IRON MOUNTAIN — “What do you want to be when you grow up?” It’s the age-old question — when I was little, I had multiple answers — an astronaut, doctor, mom, cook — I have yet to become any of those things. I quickly realized that I could never be a doctor because I didn’t like blood. It didn’t make me faint, or lightheaded, but I didn’t desire to be surrounded by it. I also decided that I didn’t want to be in school for that long, no matter how much I liked learning. My dreams of becoming an astronaut were very short lived. So short lived, in fact, that I barely remember them; the only reason I know that I wished to visit space when I was a child is because on a project I did for school, that my mother still has at her house, I said so.

I do remember wanting to be a mother, because my mom was a stay at home mom, and I was always a defender for the women who chose not to work, and I wholeheartedly counted it as a job. She is a chef, housekeeper, laundromat, chauffer, hair dresser, fashion stylist, accountant, HR consultant, and babysitter all rolled into one, and those are only a few of her jobs. Sadly, though, there is no major on being a parent, and it wasn’t really an option at the time. My dreams of being a cook also didn’t last long, because while I love to cook in my own home, I didn’t have enough of a desire to cook for a living to give culinary school a go.

Deciding what you want to do with the rest of your life is a tough thing. In today’s world, straight out of high school you’re asked to fill in a box and decide what you want to do. Seemingly, it used to be a much easier decision, because people were limited as to what they could choose, based on their gender and race. You don’t have to go to school any more to be a secretary, and typing has become a thing of the past. Cursive isn’t even taught in schools. You no longer have one doctor for everything; instead you have several doctors that manage your health, and in order to have those doctors, other doctors must refer you to them. You can’t work on Madison Avenue in New York City as an ad man without a degree, and getting married at 20 is no longer the norm. Money, however, is still just as powerful as ever.

When my grandmother was young and living in Chicago, she was a secretary. She’s told me stories of how she’d take the train to work, walking the numerous blocks in her high heels. She told me how she was valued and appreciated, and how she was not only a secretary, but she also managed books in accounting. It’s easy for me to picture her this way, because she’s always been smart and fashionable. Her high heels were basically part of her identity; when I was little, I used to go into her closet and try her shoes on. I even had a favorite pair, and a few years ago, she gave them to me as a gift. She’s always been exceptionally smart with numbers, and she is the most avid reader I know. I swear, when she was a child she must’ve read the dictionary for fun, because her vocabulary is incredibly refined.

For some time in college I decided I would be a journalist, and I took those courses for a year. Then I realized that hard news only made me depressed, and I never even wanted to watch or listen to it, so why should I write about it? I told my mother that if I could be a lifestyles writer for the rest of my life, I absolutely would, but I didn’t want to risk getting a degree in journalism and then not be able to write about the happy stuff. Ironically, that’s exactly what I’m doing, without a journalism degree. In the end, I decided I’d be a teacher, because I loved learning, English, and teenagers — secondary English teacher degree, here I come.

Teaching brought me life. I loved where I taught, because I felt that I was truly making a difference. I knew I wanted to teach, but I wanted to teach somewhere I was direly needed. To me, that was the South Side of Chicago. It helped that all my life I’d wanted to live there as well. The way I taught with my kids was based on the relationships we had. I was a firm believer that if you didn’t build a level of trust and understanding with your students, then they wouldn’t be as successful in your classroom. By no means was I their “friend,” but they knew that I was there for them like many others weren’t. I always had a drawer in my room full of items potentially needed by my demographic — deodorant, soap, tissues, snacks for those who hadn’t had breakfast or couldn’t pay for lunch, quarters for the bus, feminine products — and my kids knew that if they needed anything, they could always come to me, and they would be helped discreetly. One of my students was so happy when I gave him a stick of deodorant that he went skipping down the hall, tripped, broke open his nose, and had to go to the hospital. He told me that he was glad that he could at least smell good on the way there.

