(Editor's Note: This is the third of a fourpart series on nontraditional students in the River Valley and Ozark area.)
Janice Freeman Glasspoole, 52, of Gum Log has never let go of her dream of becoming a registered nurse.
Last fall, she returned to school at the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton to complete her life's ambition.
Glasspoole, who was raised in Dover, worked most recently as a licensed practical nurse for Arkansas Hospice where she took the opportunity to earn her certification as a palliative-care nurse.
"I loved my job," she said. But theorganization downsized, and being the only LPN, she was let go.
"Two weeks later, I received my acceptance letter from University of Arkansas Community College in Morrilton. It was a godsend," she said.
Mary Clark, director of public relations and marketing at UACCM, understands why a small community college campus appeals to older students. "Around 80 percent of our enrollment is considered nontraditional," she said. "I think the large proportion of older students has a lot to do with the fact that the school is more accessible to folks living in this area, and the cost of tuition plays a big factor. Typically, our tuitionis half the amount of traditional colleges. Some of these students serve to inspire other folks in the community," Clark said.
"When you see other people like you who are taking college classes, you tend to feel optimistic about your own success," Clark added.
"I dropped out of Dover Schools in ninth grade. I had straight A's, but I had health problems, and the school wouldn't let me advance to 10th grade because I had missed too many days of school. I wasn't going to repeat a grade when I already knew everything, so I quit," she said.
"My grandfather had lung cancer, and I took care of him at 16, and I sat with others in the community who were sick," Glasspoole said. "I'm a big people person. I get that from my dad. One of the nurses at St. Mary's told me I'd make a good nurse. I had never thought of that, but my thinking in caring for my grandfather was, basically, a hospice philosophy: If I can't make him better, maybe I can make him more comfortable."
Glasspoole said working as a nurse's aide at Legacy Lodge Nursing Home inspired her to go to LPN school.
Glasspoole also chaperoned Vo-tech classes on field trips. "Bill Davis was so good to me. He was a high school teacher in charge of the Vo-Tech classes, and after my sister told him I was a nurse's aide, he would always tell me that he wanted to see me earn that LPN pin within a year. He was a great encourager and challenged everyone to reach a little higher." She did earn her LPN pin that year. Through her association with the Vo-Tech classes, she also attended seminars on public speaking, interviewing and how to present herself.
Glasspoole briefly left nursing to pursue her second love, cooking. She owned The Hillbilly Inn Cafe at Ozark. "Everyoneremembers my pies," she said. Her dream of becoming a registered nurse became too great to ignore.
In 1993, she enrolled in the RN program at Westark College in Fort Smith. "I was working full time. Then my father passed away, and in 1995, we move back to help my mother. I had to put my dreams on hold," Glasspoole said.
Friends, family and teachers along the way, have motivated Glasspoole to continue her studies. "My father always told me I could do whatever I wanted to do," she said. A UACCM clinical instructor, Gabby Sanders, told her, "You can do anything these young girls are doing. You have life experiences and a reason to be here."
Her loudest cheerleader has been her husband, Frank, who owns Glasspoole Motor Service. "He has cooked, done the dishes and the gardening. He and his folks have bought my books," she said. "Basically, he told me not to worry about anything but school."
UACCM has a nursing program tailor-made for nontraditional students who are already LPNs. The Arkansas Rural Nursing Education Consortium is a one-year program with eveningclasses during the week, and clinicals on weekends. The satellite program joins several other classes around the state.
Glasspoole isn't saying it's been easy. "Well, I've struggled," she said. "That college algebra just about killed me, but, for my age, I'm doing pretty good. I have an 87 average. If I could be a full-time student, I would be," she adds. "I absolutely love school. I eat it up. I learn something new each day. The program is real fast-paced. Sometimes, we cover six to eight chapters a week." Glasspoole shares her wisdom with younger students.
"I talk to classes now and tell the kids not to quit. Find something you like to do and educate yourself to the fullest extent possible. Getting your education is like money in the bank," Glasspoole said. "Everything you put in you can recall, but if you never put anything in what are you going to do? Pluck chickens?"
Glasspoole admits she's taken the long road to fulfilling her dream. "I would encourage people to go to school when they're young. I know, sometimes, it is not possible because of finances, but, lots of times, money gets tighterand tighter as you get older because your aren't earning much money without that education."
Encouraging others has become central to Glasspoole's interactions. "I'm like the mother to everyone, but I also cut up in class because it's important to remember to laugh. There are some things, however, that are way too serious to joke about."
Glasspoole, who is a four-year cancer survivor, is grateful for this chance in life.
"I do not take life lightly," she said. "You're never too old to learn. Education is the key to wisdom. I believe that. This is the greatest opportunity in my lifetime."
(In Thursday's edition, meet Arkansas Tech nontraditional student Joe Wichmann.)
River Valley Ozark, Pages 145, 158 on 05/18/2008