Collision of History, School, and Me

Posted on May 1, 2010 by Tricia Ransom

I wasn’t the best student in high school and things didn’t improve much in college; it took me 3 tries before I graduated….when I was 30. So when I told my parents that I was going to get my Master’s degree, you can image their reaction. Was I going to start and stop like I did during my undergrad years? Was I going to be able to focus for an entire semester? And what about the fact I had a full-time job?

But I succeeded. In fact, I did so well that my Master’s Project was chosen by my department as the Outstanding Master’s Project for 2010! This is me at the awards ceremony Thursday night:

Accepting award for Outstanding Masters Project 2010

My husband and mother were in the audience watching proudly as I accepted my award. They listened intently as the presenter described the project as a simple, original, and publishable idea. I was glad my husband was there, but I know my mom was close to tears as she was listening and watching. And this is where history, school, and I collide.

School

Roosevelt University opened its doors in 1945 with the determination to”make higher education available to all students who could qualify academically…[without] Considerations of social or economic class, racial or ethnic origin, sex, or age.” The idea must have been unimaginable to most people then.

History

1945. The Army was still segregated. Brown vs. the Board of Education was almost a decade in the future. Emett Till was only a 4 year old boy in Chicago…never dreaming of how he’d change history 10 years later in Money, Mississpi. Martin Luther King, Jr was still a college student in Atlanta Georgia. Malcolm X was a petty criminal about to serve 8-10 years in prison.

And my grandmother, Callie Miller Murphy, was a homemaker living in the Ida B. Wells housing projects in Chicago with her husband and two daughters.  Her life was full with family, friends, and church. But apparently she felt something was missing…

Collision

Fast forward to January 2008. I’m a brand new student talking to Mom about the first day of school. She asks where I’m going and I say Roosevelt — silence. Then she says in a choked voice “you know, that’s where your grandmother went to school before we moved. I remember her riding the bus downtown so she could go to class…”

I don’t think Grandma graduated; Grandpa moved the family to Idlewild, MI around 1948 or so and it would be about 15 years before she finished her degree and started her career as a teacher.

In May, I’m graduating from Roosevelt University with a Master’s degree, about 60 years after Grandma began her college career there. Though I’m the one receiving the degree, Grandma is the one who fulfilled the school’s mission to make higher education available to all qualified students without regard to social or economic class, racial or ethnic origin, sex, or age.

There are photographs in the hallways of Roosevelt’s Auditorium building – pictures of students taken in the 1940s and 1950s. I find myself walking slowly down those hallways, hoping one day to catch a glimpse of  Grandma.

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In Transition: The Gift of Time

Posted on March 18, 2010 by Tricia Ransom

I’m laid off, and my biggest fear was that I would sit around the house looking inward and brooding. I thought I would wake up every morning and sit on the couch watching television. Was I wrong!

What being laid off has given me is time. Not time to do nothing, but time to do all those things that I’ve been wanting to do. I’ve cleaned out closets, organized cupboards, started cooking, worked on my knitting, driven around the city, ridden public transportation by myself, done daily grocery shopping, discovered second-hand and thrift stores.

I’ve done all of those while still taking 3 classes, working 2 part-time jobs, and learning to navigate unemployment. I’ve had time to be as busy as I want to be.

In the process I’ve become more relaxed, slightly more patient and accepting, and I think a lot more fun to be around. I notice that I smile more, and that I don’t get as stressed out as much. I really can put stuff off until tomorrow, and I know it’ll get done instead of being buried by other to-dos.

I like not working 40 hours a week. I like not working 8 hours a day. I like not working over weekends. I like not working at home in the evenings. I really really like it. I know it will change, and I know that I’ll adapt. But until then I’m enjoying my time.

I remember a conversation I had with someone in 2002. She had had a job with a non-profit marketing company in Manhattan; after 9-11 her company closed and she was out of work. She told me that the following 6 months were the most fun she had ever had…she got a job as a temp receptionist, and when she wasn’t working she was exploring the great city of New York. She said she gave herself picnics in Central Park, subway rides to neighborhoods she’d never been to before, and just wandered up and down streets and soaking in the energy of the city.

I didn’t understand what she was talking about –  what about her time? What was she doing? She wasn’t working, wasn’t she nervous or stressed? I was thinking to myself “yes, yes, yes…those things are nice, but why aren’t you  spending your time better? Why aren’t you looking for a job?”

I understand her now. Picnics, subway rides and wandering through neighborhoods are as important as a paycheck and career.

So I have to say “Thank You” to my former company. Without being laid-off I never would have had this time to relax and be me.

