook Quantitative Analysis and Physics with Advanced Ecology, Yoga 🧘🏾‍♀️ (is not for the weak) and Spanish 1. 🤫 I already had 4.5 years of Spanish before college 🤭, but that was four years earlier. With this combination of classes, I did much better in Quant and Physics. 
 
As a Biology teacher, I had to teach a unit in Biochemistry. When my students and I explored this unit, we had a few labs. As a result of teaching myself as I prepared for my students, I have a much better hold on this subject matter. For some reason, Biochemistry did not have a lab in undergrad. At least the version taught by the Biology Department did not have a lab.
 
On the other hand, the Chemistry Department had a lab with the first section of Biochemistry. Perhaps that might have been a part of the missing link in my previous learning of the topic 🤔...anyway.
​
Later on, while working on my Master of Public Policy degree, I took up three successive Statistics courses for research purposes and did very well. Since I worked full-time and went to school, I heeded the caution set by the fall of my junior year and only took two classes a semester.
​
Slow and steady wins the race. - Aesop
​
The point of this story is to share how I learned what combinations of courses work well for me, as an individual. In college, you are free to arrange classes however you want, as long as they count towards graduation. However, the wise thing to do is to know how you learn, and the circumstances that optimize your learning processes. For me, I can take challenging classes, but I do even better when I have some classes that challenge me in different ways. In other words, I've learned that I need to insert counterweights (see July 14th post) into my schedule to create balance.
 
I hope that this story helps someone.

While texting one of my nieces today, I gave her some advice and thought that it was pretty good. So, I asked her if I could share it and she said that she did not mind.​

Me: Hi ...
​I got a headboard for my bed.
How are you feeling today?

Niece: Yasssssss!!!!❤️❤️❤️
And I'm good hbu

Me: 🤗
I'm doing well. I'm taking a break today.

Niece: Yay!!! Finally with the breaks.
IDK if it's just me but I feel bad when I take breaks.

Me: LOL
It's okay to take breaks...
You are human, not Super Woman.
I understand what you mean though.
But even God rested, and I'm not better than Him. 🤷🏽‍♀️🙃

Niece: I get what ur saying 😌
Maybe I just don't like long breaks

Me: It's okay to do something different when you take a break.
Like when I painted my wall or took down the exhaust vent in my bathroom.

I had to get help installing the new one though-lol.

It is soooo much quieter than the old one. I can hear myself think!
The same person who helped to install it on Monday helped me with my headboard.
Taking a break from one thing can mean using your other talents, gifts, and skills.
You're creative. Be all parts of you, not one-sided. And give other parts (academics) a break.

Niece: Oh that's super cool!
Are you really handy?
And ok I'll try that
Thank you!

Me: ... from time to time. It will help you to be even more creative in school because you allow other parts of your brain to work. Sing, dance...write stories or tell them. Enjoy.
Lol, I do alright [handiwork] but I also know when I need HELP! Lol
​You're welcome.

This week I attended the National Association of HBCU Title III Administrators conference in Crystal City, VA for work and learned a lot. Although there are more than enough regulations to keep in mind while managing the grant, it is even better to experience the stories of others to learn about the various possibilities in spite of the limitations. Sometimes, you just have to be there and hear it for yourself. Here are several takeaways that also have life application. I won't give you the context in which they were said so you can use your imagination.

One of the cool people I met this week was on my flight back to Atlanta. Check out Mr. Anwar Y. Dunbar's site, bigwordsarepowerful.com, and see for yourself. ​

While taking a pause in the middle of the week, I picked up Letter to My Daughter, a recent purchase also connected to the writing retreat.
 
Long story short, Flat-Footed Truths: Telling Black Women's Lives includes an entry by Alice Walker, Looking for Zora. Soon after reading this entry, I received a notification that Howard University recently published a Zora Neale Hurston manuscript, Barracoon: The Story of the Last Black Cargo. And then, while purchasing this book, I decided to pick up another book from one of my favorite authors, which led me to a list of books by Maya Angelou.
 
Interestingly enough, during the writing retreat, I included a letter to my mom in my manuscript.  When I read the title, Letter to My Daughter, I thought to myself, "she has a son, not a daughter." At any rate, letters have recently taken on greater meaning, and so I made my purchase.
 
​Things that make you go hhhuuummm....During my two-day read of Letter to My Daughter, "I had an enormous revelation; I realized that I was not a writer who teaches, but a teacher who writes" (Angelou, 2008, p.118-119). Wait, those were her words, not mine, but they seemed to be taken from the recesses of my mind and brought forward directly to my line of sight. What just happened? I am no longer in the classroom and still refer to myself as a teacher.
 
One of the more recent compliments that I received was from the Human Resources Talent Manager. She said that I was "such a good teacher." I'm in grant administration and still teaching. Regardless of how your physical position in life changes, make sure that you practice your calling wherever you find yourself. Do not limit your practice to the narrow confines of systematic constructs established before you arrived. You were made to fulfill your calling and not simply fill a space erected by someone who does not know you or your purpose.
 
Another Flat-Footed Truths entry To Miss Ida Bee with Love by Miriam DeCosta-Willis includes a series of letters from the author to Ida B. Wells during her writing process. There are obvious connections between this text and what I share above, but I do want to lift my blog posts here for consideration. When I restarted my website (this is round three...I think), I decided to focus my blog on what I would want to share with my nieces and others who are navigating academia. Although there is nothing top secret here, I do hope that learning is taking place.

In April of 2017, I made my first appearance as a conference presenter during a paper session at the American Educational Research Association's Annual Meeting (see "I am Because We Are Creative Equals" post). While at the meeting, I received a message from my advisor, Dr. Fournillier, to attend the "Promising Scholarship in Education: Dissertation Fellows and Their Research" poster session.
 
When I came in, I started out along the left wall and walked towards the back of the room looking at the posters and their authors, pausing to engage a few along the way. I reached the end of the row and met a Mexican-American doctoral student and discussed her work at length. Her study examined the volunteer work choices of high-achieving, Mexican-American students who elected to go to colleges in or near their community instead of schools that were a better "match" (schools with high selectivity). These students were recipients of full scholarships that provided them with the mobility to select any school, and they did not have to concern themselves with the cost of tuition. Whatever the price, it was covered.
 
After her elevator speech, we held a live working session on her conclusion. She was stuck on bringing together chapter five, so we talked out her findings, theories and the literature that spoke to or connected with what emerged. She was trying to put her finger on something. It was like the words were at the tip of her tongue, and I would not have been surprised if she blurted them out suddenly, but they just would not come together. So I asked her, "Is there something from your culture that can explain what you see here [tapping on the point of contention on her poster]?" I continued by providing a disclaimer, "Please excuse my ignorance, but something that comes to mind is 'Mi casa es su casa.' Is there a saying, tradition, or folktale that explains what you're seeing?" She exclaimed, "It's like Funds of Knowledge!" ​I responded that I was not familiar with it, but it sounded like she was on the right track. I encouraged her to look there, not knowing where there was myself, for an explanation.
 
Our session ended due to the formalities taking place in the center of the room (announcements, recognition of contributors, and a speech). I have not reconnected with this author, but I was excited to run into Funds of Knowledge while shopping for resources in my advisor's collection during the writing retreat (May 2018). I picked up my own copy soon thereafter.

Word to the wise: If you're a "non-traditional student" do not limit your learning to "traditional education." And if you are a traditional student, then my recommendation remains the same.