Chicago was nothing like the U.P. This excited me, and terrified my parents. They supported me and loved me, they understood why I was there, but they were fearful because of where I was teaching. I once wouldn’t let a student use the restroom, and so he threatened to jump me after school. He was a gang member, like many of my students, and this threat was not meant to be taken lightly. Still, I stood my ground, and eventually he respected me for it. I had a student steal my phone. He immediately sold it, and I never saw it again, but when he was caught and found out, the other students alienated him, because he’d stolen from “Ms. Swan,” and they weren’t “down with that.” I pulled him aside after class one day, and let him know that what had happened was going to be put behind us, that I still expected greatness out of him, and that I didn’t view him any differently. He became one of my best pupils.

I had girls come to me to confide about their home lives, pregnancies, and abuse — they told me things they’d never told anyone else — and I was honored to listen. I coached the softball team, and we became a family. I once had a gun in my classroom, and successfully got it out because one student was brave enough to pass me a note telling me. She chose to trust that I would keep her safe, both in that moment and also in not letting anyone else know that she had “snitched” on a fellow peer. She was the real hero that day.

In our classroom, we had a sign. It read, “In this room we do real, we do mistakes, we do I’m sorry and we do second chances. We do fun, and forgiveness — we do loud really well — we do family; we do love.” I read this to each new group of students at the beginning of the year, and it was our anthem. I used to keep a log of the things that they would say in class, because I didn’t ever want to forget them. I’d write down instances that occurred so that I would always remember, and before I left we all took pictures together. My students wrote me messages on my white board, to the point that there was no space left, and they brought me cards and gifts, and gave me their email addresses to keep in touch. Even after I was gone, some of my honors students would write to me asking for help on how to study for the ACT, or to tell me they scored highest in their class on their standardized testing.

I wasn’t an amazing teacher, and I wasn’t exceptionally smart, but I loved my students, and I loved what I did. They were the best and hardest part of my day. It’s easy to look back on the past and say that it was so much easier then because it was a different kind of pressure, but the truth remains that the life you live will be loved when you love what you do, no matter what that is. My grandmother loved being a working gal in the city, so much that she still talks about it. My mom loved staying at home and raising us, even though it meant she’d no longer practice nursing, and I know that she’d never change her decision. I adored teaching. When we moved, and my husband found work here and the work I had lined up fell through, not teaching was a very hard to come to terms with. I love tutoring, and I love writing for the paper, and I’ve found that while I loved being “Ms. Swan,” that wasn’t my entire identity. So, what do you want to be when you grow up? Be you. Be undeniably, wonderfully you, no matter who that is or what that is — and who says you need to grow up? You’re never too old to love your life.

——

NURSING HOMES

Freeman

Kingsford

Scenes and sounds, 11:45 a.m. Monday through Saturday.

Sunday: Scenes and sounds, noon; Uno, 1 p.m.; dunking donuts, 2 p.m.; church, 2:15 p.m.

Monday: Pretty nails, 10 a.m.; resident council, 11 a.m.; brouhaha, 1 p.m.; resident birthday, 2 p.m.

Tuesday: Crafts, 10 a.m.; reminisce, 1:15 p.m.; Kentucky Derby, 2 p.m.

Wednesday: Room visits, 10 a.m.; rosary, 11 a.m.; bingo, 2 p.m.; movie and popcorn, 3 p.m.

Thursday: Reading buddy, 10 a.m.; Bible study, 11 a.m.; what’s the word?, 1 p.m.; pokereno, 2p.m.

Friday: What’s cooking?, 11 a.m.; Wac-a-Mole, 1 p.m.; sing a long, 2:30 p.m.; happy hour, 3 p.m.

Saturday: Meet and greet, 10:30 a.m.; spinning records, 11 a.m.; Daily News, 1 p.m.; bingo, 2 p.m.

Iron County

Medical Facility

Crystal Falls

Room visits, 1 p.m., Monday, Wednesday, Friday.

Exercise, 11 a.m., Monday, Wednesday, Friday.

