Tiffany Barolette

English 2010
Reflection Paper

As I begin to write my reflection I think oh no another thing to write but when I look back I
can see now that it has helped me in understanding that there are different genres in writing and
that there is a process to writing.
The writing process has not been an easy one for me. Although I have had writing classes before
I just seem to be used to I guess what they call it is free style writing. I have been so used to just
writing and not having to worry about style or form that I really didnt understand that there is a
writing process to everything you write. What I have also learned is that when I write I need to
expand on my conclusions and not to just get straight to the point because sometimes to expand
or to elaborate more is better in getting people to understand your writing.
For the field that I am trying to enter which is nursing, you have to elaborate and expand and not
just get straight to the point. Ok so I picked two papers and my group PSA to post and I know
that I have made a few mistakes and they need to be fixed. So for me I know this is a learning
process and I am still leaning and trying to better my writing skills and I guess it will be an
ongoing process. Ok so in a few papers I wrote I know that I need to put in sourced or quotes
better and use single phrase words. I also need to not rush through the writing process and reread
it out loud to actually hear it read out loud.
From this point on I will keep moving forward with my writing and trying to improve it as I go.
Tiffany Barolette
English 2010
Evaluation Paper

DOES AN ADULT GOING BACK TO SCHOOL HELP MAKE MORE MONEY?
(An Aide to Almost Everyone in Society)
There is not a day that goes by that I do not see the Everest College commercial that
encourages adults to go back to school. This new trend really hits home for me, due to the fact I
am one of those adults that decided to in fact go back to school. My main reason for going back
to school is to obtain my life-long dream of being a nurse but making more money did definitely
come into play when I finally made the decision to actually go back. Which brings up the main
topic of this paper does schooling actually aide you in making more money?
An adult going back to school to make more money has had a great impact on many
different groups. Think of the effect it has on the single family unit first off. Like the old saying
goes, Money makes the world go round. In the family unit, I strongly feel it brings a better
quality of living to the unit. In saying that, what I mean exactly is this. I believe that with more
money it does give the parents of the family unit less stress. With less stress, I believe it would
help the parent pay more attention to the betterment of the unit as a whole. It also would give the
parent a sense of accomplishment. With that, it would also give that parent confidence as well.
Well first, they would have confidence that when their child asks them for help they will know
they are giving them the best method to learn that information. This also helps give the child a
sense of direction in their educational goals as well. I see it this way with my kids, if I complete
my education and make more money it will give them the drive to make even more than I have
made. More money helps families create different memories than someone who has less money.
I know a lot would say that is not the case. Well I say think of it like this, A family that has
substantial finances can afford to take a vacation to somewhere they have never been before
where a family without the finances sits at home and try to find activities to do with each other
there. Dont get me wrong, this is not a bad thing but having the extra finances does give you a
little wiggle room to enjoy some of lifes luxuries. During my research I found a few articles
basically stating, the more education you have the healthier you are. I truly believe that this is
true as well. It is a concept in my opinion that makes sense. More education, means more
money, more money means more of a capability to be able to buy healthier foods. In my
investigation on this subject I found these words online by C. McKnelly from livestrong.com,
In fact, poor educational attainment was a stronger predictor of unhealthy eating habits than
smoking, television watching habits and even social class. ." McKnelly, C. (2011, March 23).
The parent that makes the decision to go back to school after a long while of not being in
school is a brave person in my opinion. I say this because I was nervous more than anything in
