The responsibilities and pressures of being a student can be overwhelming. Balancing school and work can be challenging. It becomes that much more challenging while trying to manage a family.

Many of the students at Madison Area Technical College are parents – mothers and fathers hit hard by the recession, looking for new skill sets in a rapidly changing workspace.

Cassie Davis is one of those parents who are trying to find their way through higher education. Davis attended Chippewa Technical College and worked for 10 years managing a convenience store, only to be let go during the recession. After that, Davis decided it was time to go back to school.

Life has been hectic for Davis as a single mother with a young daughter in the middle of potty training.

“September was a really busy month,” Davis said. “With Skype and other technologies, it’s easy to keep in touch with my daughter. She’s fine at daycare. She’s really excited to be there. The other day, though, we were sitting together and she said ‘I miss you, mommy’ and I just burst into tears.”

Despite the difficulties, Davis’s overall experience at Madison College has been positive.

“Of course it depends on the teacher,” she said. “I’m very blessed that my daughter’s healthy, but some teachers are more understanding than others. Some are very strict. That can be frustrating. Some are very flexible about family and schedule conflicts.”

Davis also believes in the importance of motivation, she said.

“I’ll be graduating with my first certificate in May. I came here to succeed, and I was motivated, Davis said. “Failing wasn’t an option.”

Heavily involved in the school’s chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, Davis is deeply involved and active in the student body. Soon to have a degree in Meeting and Event Management, Davis is considering a double major in Business Management.

Mark Huismann, another adult student at Madison College, is a father of two. Huismann had some experience in higher education and a long career in radio. After losing his job, it was difficult and embarrassing at first to come back to school. The commuter aspect of Madison College didn’t help.

“There’s a disconnect,” Huismann said. “Students come to class and then leave right away. Getting involved changed everything for me.”

Now working with the Student Life office, Huismann is involved in a lot of campus activities and describes his experience at Madison College as “absolutely positive.”

“It’s been great,” he said. Huismann also loves the advantages of Blackboard, explaining that being able to communicate with instructors online made his life much easier.

Huismann was embarrassed, at first, to tell his children that he was a student again.

“Now I realize that it shows them that I’ll do whatever it takes to keep things going. It shows them the importance of higher education,” Huismann said. “Now they think, ‘If dad has to do it now, we’d better get it done right away!’”

In doing whatever it takes to keep things going, he will often do his homework late at night or early in the morning, just to find a quiet corner to work on his studies.

“It is kind of interesting, sitting at home at night, making sure the kids do their homework before you do your own,” he said.

Another of Madison College’s parenting students is Melissa Guth, a mother of seven. After having her EMT certification for a number of years, she decided to go back to school. Motivated by “the frustration of working dead-end jobs and the lack of personal fulfillment” and encouraged by a supportive husband, she’s very proactive about finishing her degree, and is planning on ending up in social work.

Happy at Madison College, Guth said that she finds the classes affordable and the teachers supportive, knowledgeable and helpful. Guth is also free to plan her schedule around her family life. She can take classes during the days to spend time with her kids at night.

The only drawback, she said, is the hour-long commute. Time constraints have made her more aware of her schedule.

“Being back at school has really made me realize how precious my time is. It’s really become a balancing act, as free time that I used to have no lon- ger exists,” Guth said.

Guth went on to share how studying has changed her life and her relationship with her kids.

“Between classes, home- work, everyday domestic duties and just being a wife and mother, most every waking moment of my day is full,” Guth said. “And while it’s fun to indulge in some extra internet time, if I don’t use my time wisely, I could easily fall behind.”

Guth struggles to make time to spend time with her kids now. Guth makes her time with the kids count, and takes advantage of the chances she gets.

“We do lots of fun things when we can. And my oldest daughter is a freshman in high school and is taking Algebra, as am I,” Guth said. “It’s fun to work on our Algebra together.”