Yikes, I did it! For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to go to Grad School but every time I think about it, something gets in the way. This year I will be 53. Sitting here one night, the question came to me, “if not now, then when?” I love to teach. I come alive in the classroom and have a natural aptitude for it. Then along came online learning and WHAM! all the things I do so well in the classroom became difficult in the virtual world. The hardest is I can’t see the student’s faces. When that look of confusion crosses their face, I try a new tact, explain it a different way, draw picture on the whiteboard. How would I know when they don’t get it? Asking people to own their confusion only goes so far. The direction of the responsibility changes and for some students, that’s a deal breaker….It’s OK if the instructor notices, but they don’t want to admit they don’t know something. So my journey for more information about online learning lead me to a unique program at California State, East Bay. They offer a M.S. in Education, Option in Online Teaching & Learning. The program fit me like a glove! I filled out the application online, paid the application fee, had my transcripts sent from Purdue and mailed off my letter of intent to the program chair. Good advise, “if not now, then when?”