the world of going back. I know for a fact based on my research that I am not the only one that
feels or felt that way. The following is from a testimonial I saw online that made me feel a little
better about my fears regarding going to school again. R. Zupeck states, "After 14 years, I
returned to get my undergraduate degree from the University of Florida and finally graduated
[recently]. At 38 years old, it was a very humbling experience sitting in a classroom with
students half my age. So many things had changed in the classroom; I was scared to death. They
were a delight to go to school with; we actually held study groups together, did class projects,
etc. They seemed genuinely interested in my 'real-life' job experiences and what brought me back
to finish what I started." Zupeck, R. (2009, July 10). I feel that type of awkwardness on a daily
basis but knowing that others are going and have went through the same thing I am going
through and have made it to their goals gives me the drive to see this all the way to the end.
More adults making money as I stated previously impacts many groups. One of those
groups would be the economy of the United States itself. Many publications have printed reports
that state it is actual consumer spending that drives the economy. Consumer spending makes up
more than 70 percent of the economy, and it usually drives growth during economic recoveries.
Skousen, M. (2010, September 22). My evaluation of this quote leads me to the conclusion that
if more adults make more money and spend more of that money it will make the economy of the
US that much stronger. I feel that the government knows this all too well to be a fact. I say this
due to the fact of all the money the government puts toward adult education all across the United
States of America. Colleges left and right are flooding all methods of media with the message of
Adults going back to school. Of course this is to bring more money into the school but it will
also help the people that decide to take advantage of the deals they have to offer. The saying
Knowledge is power is 100% true and the government feels the same it seems. U.S. Secretary
of Education Arne Duncan said, In these tough budget times, the Obama Administration is
making a clear statement that high-quality education is absolutely critical to rebuilding our
economy. If we want to strengthen the American workforce, we must continue to invest in
education. Press Office (2012, February 13). U.S. Department of Education 2013 Budget
Continues Investments to Strengthen Workforce and Rebuild American Economy Retrieved
March 03, 2014, from: http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-2013-
budget-continues-investments-strengthen-workforce-a.
Education is an essential part of obtaining a higher income nowadays. Per a report I saw
from the U.S Census Bureau in 2002 the average amount of money based on education were
very surprising to me. The information I found will shocked you just as it shocked me. For a
person with no high school education makes $14,349 annually, a high school graduate makes
$23,233, an Associates degree give you about $31,684 a Bachelors is at $45,648 a Masters is
paying $56,958 and lastly a Doctorate degree pays $87,644. This shows clear proof that the
higher the education level of a person, the more they make.
Some say money is the root of all evil. I myself say that money is a way not only to take
care of your family but to also takes care of your community and your country. What is the key
on making that money that helps in so many ways you ask? The answer is simple. That answer
is education. Now I see what my parents meant when they told me to go to school because it
will the key to your future. I am just glad I have decided to do it before it is too late. The way
society is moving, towards having more education to better jobs shows that education is
becoming even more pertinent and essential to having a good life. I myself am finally ready to
go and grab a piece of the American pie.
I feel that society as a whole will benefit more if we have well educated and well paid
adults out in the work force. The reason I feel this way is because I believe that people that have
money and can pay their bills are a lot happier than people that cannot. I feel that people that are
happier make the people around the happy. Who doesnt need more happiness in their lives? I
feel that some of the points that I have mentioned are the answer to the question, Does an
adulating back to school help make more money. The answer to me is yes.



