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Lifestyle Features

Back to school

Coloring outside the educational lines

By DEIRDRE FULTON | January 20, 2010

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READ: The perils of self improvement; When learning goes too far, get back on track. By Ashley Rigazio.

Some of us know (or think we know) our paths from a young age. We follow those trails through 12 years of school, and then four (plus) more. Some of us don't. We flounder, we search, we know what we want but we don't know how to achieve it. Some of us need to break out of our ruts, or exercise dormant creativity, or find new ways to express ourselves. The crucial component in all these scenarios? Education. Whether it's traditional or outside-the-box, we can't try new things if we simply don't know how.

There are more than 35 colleges and universities in Maine, according to the Maine Higher Education Council, which recently launched CollegeInMaine.com, a Web site dedicated to outlining those options. Indeed, Maine's public and private universities (including the University of Maine system; Bates, Bowdoin, and Colby colleges; and the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor) attract students from around New England and the United States.

But for those who chose a different path, or want to now, Maine offers several different types of learning opportunities. Here, we tell you about five unique programs in Maine that could take you down a new path, or turn a dream into reality. (Tuition costs do not include room, board, or miscellaneous fees, where applicable.)

Buoyant Force
A good friend of mine, one with a Classics degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a burgeoning writing career, has spent the past year as a carpenter's apprentice, demolishing walls and building decks. She counts this experience as challenging, educational, and character-building, and while this can be Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Shop Class as Soulcraft, quasi-elitist stuff, there's something to it. Working with your hands is rewarding in a way that's unfamiliar to many liberal-arts educated folks.

For those who want to get back to basics, one option is THE LANDING SCHOOL in Kennebunk, where students enroll in year-long wooden- or composite-boat building, yacht-design, or marine-technology-systems programs. Graduates are prepared to work in the marine industry as designers, builders, sailmakers, technicians, and salespeople. The school was recently accredited to offer associate's degrees in Marine Industry Technology (candidates must complete two Landing School programs plus 15 hours of general education). If such a commitment seems overwhelming, consider the WOODENBOAT SCHOOL in Brooklin, which offers much shorter workshops (one to two weeks) in boatbuilding, sailing, and navigation. For some participants, the program is a career move; for others, it's a learning vacation.

The Medium is the Message
So you're the one who's always carrying around his camera, or whose blog could be published — verbatim — as an essay on modern society. You're interested in stories — how others tell them, and how to transmit them to a wider audience. Why not do something with these natural curiosities? Maine has two top-notch storytelling academies: the MAINE MEDIA COLLEGE AND WORKSHOPS, and the SALT INSTITUTE FOR DOCUMENTARY STUDIES.

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Related: Ledge Lessons, The new homeschool, Kissing off 2009, More

Ledge Lessons
As advocates of higher education and living as long as medically possible, we were sad to read that, according to new-media-powerhouse Web site the Daily Beast, Greater Boston is home to not one but five of the most stressful colleges in the United States.
The new homeschool
This might not be what you want to read as you're settling into the new semester and shelling out hundreds of dollars for textbooks, but we're going to tell you anyway: The traditional model of higher education is doomed.
Kissing off 2009
I had no New Year's kiss last year. I had fun, friends, a bonfire, and a bellyful of delicious food, but no kiss.
The perils of self improvement
With a new decade comes dubious planning for self-betterment and the optimistic promise of a fresh start. However, even the best of intentions have the potential to go awry, and seemingly innocuous continuing-education courses are no exception.
Bus fares set to climb
A quick primer on local bus fares and ridership, and whether (and how) to raise those numbers.
Worshipping the woods
From its first sentences, Susan Hand Shetterly's Settled in the Wild: Notes from the Edge of Town drew me in with lyricism: "I leave a window open on April nights and put my pillow close to that cold slice of air because I want to hear spring come back to this small clearing," Shetterly writes, welcoming us not just to her home in Downeast Surry, but into her bed.
Hidden in plain sight
In a larger new home and with its most impressive roster in years, the Maine Jewish Film Festival can already boast a successful 2010.
Making change
John Sinclair’s poem “Ask Me Now” leaves little question about the poet’s values.
Viral bloodsuckers for the summer
It might require you to buy a bigger beach tote, but there's no doubt that summer's must-read is Justin Cronin's The Passage , a hulking 766-page epic that traces the genesis and fallout of apocalyptic viral vampirism.
Big starts
I kick off my highlights of 2009 with praise for a theater company that has just finished its inaugural season: The Legacy Theater Company, founded by former City Theater artistic director Steve Burnette.
2009: The year in dance
You could say there were two tremendous forces that propelled dance into the world of modern culture: the Ballets Russes of Serge Diaghilev and the choreography of Merce Cunningham.
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[ 05/28 ] Bela Fleck + Marcus Roberts Trio @ Stone Mountain Arts Center

[ 05/28 ] Downeast Singers: "Peace Music" @ Camden Opera House

ARTICLES BY DEIRDRE FULTON

A NEW DOCUMENTARY EXPLORES IMMIGRANT YOUTH AND THEIR PLACE IN MAINE AND AMERICA | May 23, 2012
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THE POTENTIAL OF TEDXDIRIGO | May 23, 2012
There were several impressive, stick-in-your-mind talks at the TEDxDirigo: Engage conference, held last Saturday at the University of Southern Maine.

THE SECRET WORLD OF USM’S BLADE SOCIETY | May 16, 2012
It's a Tuesday night at the University of Southern Maine gym and Rob Tupper is leading a small group of fencing students through an exercise that looks like a cross between a line dance and an army drill.

REVIVING THE ELECTRIC CAR | May 16, 2012
Electric cars — ones that are completely rechargeable and use no gasoline — are now available in Maine, in addition to plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and traditional hybrids, both of which boast higher fuel-efficiency than conventional cars.

SHIPPING NEWS | May 09, 2012
The loss of the nascent container-ship line in Portland's harbor last week was not just a blow to the city's desired reputation as a shipping hub — but also to the environment.