Russellville woman finds going back to school ‘easy’

By Jeannie Stone

LITTLE ROCK — (Editor’s Note: The following is the second in a four-part series on nontraditional students at colleges and universities in the River Valley and Ozark area.)

Jamie Dalton, 43, of Russellville has a family full of dentists.

Both her parents are dentists in her hometown of Arkadelphia, and her husband, Mike, is a dentist in Russellville. Even her brother-in-law is a dentist in Baton Rouge, La. She doesn’t like to disappoint, but dentistry never appealed to her.

Dalton has joined the ranks of nontraditional students and is living her dream at Arkansas Tech University.

About 10 years ago, she attended Tech with her mind focused on entering medical school. “My kids were too young for me to continue that route,“ Dalton said, “but I loved the intellectual stimulation of the college atmosphere.”

She returned to campus in fall 2007 “to see if my brain still worked,” she said, laughing.

Susie Nicholson, assistant to the ATU president, said that 1,222 of the 6,804 students at the university are older than 30. There also are 880 students between the ages of 24 and 30, she said.

Dalton could have gone straight to graduate school with the prerequisites she had already earned, but she was nervous and played her re-entry cautiously. “My sister, who has her Ph.D. in clinical psychology, kept telling me that as you get older you just can’t learn as fast, and you’re unable to employ rote memorization techniques that are so vital to the learning process. Even my parents thought I had been out of school too long to go back. But my husband was always more than supportive and, personally, I’ve found it easy to relate newconcepts with my past learning and experiences.”

Dalton earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Washington and her master’s in special education from Henderson State University. “When I first went to school, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I just wanted a degree. I went into special education looking to a career that would prove convenient with my children’s future school schedules,” she said.

The mother of two stayed busy over the years helping others with their school and professional goals. She helped her husband start a dental practice and has kept the books in his office. Her children, Elizabeth and Nathan, are high school students now. “I’m proud of her,” Nathan said. “I mean, she and my dad have both done so much for us. If this makes her happy, then I’m glad she’s doing it. It’s a good thing.”

Seeing his mom tackle college has also taught him a thing or two about college life. “From what I gather, it’s a lot better than high school,” he said.

His mother added, “I’ve been to several different schools, and Tech is my favorite. The students are just great. I have enjoyed them so much, and the school offers such a nurturing environment. The professors have such encouraging attitudes. I would love for my kids to go there.”

Professor Tsunemi Yamashita shared his insights on teaching nontraditional students. “Most teachers believe older students are a bit more focused and ask more mature questions. I definitely think it’s a good idea for Jamie to continue her studies. Her experiences and the patience she has practiced in seeking her place in the academic world would make her a more compassionate teacher.”

Dalton isn’t sure what field she will pursue. “All of it is interesting to me. It’s fun to learn. When you’re a kid, you just feel like you have to memorize stuff, and I’m actually learning the material now.”

She said she is fascinated by human physiology and jumped right in to the coursework thatappealed to her. The first semester, she took biochemistry and microbiology. This past semester, she enrolled in molecular genetics, immunology and cell biology.

Jason Basinger, 28, Dalton’s lab partner, said, “She’s the most responsible lab partner that I’ve had.” Fellow nontraditional classmate Brandon Gibson, 30, said, “I’m a lot more focused than when I was 18. Jamie can do anything we can do. I’d say she can even do it better.”

Dalton is interested in conducting research in the biological sciences. “I’ve always been attracted to human physiology and discovering what makes the body tick,” she said. “Right now, my goal is to get into a graduate program.” Dalton hasn’t completed the application process because she has been in the middle of exams, but she already knows it will take some managing to accommodate the next step.

“I would have to go to U of A in Fayetteville or UAMS in Little Rock,” she said. “But I will worry about that if I get accepted. It’s my time now,” she said.

Although she has never been involved with the support groups at Tech, the school offers a Nontraditional Student Organization, which is one of the student services programs designed around the needs of nontraditional students such as planned social gatherings, like movie nights, to foster a camaraderie.

Nicholson said, “At Tech, we like to offer family activities throughout the year, which is a great way for students with children to merge the business of their schooling with their family lives. We have a huge Family Day around the time of homecoming, the Spring Fling, with a carnival-type atmosphere, and other events.” Dalton mirrors the feelings of many nontraditional students, who are concerned about their academic performance compared to the younger students. “I felt I needed to get updated, and I needed to refresh my study skills. It has been a pleasant surprise to realize that, at my age, my brain still works,” she said, smiling.

(In Sunday’s edition, meet Janice Glasspoole, a nontraditional student at the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton.)

River Valley Ozark, Pages 67, 73 on 05/15/2008