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In Transition: Online Courses Aren’t Real School

Posted on February 25, 2010 by Tricia Ransom

I collect unemployment benefits which means that every two weeks I have to “certify” I’m still unemployed and that I’m still looking for work. This certification takes the form of answering a series of questions either online or over the telephone.

One of the questions I must answer is along the lines of “Did you attend school or training during this period?” Since I’m taking 3 graduate-level courses, 2 weeks ago I answered Yes. And that’s where the problems began.

After back and forth and all types of hassle, what I learned is this – “since you’re taking online courses, you aren’t attending a real school”. What the unemployment department meant is that I wasn’t in a brick and mortar building.

Since I’m taking online courses, I’m not attending a real school. And in a larger sense, that’s the problem, isn’t it?

As learning and development professionals, we spend time and effort to design and create good e-learning.  We spend money on the latest e-learning software and then even more time learning to use that software. We network with other e-learning professionals, and we invoke adult learning theories, and e-learning theories and best practices. All of that, and the perception is still “online courses aren’t real school”.

And for those of us in the corporate world, how many times have we heard, “well, let’s just create some e-learning until they can come to the training session/induction/new-hire orientation and ‘really’ learn it”. Once again, the message is that online courses aren’t real school.

How do we change this perception? I have no idea.

What I do know is that we, learning and development professionals, are partly to blame. Every time we’re asked to create that e-learning to tide people over until they can come to an ILT and “really” learn it, we’re perpetuating this belief. Every time we create bad e-learning, we’re helping this thought grow deeper into the psyche of people. “Online courses aren’t real school.”

Every single one of us has made that compromise between what we know is best for our learners and the time-frame or resources allotted to us to do the training. Why do we make that compromise? It benefits no one. Bad e-learning is a waste of time and resources for everyone. When asked to create bad e-learning, say that. Tell people its a waste of money. Be honest. Otherwise you’re just feeding into the “online courses aren’t real school” myth.

Oh, you know they’ll fight back. You’ll hear things like:

  • “But at least they’ll be familiar with the concepts when they come to training or class.” Or
  • “Something is better than nothing.” Or my favorite,
  • “But it’ll be a good reference resource for everyone.”

You know these statements are false – you know it in your gut, and you can pull out mountains of research to prove it. In the words of Nancy Reagan, Just Say No.

Be honest – you know learners won’t be familiar with the concepts because you know bad e-learning doesn’t result in a transfer of knowledge. Say so and pull out research to prove it!

Be honest. You know that using your time and effort  to create something that won’t be remembered 5 minutes after completion is much much worse than having nothing. What the organization has lost is your time – how many hours did you spend creating this bad e learning, and what is your hourly rate? That money is gone forever from the organization. The organization has also lost all the work-hours of each person sitting through the horrific course. And if they can’t remember a thing about it in a week, then the company might as well just have paid them to sit and stare at a wall. Say so and pull out research to prove it!

Be honest because you know people don’t access bad e-learning as a reference. If you’ve just put a powerpoint up on your intranet and called it e-learning, how can the learners quickly and easily find the nugget of information they need? How can they easily print it or share it with others? How do they even know where to look for the information? Bad e-learning, by it’s very definition, is un-organized, un-searchable, and un-sharable. It cannot and will not be used for reference, and you must show that! Just ask the person you’re talking to the last time they used an e-learning course as reference material.

All I’m asking is that you fight the good fight when someone asks you to create bad e-learning.

The consequences to your organization can be measured in lost productivity and dollars.

The consequences to our profession are felt each time we hear “online courses aren’t real school”.

Posted in In Transition, learning | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

In Transition: No is Not a Bad Word

Posted on February 18, 2010 by Tricia Ransom

My mom used to tell me, “Do every job you have to the best of your ability, even if you’re just a toilet cleaner. You never know when the CEO will walk into the bathroom and notice your efforts and reward you”. My toilets are sparkling and it’s paying off. I’ve been approached about job potential opportunities, and I’ve found some on my own. It’s in the evaluation of those opportunities that I’ve learned how important it is to be able to say No.

No is not a bad word. It’s all in how you say it and the reasons behind it. Don’t get me wrong, saying no to a job is never easy. It’s even more difficult in the middle of a recession when you work in a field that’s been decimated by layoffs. But I think it’s a perfectly reasonable response to a job offer. What’s important is that you know why you’re saying no, and that you communicate those reasons clearly, concisely, and professionally.

I’ve recently met Iris Grimm, who is a career coach. One of her sayings is “What price are you willing to pay for your prize?” Think about that. If your prize is a job, what sacrifices or prices are you willing to pay for it? It’s such a simple question that involves knowing yourself, your values, your priorities, and your vision. It also encompasses understanding the realities of your world and professional landscape. To know what price you’ll pay, you synthesize disparate groups of information. You evaluate your understanding of self, realities, and the job offer. And, as I’ve learned, it also involves communication.

