"Kids, Have You Seen My Backpack?" -An Adult Learner's Blog & Resource

Preview Kids in Google Books & an Update

2010-10-29T06:50:00.000-07:00

I'd like to share something that I don't think I've linked to in the past. Google Books offers a preview of Kids, Have You Seen My Backpack. If you'd like to sample a chapter or two, you can view the free preview here.

The present.

Now I'd like to take a moment to give an update. In August, I left the corporate world and my position at Solid Cactus to start a career in higher education.

It's funny how things circle back. Although not directly with adult learners, the college I work at has one of the best adult learner programs in Central PA - The Edward R. Murphy Center for Continued Education and Distance Learning at Elizabethtown College, with campuses in E-town, York, Lancaster and Harrisburg.

Now that my MFA is complete and I am in a creative, academic environment, I'd like to focus on promoting my book again. In 2005, when this book first came out, adult education was a rising trend. Today,it's even more prevalent and I think there is a need for these stories to be told. I created a Facebook page (you can "like" us to the left), a Twitter account and have updated this blog.

The future.

I will be honest. I was very green when I put this book together. Now that I've completed my MFA program at Wilkes University, I know a lot more about the publishing world. I would have done things differently had I known what I know now. However, regardless of the fact that this book was self-published, the 22 stories in this book are incredible testaments to what its like to be an adult learner. I am proud to say that the book has been on featured readings lists in nontraditional student programs at colleges like Drexel and DePaul. It is listed as a resource on websites of national adult learner organizations.

I plan to edit this book and publish a second edition. With that, I plan to call for more essays. The second edition will feature more stories, updated resources and more. Look for details to follow in the coming months.

Thank you for taking the time for reading this blog and for considering adding Kids to your reading list.

Shepard Suggests Kids, have you seen my backpack...

2010-10-29T06:06:00.000-07:00

A staff member at Shepard created a resource site for adult learners, and his resources page includes two suggested books. Here's what he had to say about "Kids, have you seen my backpack?":

This book offers 22 stories of inspiration that were sent to the author, a woman who worked with nontrads for several years, when she held a national essay contest and compiled the responses. She compiled the essays to offer motivation and celebration for the successes of the adult learners that are trying to graduate and those that already have.

Thank you so much for recognizing our project!

University of Oregon Daily Emerald- Story on School Bookstore

2008-11-26T07:13:00.000-08:00

Here is another news archive from 2005, which talked about the University of Orgeon's bookstore and how it creates community on campus by featuring student authors, including Cindy Ingram who contributed to Kids, Have You Seen My Backpack. Here's a link to the store:

http://media.www.dailyemerald.com/media/storage/paper859/news/2005/09/19/Pulse/University.Bookstore.Brings.Authors.Community.Together-1966305.shtml

Dominican University Provost David G. Behrs Gives Shout Out to Kids and Barbara Bonardi

2008-10-22T15:53:00.000-07:00

In 2006, Dominican University of California Provost David G. Behrs responded in an editorial in the Marin Independent Journal about someone's comment of there not being ample adult education programs in the area. His editorial spoke of three successful students- who were adult learners at the time- including Barbara Bonardi, whose essay was featured in Kids, Have You Seen My Backpack..."

It's overall a great article with a great message. Thanks to people like Behrs, adults ARE learning every day!

http://www.marinij.com/marinvoice/ci_4023295

Depaul University Required Reading Includes Kids, Have You Seen My Backpack!

2008-10-22T15:45:00.000-07:00

This really makes me proud. Extremely proud. Depaul University has a Transitions 101 course for adult learners to transition into the college experience. My book is one of three books chosen- and provided at no charge to the students in the course. I think that is so cool. I had no idea that the book was on this list, or on the Drexel reading list. I receive Google and Yahoo alerts when the book's name appears somewhere.

Check it out:
http://studentaffairs.depaul.edu/adultstudentservices/Transitions%20101%20Course%20Description%20and%20Registration%20Form.pdf

Kids Have You Seen My Backpack Was Used a Textbook at Drexel

2008-10-22T15:43:00.001-07:00

I thought this was one of the coolest things- and I wish I had the course syllabus to know how they used the book as a classroom tool. At any rate, my book was on the reading list for adult learners in Drexel's Saturday Scholars program. Three Drexel students had essays in the book so I am sure that is how this adult learner proram found out about the book.

Here is the list:
http://www.drexel.edu/goodwin/programs/saturdayscholars/faq/textbook.htm

Archived Articles: Middle Tennessee State University & University of Oregon

2008-10-22T15:34:00.000-07:00

After the book came out, these nontraditional students were campus celebs with the press they received!

I dug this student newspaper article up- "Two non-traditional student essays printed in anthology" by Michaela Jackson, which ran in April 2005 in the MTSU Sidelines

The article features interviews with two essayists, Callie Stroud and Christy Farr-Ferrelli. Both were working moms and students and the time of publication.

Also in april 2005, Cindy Ingram was profiled in her student newspaper, InsideOregon for her contribution in the article "New Work Showcases Challenges, Triumphs of Nontraditional Students." Cindy later did a talk at her campus on being a nontraditional student where she spoke about her essay, which is in essence her expereince in being an adult learner.

MomsLikeMe.com User Shouts Out to Book

2008-10-20T15:56:00.000-07:00

User SamPagita at MomsLikeMe.com, a community for moms in various geographic areas, posted on her journal about how she read the book. I wanted to thank her, but you have to be a member. So I will thank her here for her very kind words!

SamPagita said that she was battling a bunch of emotions when she decided to return to school- fear, excitement, confusion- but what hit her the most hard was "intense sadness" for leaving her son the first time. That takes courage Sam! But I bet you are doing really well!

In a snippet of her post, she says:

The book gives a person a much needed boost to act. The stories are diverse, not
only from non-traditional students who have kids but people from all walks of
life.........

For the whole post, go here:
http://monroe.momslikeme.com/members/JournalActions.aspx?g=445424&m=683359

Revisiting the Past: An online radio interview

2008-10-12T12:55:00.000-07:00

Since I am starting the blog, figured I'd put some of the media all in one spot. Here's a radio interivew I did about month after the book came out on an Internet radio show called Global Talk Radio. Click on that link and then scroll all the way down- I was their first show- April 11, 2005. One of the essay writers, Pola Henderson, joined me. It was so awesome to hear her voice after talking to her via e-mail for so long! The asked me questions about challenges adult learners face, how adult learners can find funding, what motivates adult learners, etc. and asked a little about me and my history. Pola got to talk a little about her history, too! After relistening to this, I am pretty proud of how it turned out! Please give it a listen!

Inaugural Post

2008-10-12T12:38:00.000-07:00

It's been three years since "Kids, Have You Seen My Backpack?" and Other Inspirational Stories of Non-Traditional Students: An Adult Learner Anthology was released. I see more and more adult students going back to college every day and figured I needed to get back to promoting this book.

Today, I checked out the book on Amazon and it is in the 100,000s for sales- it's usually in the 3-500,000s, so that's good I think. Because of Amazon's smart technology, it also pairs of "Kids, have you seen my backpack" with other similarly-themed books:

A few months ago, I saw a great blog post from my Google Alerts about a working mother who just read the book. The day I read that was the day I signed up for this blog, but it's just been super busy and haven't gotten around to making the first post. I can't find the article now, but I have it bookmarked on another computer. It was just so great to hear that story. My life is fast-paced and sometimes I even forget about things I did. So, I figured I needed to pay a little more attention to the book again!