Sunday: One-to-one church visitors, 8:30 to 11 a.m.; room visits, 9 to 11 a.m.; reminisce, 10 a.m.; afternoon matinee with popcorn, 1:30 p.m..; Church of Christ, 3 p.m.

Monday: Cooking, 9 a.m.; DT luncheon, noon; bingo, 2 p.m.; Sunshine Club, 2:30 p.m.

Tuesday: Book club,10 a.m.; Mass, 10 a.m.; mystery ride, 1 p.m.; travel film, 1:30 p.m.; current events, 2 p.m.; comedy movie, 6 p.m.

Wednesday: Coffee social, 10 a.m.; animal king, 10 a.m.; monthly birthday party, 2 p.m.; night bingo, 6 p.m.

Thursday: Puzzler, 9:30 a.m.; bowling, 10 a.m.; travel film, 1 p.m.; St. Mark’s, 2 p.m.; happy hour, 2:30 p.m.

Friday: Crafts, 9 to 10:30 a.m.; volleyball, 2 p.m.; activity council, 3 p.m.; comedy movie, 6 p.m.

Saturday: How do you feel?, 10 a.m.; bingo, 10 a.m.; geri-gym, 11 a.m.; intergenerational social hour, 2 p.m.

ManorCare

Kingsford

Wet your whistle, 9:30 a.m. daily.

Movie, 10:45 a.m. daily, and 3:15 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Gathering place, 11:40 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, and 11:40 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Popcorn Day Fridays.

Protestant Church service, 3 p.m. Sunday.

Exercises, 10 a.m. daily.

Sunday: Just jokes, 10:15 a.m.; morsels and more, 1:30 p.m.; Protestant church, 3 p.m.

Monday: Did you know?, 10:15 a.m.; movie, 3:15 p.m.; pokeno, 5:45 p.m.

Tuesday: Movie and a manicure, 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday: Remembering when, 10:15 a.m.; Flip Five, 5:45 p.m.

Thursday: Crosswords, 10:15 a.m.; good neighbor bingo, 2 p.m.; crafts, 5:45 p.m.

Friday: All about February, 10:15 a.m.; Catholic Mass, 2 p.m.; chips n’ chatter, 2:30 p.m.

Saturday: Current events, 10:15 a.m.; bingo, 2 p.m.; movie, 3:15 p.m.

Maryhill Manor

Niagara, Wis.

Rosary, 8:30 a.m. Monday through Friday.

Parachute, 1:30 p.m. daily.

Monthly support group for grief and loss, 2 p.m. second Monday of the month.

Weekend pet visits.

Sunday: Rosary, 8:30 a.m.; Catholic Mass, 9 a.m.; bingo, 10:15 a.m.; parachute, 1:30 p.m.; Protestant service, 2:30 p.m.; Christian fellowship, 5:30 p.m.

Monday: Nickel jokereno, 10:15 a.m.; Travel Club, 2 p.m.

Tuesday: Bingo, 10:15 a.m.; current events, 2 p.m.; sing a long, 6:15 p.m.

Wednesday: You be the judge, 10:15 a.m.; jokereno, 2 p.m.; Chaplet of Divine Mercy, 3 p.m.; Bunco, 6:15 p.m.

Thursday: Catholic Mass, 9 a.m.; Scattergories, 10:15 a.m.; bag toss, 2 p.m.; Whammo, 6:15 p.m.

Friday: Mass and Adoration, 10 a.m.; exercise and trivia, 10:15 a.m.; happy hour, 2 p.m.

Saturday: Baking, 10:15 a.m.; pamper and polish, 2 p.m.; coffee social, 2 p.m.

Maryhill Manor,

Alzheimer’s Unit

Niagara, Wis.

Bread making, noon daily.

Chicken soup, Communication Program, 4 p.m. daily.

Sensory Group, 6 p.m. daily.

Movie, 6:30 p.m. daily.

