“I can’t take this anymore. I expected college to be difficult, but not like this!” Jamie thinks as she looks at her roommate and the mess that surrounds her. “Four years,” she says to herself, “that’s an eternity! I’ll never get used to this place!” Jamie sits down and begins contemplating the good old days. Thoughts of old friends, home-cooked meals, and high school come to mind. “High school! I sure missed out on a lot in those classes,” she recalls. These recollections lead her to conclude that college won’t be any different. She thinks of how far off the benefits of a college education are and all the disadvantages that are here and now. Jamie just can’t shake off the sadness, and feels as though her life is falling apart. Later that day, when her roommate made a snide comment, Jamie took great pleasure in yelling: “Tell it to the new roommate you’ll soon be getting!” Convinced that college isn’t for her, Jamie can’t imagine any alternative other than dropping out of school.



Every Thursday evening when Carla returns from night class, her children and husband are watching TV and dinner dishes are waiting for her piled high in the sink. Realizing that her yelling and screaming has never worked in the past, she decides to seize the opportunity to test out a new strategy. Smiling from ear to ear, she merrily walks in the door, acts as if she didn't see the messy kitchen, and in a cheerful voice calls into the living room: “Hello, my darlings! Taking a break before your chores? Be sure to clean up the kitchen after that show.” Her children and husband look quite dumbfounded as Carla gives them each a kiss and a hug. Rather than yelling and then begrudgingly doing the dishes as she normally would, Carla thanks her family for being supportive and says good night. As Carla stretches out on her bed, she smiles knowingly as she hears her children scrambling in the kitchen to clean up and asking each other, “Do you think she’s OK?”