There are a lot of experts, websites, books, columns, blogs, and what-have-you on how to conduct your job search. But for me, it’s all about boiling it down to the intangibles. Not the resumes and cover letters and networking, but rather self-awareness, professional awareness, evaluation, and communication.

Self Awareness → Career/Field/Professional Awareness → Evaluation → Communication

Once you know who you are and what your non-negiotiables are, then you apply the realities of the world to yourself and the job offer. This is the evaluation. This is also where you determine what price you’re willing to pay for your prize. So far for me, the price has been too high. A 4 hour commute or a 60 hour work-week doesn’t fit into my priorities.  If I accepted a job, even a great paying job, with a 4 hour commute or 12 hour work-days, I can guarantee I’d quit within a year. And for that entire year I’d be miserable because I wouldn’t be in alignment with who I am and what I want. And the company would be miserable because they’d have to start the entire search all over again.

And this is where No comes in. I had to tell the recruiter, “No thank you. I have certain priorities and non-negotiables, and that long of a commute is something that I can’t do. However, I know someone who I think may be a good fit for this position – would it be OK if I sent them your contact information?” And that’s the other thing I’ve learned – if you say No, have an alternative ready!

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In Transition: The Moment

Posted on January 23, 2010 by Tricia Ransom

When I started this blog in 2008, I was a corporate trainer and working towards my Master’s Degree in Training and Development. I saw my path, I was on it, and life was good.

But, as we all know, life doesn’t always follow the path we want it to. In December 2009, I was laid off from my company and I joined the millions of Americans who are “In Transition”. This posting reflects back to the moment I learned the news.

In Transition: What it means to me

In Transition – at first I wasn’t sure I liked this – it just seemed to be the phrase of the day. But I kept thinking about the word Transition. It’s an action word – an action initiated by me. If I say I’m laid off from my job, that implies something being done to me and is limited to my professional life. If I say I’m transitioning my life and focus, that’s something that I’m doing and encompasses growth, learning, and all aspects of me. Transit is also in motion – it’s happening. Its moving. I’m proud to say I’m “In Transition”. What’s my destination? I’m not sure, but I know I have one, and it’s going to be great! I’m excited about this new movement in my career and life.

Excitement and Hope

In fact, excitement and hope have been the dominant feelings I’ve experienced since my manager told me the news. She pulled me into her office and calmly explained what was happening and why. While I was sitting there, I kept waiting for the feelings of anger, despair, and sadness. I’ll admit I was sad and would miss my co-workers.  But anger? Didn’t show up. Despair? Couldn’t find it. Anguish? Nothing.

In fact, my biggest feeling was one of hope and excitement for the future!  As she was talking, I was making plans to be a full-time student and graduate in May. I was plotting how to best organize my time so I could clean out the house, work on my photography, finish the scarf I’m knitting, blog more, volunteer, and blog more. I felt free to expand myself and explore all the things I hadn’t had time for while I was working and going to school.

Lessons Learned

Life is about learning and here is what I learned/did while I was still working in the office (I had a 3 week period between being informed and my last date).

  • Attitude is everything! Of course I didn’t like hearing I was being laid off, who does? But what would I gain by showing anger to my manager, co-workers, or anyone else? I’d still be out of a job. My manager (Sr. VP of Human Resources) said that I had the best attitude of any person she’d ever had to release in the past 20 years. If there is an opportunity to work with her again, how is she going to remember me?
  • Truly understand the business reason for the situation. I had to separate myself from the business. It was nothing personal.
  • Show up for work every day and work! I was still receiving a paycheck, so therefore I needed to provide value. There were projects I was involved in, and as long as I was on the payroll, I still had responsibilities to my projects and my co-workers.
  • Never bad-mouth anyone, nor display anger or disappointment. Ever. Not at work, not on Facebook, not in email, not on Twitter. Save those conversations for family.
  • Make plans for the future. Plan to keep yourself busy, and start acting on the IMMEDIATELY! This set my mind for action — the idea of transit is about action.
  • Transition your work to the best of your ability. My rationale was that I could conceivably work with these people again, and I wanted them to remember me in the most positive manner possible.
  • Say goodbye to everyone, personally if possible. I walked around and thanked every person and provided my contact information. I let them know I was looking for work, and if they heard of anything, to contact me. I also sent out an email with my contact information and yet another thank-you for providing such a wonderful working experience for the past 3 years. I was surprised by how many people wrote back to thank me and tell me how much they appreciated the good-bye.

In my next posting I’ll blog about the actual steps I followed after leaving the office – things like unemployment, COBRA, and beginning my job search.

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