Sunday: Table ball, 9 a.m.; puzzles, 9:45 a.m.; Bible stories, 10:15 a.m.; sing-a-long, 12:15 p.m.; bowling, 1 p.m.; bingo, 2 p.m.; balloon ball, 3:30 p.m.

Monday: Table ball, 9 a.m.; spelling bee, 9:45 a.m.; Bible stories, 10:15 a.m.; old TV shows, 12:15 p.m.; Animal Kingdom, 1 p.m.; pamper and polish, 2 p.m.; kickball, 3:30 p.m.

Tuesday: Play dough molds, 9 a.m.; puzzles, 9:45 a.m.; table ball, 10:15 a.m.; sing-along, 12:15 p.m.; foot soaks, 1 p.m.; creative art, 2 p.m.; balloon ball, 3:30 p.m.

Wednesday: Play dough molds, 9 a.m.; spelling bee, 9:45 a.m.; coloring, 10:15 a.m.; old TV shows, 12:15 p.m.; through the years, 1 p.m.; pamper and polish, 2 p.m.; golf, 3:30 p.m.

Thursday: Table ball, 9 a.m.; puzzles, 9:45 a.m.; Bible stories, 10:15 a.m.; sing-a-long, 12:15 p.m.; foot soaks, 1 p.m.; men’s group, 2 p.m.; parachute, 3:30 p.m.

Friday: Play dough molds, 9 a.m.; spelling bee, 9:45 a.m.; coloring, 10:15 a.m.; old TV shows, 12:15 p.m.; creative art, 1 p.m.; happy hour/music and memory, 2 p.m.; kickball, 3:30 p.m.

Saturday: Table ball, 9 a.m.; puzzles, 9:45 a.m.; Bible stories, 10:15 a.m.; sing-along, 12:15 p.m.; foot soaks, 1 p.m.; bowling, 2 p.m.; parachute, 3:30 p.m.

Victorian Pines

Iron Mountain

Exercise, 11 a.m. Monday through Friday.

Juice pass, 10 a.m. daily.

Shopping days: 10 a.m. Tuesdays and Fridays, must sign up.

Sunday: Bible study, 2:30 p.m.; refreshments, 3 p.m.

Monday: Bingo, 2 p.m.; refreshments, 3 p.m.

Tuesday: Craft class, 2 p.m.; refreshments, 3 p.m.

Wednesday: Bingo, 2 p.m.; refreshments, 3 p.m.

Thursday: Wheel of Fortune, 2 p.m.; rosary, 3 p.m.

Friday: Bingo, 2 p.m.; refreshments, 3 p.m.

Saturday: Movie and popcorn, 2 p.m.

Florence Health Services

Florence, Wis.

Sunday: Bingo, 10 a.m.; Trivial Pursuit, 2 p.m.

Monday: Chair exercises, 10 a.m.; bingo with Bette, 2 p.m.; room visits, 3:30 p.m.

Tuesday: Lutheran service, 10 a.m.; penguin craft with Valri, 2p.m.; one on one time, 3:30 p.m.

Wednesday: Parachute exercise, 10 a.m.; horticulture, 2 p.m.; room visits, 3:30 p.m.

Thursday: Lutheran service, 10 a.m.; massages and manicures, 2 p.m.; comedy hour, 3 p.m.

Friday: Catholic communion service, 10 a.m.; Groundhog Day scavenger hunt, 2 p.m.; social hour, 2 p.m.

Saturday: Bingo, 10 a.m.; hearts dice, 2 p.m.

Pinecrest Medical Care Facility

Powers

Life connections, 9:45 a.m. every Monday.

Busy bee, 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Rosary 2:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Sunday: Grace church, 10 a.m.; trivia, 10 a.m.; Lutheran service, 2 p.m.; hangman, 2 p.m.

Monday: Song service, 1:30 p.m.; sensory, 3:30 p.m.; one to one visits, 6 p.m.

Tuesday: Spa treatments, 10 a.m.; happy hour, 2 p.m.; social circle, 3:30 p.m.; Yahtzee, 6 p.m.

