Parents that go to school

By: Emily

Reversing the Roles

Three years ago, after dad lost his job, he started studying again, to get a better job. It's weird to think he is still completing his education too. Just like me, he has to tackle with education and work, whilst still finding time to just live and hang out. He works on the weekends, and studies hard at other times - sometimes until around midnight. And like me, I think he'd often rather be doing something else other than homework.

My father complain about assignments, or studying for important uni exams, and often talks about crazy lecturers and annoying class members. It's pretty strange. But it's even stranger when I tell him things like "That's just the way it is," and asking, "When's that essay due?".

One day he even came home claiming he'd failed an assessment test because he'd studied the wrong stuff, and hadn't been able to answer any questions. I asked what it was about, and he said multiple choice. I knew if it were me in that situation, dad would try to cheer me up, so I comforted him by suggesting he had a 1-4 chance in getting each question right. "No" Dad replied, "I didn't even think to randomly colour in the answers". That showed me even adults can totally crack under pressure, and do silly things.

There are heaps of other adults in dad's classes. He even rings other adult class-mates to talk about exams, and swap answers. Watching dad go through this, has shown me that whatever comes of my ENTER score, in the end, nothing's set in stone. If the worst comes to the worst, I can get a job, or enter an easier uni course, and transfer later. Or just be like dad, and take a major break and redo it all later.

Although having to do assignments and study for exams when I'm forty scares me a little! So I'm aiming to get it right the first time round, so it's not half as complicated. Dad's experience has motivated me to attempt getting all my schooling done at once, for fear of having to put up with more later. But I'll always remember that anything is still possible.