‘Nontraditional’ students join Pellissippi State’s tradition of success

Contributed by Kathy Byrd, Associate Professor English, Blount County Center

Judy Fuller is familiar with Pellissippi State’s Blount County Center in a way that her fellow students and even the faculty and staff are not. She attended elementary school in the same building.

This fall, after more than 30 years, Fuller returned to the former Bungalow Elementary School to begin work on her college degree. It was a good school all those years ago, she says, but she thinks it is an even better one now.

“It’s an underappreciated jewel,” she said of the Blount County campus.

At age 47, Fuller belongs to the group often referred to as “nontraditional” students, that is, anyone who falls outside the 18-22 age range of the typical undergraduate. Nontraditional students enter college later in life for a whole host of reasons, including corporate downsizing, dead-end jobs, divorce, empty-nest syndrome and unfulfilled ambitions. And they bring with them expectations and experiences that differ from those of their younger classmates.

The number of first-time freshmen who are nontraditional students at Pellissippi State Technical Community College is, at almost 25 percent, the highest it has been since fall 1995. Lucille Hardiman, Dee Dee Glasgow, Keith Knight and Fuller are nontraditional students at Pellissippi State’s Blount County Center. And though they’ve followed different paths to get there, they all agree that college is where they want to be.

Hardiman, 24, describes the experience as a lifelong dream.

“As a child, I thought college for me was impossible,” said the public relations student. “I didn’t think I was smart enough.”

The combination of a difficult home life and an undiagnosed learning disability caused Hardiman to drop out of school in the ninth grade.

“I went to 13 different schools,” she said. Her family life disintegrated, but despite the hardships she faced, she never gave up on the dream of getting an education. At 17, she came to Tennessee and began working on her GED.

When she entered Pellissippi State in the fall of 2002 at age 22, her learning disability was diagnosed through testing, and she began to acquire strategies to compensate for it.

“Pellissippi State really helped me in that area,” she said. In fact, she says, the Blount County Center is perfect for her.

“I don’t feel overwhelmed. It’s a friendly environment, and the teachers always have time to give you one-on-one assistance.”

Glasgow, 32, agrees that the atmosphere on campus is welcoming.

“Pellissippi State makes it more personal for the returning student,” she said. “You know that you are in school because there’s plenty of work, but it’s a comfortable atmosphere.”

A graduate of Maryville High School and the mother of two children, Glasgow decided to enter college after her job in a manufacturing plant became “monotonous.” She enrolled in the fall of 2003, and the computer engineering student has now earned scholarships from Alcoa and the National Science Foundation.

After 13 years away from the classroom, Glasgow says she felt a bit of apprehension the first few days, when she saw “the young kids” who were her classmates. “I thought I had to do perfect work to match up to their standards,” she said. “But the teacher treated everyone the same. She did a good job of helping everyone.” A year later, Glasgow can see that nontraditional students actually have some advantages over their younger counterparts.

“Our maturity level is a bit different,” she said. “We are in class focusing on learning. We’re trying to get it, while the younger students might be a little more casual about it. We don’t want to take a class over.”

All in all, however, Glasgow says the age differences are not important in the long run.

“It’s irrelevant. I don’t think about that. I just go to class.” After a while the age barrier disappears entirely, she says, because “everybody is working toward a common goal.”

First-semester Paralegal Studies major Keith Knight reiterated Glasgow’s assessment: “Everybody wants to learn.”

Knight, 33, an Alcoa High graduate, found his way to Blount County Center after losing his job and finding that with just a high school diploma, his employment opportunities were limited.

A friend recommended Pellissippi State, and Knight discovered that he was eager to go back to school.

Like many returning students, Knight is spending his first semester in developmental, or refresher, courses in English, math and study skills.

“I’m really enjoying learning,” he said. Although he used to dislike math, he now has a greater appreciation of it: “I got out in the real world and found out how much you use it.”

Knight says he likes the small classes and excellent teachers he has found at Blount County Center, and although some nontraditional students choose to take courses online for the sake of convenience, Knight appreciates the advantages to being on campus.

“I prefer being here in person,” he said. “If I have a question about something, I can ask it right then.” Taking classes online seems impersonal, he says. Judy Fuller also emphasizes the personal nature of the instruction she has received at the Blount County campus.

“I was absolutely terrified when I enrolled,” she said. “But there’s immense support here. I haven’t met a teacher who was not an inspiration. They instill passion in people.”

The mother of three grown children and the grandmother of six, Fuller enjoys the interaction with the younger students.

“I like the diversity of older and younger students,” she said. “We help each other.”

She relates the story of showing one young classmate how to diagram a sentence, a skill rarely taught in school these days. On the other hand, she is amazed by the young female students’ interest in and knowledge of math.

“No one stressed math for girls when I was growing up,” she said.

As do many of her counterparts, Fuller works and she finds it challenging to balance a job with school, church and family. But she says she is learning to prioritize. “I always have to ask myself, ‘What is most important right now?’” Without a doubt, getting a college education is high up on her list.

Fuller says she often tells her 10- and 12-year-old granddaughters that she wants them to grow up to be strong, educated, confident women. By returning to her old elementary school, she is showing them the way.