Wednesday: Casino outing, 10 a.m.; reminisce, 2 p.m.; Rummy, 3:30 p.m.

Thursday: Exercise, 10 a.m.; bingo, 1:45 p.m.; cards, 3:30 p.m.; reminiscing, 6 p.m.

Friday: Mass, 10 a.m.; Bunco, 2 p.m.

Saturday: Current events, 10 a.m.; beach ball toss, 10 a.m.; bingo, 2 p.m.; trivia, 2 p.m.

Victorian Heights

Crystal Falls

906-874-1000

*Activities director out on leave. Please call the home for additional information.

SENIOR CENTERS

Note: All centers ask for 24-hour advanced reservations for lunch. If you have meals delivered and will not be home, notify the center.

Alpha-Mastodon Center

906-875-3315

Meal noon every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

Amasa Center

906-822-7284

Open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Lunch at noon.

Bingo on Tuesdays.

Free meal drawing on Thursdays

Breen Center

906-774-5110

Meals Monday through Friday.

Cards and games available 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 2 p.m.

Hostess on duty Monday through Friday.

Treats and coffee, 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Center retail store is open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday; volunteers and donations are welcome.

Birthdays acknowledged every day.

Evening meals are on the first and third Thursday of the month. Salad bar opens at 4 p.m., with dinner at 5 p.m. Donations are $4 for those 60 and older and $5 for 60 and younger.

Blood pressure and blood sugar testing every fourth Wednesday.

Crystal Falls Center

Head Cook, Tracy West

906-875-6709

Meals will be served on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 5 p.m., with the salad bar opening at 4:30 p.m. The dinner donation is $5 for those age 60 and older and $6 for those younger than 60. There is a $1 charge for take-out containers. All are invited.

Cribbage will be played at 1 p.m. Wednesdays and be concluded in time for dinner.

The center is closed Thursday through Sunday.

A site council meeting takes place at 3 p.m. on the third Wednesday of the month.

A blood pressure reading can be taken by request at any time while the center is open.

Monday: Soup, salad, Lucy’s chicken chimichangas, rice, homemade dessert.

Tuesday: Soup, salad, pasties, coleslaw, homemade dessert.

Wednesday: Soup, salad, hot pastrami on marble rye, fried potatoes, veggies, homemade dessert.

Crystal Lake Center

906-774-5888

The center is closed on weekends.

Monday: Woodcarvers, 10 a.m.; mahjong in dining hall, noon; Les Artistes Art Club, noon; Bridge Club, 12:15 p.m.

Tuesday and Thursday: Pinochle, 12:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: Billiards, 9:30 a.m.

Wednesday: Spinning Spools Quilters Guild, 1 p.m., crafters, scrap bookers and others also welcome; knitting and crocheting class, 1 to 3 p.m.

Friday: Smear, 12:30 p.m.

Last Saturday of the month: Music jam starting at 1 p.m. Admission is free.

Dances take place from 7 to 10 p.m. on the second and fourth Fridays of the month. Admission is $6; coffee is free.

The Photo Club meets 1 to 3 p.m. on the first Tuesday of the month.

Evening meals are usually on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month. Salad bar opens at 4 p.m., with the meal served at 4:30 p.m. A donation of $4 is accepted for seniors age 60 and older but not required.

Home-delivered meals are for seniors 60 and older can be delivered seven days a week. Suggested donation is $4 per meal. For information, call Chris Tramotin at 906-774-2256, ext. 235.

Transportation is available from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call the center to book a ride.

Felch Center

906-246-3559

Meals served at 11:30 a.m. Monday through Wednesday.

Bingo after lunch on the first and third Wednesday of each month.

A congregate jigsaw puzzle is done daily.

Aging and Disability Resource Center of Florence County

715-528-4890

Director: Tiffany White

Suggested donation for seniors older than 60 is $4 per meal. Residents younger than 60 must pay $7. Reservations and cancellations needed 48 hours in advance.

