Video Professors

LIFE CLICKS ON

 Until recently, I was married, had three kids and a dog, and a two-story house in the suburbs. Nice life. Then snap, I found myself in a position I’d never thought possible-my husband walked out. To make matters worse, our marital finances weren’t as solid as my husband had always claimed them to be. He’d gone through our revolving line of credit faster than a super-G Merry-Go-Round, and the house was mortgaged to the hilt. I scolded myself for signing refinancing docs and credit applications with only a cursory glance, coupled with my husband’s promise that our monetary situation was stable. Seems our life was nothing but a house built of cards, about to topple over.

 Prior to becoming a mom, I’d had a fulfilling career as an elementary school teacher. Though it had been several years since I’d been in a classroom, I vowed to jump back into the work force. I wouldn’t play the needy divorcee, sitting at home, praying for her spousal support check. Time to Clairol my gray-tinged roots and dig out my old, but classic, business suit, and head to the district office to inquire about employment. Making my way through the maze of offices that led to Human Resources proved somewhat daunting. No friendly faces; only the constant clicking of fingertips upon computer keyboards. I was taken aback at the lightening speed at which these anonymous fingers whirred. I hadn’t touched a computer since Steve Jobs placed free Macs in elementary classrooms , and my typing speed back then had been pokey at best. My family did own a computer, actually two, but I never used them because my husband and children were constantly logged on. Not to worry, my specialty was teaching eight-year olds--not Computer Science majors. But I couldn’t stop thinking how my girlfriends had raved about staying technically updated through the Video Professor’s online computer classes and had chided me for not.

 Five minutes into my interview, I realized I had reason to feel unnerved. I was quizzed about my past teaching experience, my methods for keeping pace with the rapidly changing computer technology, and how I’d utilize it to enhance my students’ learning. Mumbling something about the merits of learning the alphabet out of order, I quickly backed out of the room. Why hadn’t I taken those Video Professor lessons like my “keeping pace with the times” friends, instead of investing in calligraphy class?

 I called my friend and told her that like VHS, I was now obsolete. Her response: Ridiculous. Get some computer training. Where? How? I didn’t have the time or money to invest in a pricey class that I probably wouldn’t understand. She said two words: Video Professor. Video Professor? What university does he teach at? You know, Video Professor. The online education courses taught through an interactive format that’s easy to follow, with an extensive class selection, offering the necessary programs needed to compete in today’s world. The price--reasonable. You go at your own pace, in the comfort of your home.

Picturing myself plucking away at my son-to-be ex’s computer in my fuzzy bunny slippers, I sighed. “Video Professor.” 

Video Professors