School Days

My recent involvement with the new Indiana Clean Elections Coalition has resulted in something completely unrelated: a real hankerin’ to go to school. We meet at the University of Indianapolis and are organizing a Citizens’ Summit there in September. Three of the charter members are professors. And we click. I love it when Miss Charlotte patiently corrects our grammar. I love it when they talk their everyday academic talk and use words like plenary that I have to secretly look up.

My first adult appreciation for higher education came when I worked for CBU in Memphis while finishing my Bachelor’s degree. I loved it. Well, politics and misunderstood pecking orders aside, I loved it. We employees could take time off for class, for studying, for projects, or just for deep discussions all surrounded by impeccable landscaping, grand old buildings and oodles of ideas, and thoughts, and words, and opinions and perspectives.

I’ve wanted a graduate English degree for years now, but my son’s education has always been top billing. And still is. If I had $10,000 to spend on me, though, I’d be at school tomorrow!