The ADRC can assist area seniors and those with disabilities with transportation Monday through Friday. Transportation reservation should be made with meal reservation.

Four senior dining locations are listed below:

Fence Center/Town Hall

715-336-2980

Meal at noon Wednesdays only. Reservations are requested. Cribbage and cards are available.

Florence Community

Center/Town Hall

715-528-4261

Meal is served at 11:30 a.m. Monday through Friday.

Jigsaw puzzles, cards, cribbage and board games are available. The coffee is always on as well.

Senior Dining

Center-NWTC, Aurora

715-589-4491

Serving lunch at 11:30 am, Monday through Thursday

Tipler Town Hall

715-674-2320

Serving lunch at noon on the second Thursday of the month.

Hillcrest Senior

Dining Center, Aurora

715-589-4491

Meal is served at 11:30 a.m. Monday through Thursday. Jigsaw puzzles, cribbage, cards and board games are available. The coffee is always on as well.

Hermansville Center

Coordinator: Pam

Haluska

906-498-7735

Meal is at noon Monday through Friday. Suggested donation is $3 for age 60 and older and $7 for those younger than 60.

Morning coffee is available daily.

Fifteen games of “fun bingo” are played each Tuesday and Friday, along with a 50/50 drawing.

Tuesday: Bingo, 12:45 p.m.

Wednesday: Cards played in the afternoon. Call ahead to see if a game will be going on.

Friday: Bingo, 12:45 p.m.

Monday through Friday: Walking in the gym, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. A treadmill also is available.

Friendly interaction with other crafters.

Iron River Center

906-265-6134

Meals served 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday; a $4 donation is encouraged from those 60 and older, and a $5 payment is required from those younger than 60.

Thursday meal, 4 p.m. salad bar, with dinner at 4:30 p.m.

DICSA operates all meals and transportation out of the Iron River Center. Rides are $2.50 donation for age 60 and older, and $3 required for younger than 60. Call 906-265-6134 to schedule a ride

Niagara Northwoods Senior Cafe and Center

Corrie Maule, Meal site manager, 715-251-1603

Jill Anderson, senior center director, 715-251- 4154

Noon meals served Monday through Thursday.

Transportation to the meal site from the Niagara, Wis., area is offered.

They welcome any senior groups that would like to use the meal site as a meeting place — join them for lunch and then stay for a meeting or social time.

Wii games, cards, puzzles and board games are available to play.

Other activities are in the works — suggestions are always welcome.

Those who have not been at the meal site/senior center are invited to give it a try. Those who haven’t been here in a while are encouraged to come back.

Norway Center

Director: Susie Slining

906-563-8716

Monday through Thursday: Meals served at noon, with salad bar. Soup also is available at 11 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Milk, juice, bread, fruit, tea, and coffee served daily. Meal donation is $5. Reservation for the meal should be made in advance.

Two special-themed meals take place each month, with bingo, prizes and a 50/50 drawing.

Two evening meals offered at 5 p.m. on the first Monday and third Wednesday of the month, with bingo, prizes and a 50/50.

Cards are played daily after the noon meal.

Craft and exercise classes: Mondays and Thursdays.

Ceramic and art classes: Wednesdays.

A senior coloring class meets daily. All are welcome. Some materials will be provided.

Telephone reassurance is available for any senior who doesn’t get out much and would like a friendly daily phone check to see that all is well.

Note: A CSFP food card (green card) is available to income-eligible seniors. Make an appointment to get signed up. File of Life packets available at the center.

Note: Ask about the Medicare Savings Program. This program helps people pay their Medicare part B premium. You may be eligible. The local MMAP counselor can be reached at 1-800-803-7174, or dial 211.

Sagola Center

906-542-3273

Meals: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 11:45 a.m.

Cards: Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday.

Commodities every other month and quarterly commodities are every three months.

A puzzle table is available to enjoy.

Volunteers are always welcome.