Work Cited Page

McKnelly, C. (2011, March 23). Relationship Between Healthy Eating & Education Retrieved
March 03, 2014, from: http://www.livestrong.com/article/408848-relationship-between-healthy-
eating-education/
Skousen, M. (2010, September 22). Consumer Spending Drives the Economy? Retrieved March
03, 2014, from: http://www.fee.org/the_freeman/detail/consumer-spending-drives-the-
economy/#ixzz2uxw4NgvR.
Zupeck, R. (2009, July 10). Success Stories: I Thought I Was Too Old to Go Back to School.
Retrieved March 03, 2014, from: http://www.careerbuilder.com/Article/CB-1347-Salaries-
Promotions-Success-Stories-I-Thought-I-Was-Too-Old-to-Go-Back-to-School.
Press Office (2012, February 13). U.S. Department of Education 2013 Budget Continues
Investments to Strengthen Workforce and Rebuild American Economy Retrieved March 03,
2014, from: http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-2013-budget-
continues-investments-strengthen-workforce-a.




A Decision Finally Made
Life is truly a funny thing. The reason I say that is, some things in life are shown to you
to get your rear end in motion. In August 2010, I saw my older sister and even one of my
younger sisters in college and it got me thinking of going to college myself so I could obtain one
of my life long dreams. What is that dream you may ask? Well it is the dream of becoming a
full-fledged Nurse. Based on my situation at the time I just went along for a while thinking how
nice it would be to be a nurse. The money to take care of my family and have a little less
financial stress would be nice. The main reason that I really want to be a nurse is because it
really brings joy to my heart to help people during their time of need. At that time I thought
What a great dream that would be to come true. The reason for it staying a dream for so
long was due to past mistakes that I have made in my life. Looking back on them now I do
regret some, really the ones that kept me from getting my education earlier in my life. Well, let
me give you a little back ground on me so you can understand why I say earlier in the previous
sentence. I am currently 33, married and a mother of two young daughters. Well when I was
younger I left school high school and didnt go back. I left for more reasons than this story will
has time to tell you. To sum it up! I was a sickly kid and missed a lot of school and I didnt feel
like I could make up all the work I had to do to graduate so I just gave up. I worked at what jobs
I could get to help take care of my family but something was missing.
One day my older sister and I were talking, just catching up. My sister is only a year
older them me, is married with three young boys. During that time my sister was currently
attending Salt Lake Community College studying to be a lawyer. She has always wanted to be a
lawyer since she was a little girl. As we were talking, my sister asked me a question that made
me really think on how my life was going. It really made me think on what I could do to get
what I wanted in life. I was sometime in July of 2011, a little after the 4
th
of July we were just
talking about how I hoped my daughter Angel would get on the honor roll again the next school
year and her telling me how her boys were going to start playing soccer. She said to me on that
day Im going to school why dont you try going back. The minute, the last word came out her
mouth I started feeling a slight sadness due to the fact I have always regretted not getting my
high school diploma. I also started to feel the feeling of gloom on going back to school. My
sister has been attending school for 5 years trying to get her education. Due to her family
needs she has worked and gone to school the whole time which I see is not easy. Seeing that,
made me even more nervous of going back to school. I really hated failing at anything I did at
that time in my life. That question really had me thinking about having a new life with a
fulfilling job. I truly think this was the part of my life that made me make one of the biggest
and hardest decisions I have ever made. I decided at that point I was going to do everything in
my power to make my dream of being a nurse a reality. That was I guess, the hint life was
waiting to give me on getting my rear end in motion.
Now the task of trying to go back to school after so many years begins. Wow I still cant
believe it. It has been a total of 14 years that I let lapse between me obtaining my dreams. I
was glad at the time one of my little sisters knew about an alternative school called Horizante.
She gave me their number and I went all in, Im going to fight from this point on to get my
dream. I called them and then some of my hardship on getting started in school started. Since
I did leave school early, I had no idea how many credits I had or need to graduate. I met with
the advisor at Horizante. They stated I had to sign forms for my records to be released to them
from my prior high school, Franklin K. Lane. It took some time to get all that was needed but In
August 2011. I was on the road to get my high school diploma.
The road to getting a high school diploma is not an easy one but it was a road I was
going to see to the end. What made it so hard was that it had been such a long time since I had
done any math, science, or any other of the general class needed to pass high school. I was
nervous as heck too that first day! I was lost. I was never that great of a student when I was
younger. I guess that was due to the fact that school was so daunting to me it took me a while
to get use to everything again. Even now that I am going back it feels the same. I get extremely
stressed a day or so before a major test. Math itself is definitely another language as they say.
I remember that day in math when the teacher went from talking English, to the way the adults
on Charlie Brown use to speak. Wah, wah, wah, wah, wah . It seems funny now, but that day I
had an anxiety attack. I have to say if it was not for the support of my family, everyone from
my husband right to my Dad were all very proud of me for going back to get the diploma. It
was hard but in January of 2012 I actually passed all the tests and quizzes I needed to graduate.
I had finally gotten my high school diploma. One of my top 5 moments in my life was when I
put my diploma in the frame and put it on the wall. Yeah for me!!!
The next eight months I had to run around like a chicken with my head cut off. On the
night I graduated, I made the decision to get started in college right away. I wanted to get right
back to the school swing again so I didnt forget anything I recently learned. Running here to
get tax papers, running there to get transcripts. I had to run to places to even get paycheck
stubs but it was all necessary for me to do what I wanted to. I wanted to start the fall semester
of 2012 so that whole eight months I ran around to get the papers I needed to get approval for
financial aid and I did it. So in August 2012, I started my college life.
Wow, college has been the most intense experience that I have had in a while and that
is for sure. I was in the big leagues now. After the first week I was to the point of begging and
pleading of going back to high school work. My first semester had me totally stressed, trying to
remember where to be, at what time and what class. I think my hair went gray for a day on the
first day for sure. I thank the stars above for my husband and his writing skills because he had
to really show me how to put my thoughts into writing. It took a while and made his gray hair
show but I think that he did a good job. I am writing this which to me is still a shock.
I still have a good little bit to go with schooling and I know it will get harder but no
matter how hard it gets I will fight tooth and nail until the day I can frame my college diploma,
and put it on the wall next to my high school one. Soon after that I will be putting my nursing
degree right next to the both of them. Like I said before this has been the hardest decision Ive
ever made but in the long run I will finally have my dream.






PSA link: Http://youtu.be/9_wn8NFTBgM

In the group PSA we took out some words on the pictures and shortened the length of the
PSA video. We also added a little more pictures.