Alumna, house director, lab director: Whitley's Judith does it all
Katherine Timpf
Issue date: 10/1/09 Section: News
Rather than stay home and try to adjust to an empty nest, Whitley Residence Director Judith Schellhammer decided to go back to school-the same school as her two sons.
Schellhammer, who also works as a physics lab director at Hillsdale, enrolled as a freshman in 2002: after her older son, Joel, graduated and three years before her younger son, Noah, enrolled.
"After homeschooling my three kids and then everyone was out of the house, what does a newly retired homeschooling mom do?" she said. "I'd been in education for so many years, I thought it was time to finally complete what I should have done earlier."
After exploring all her options, Schellhammer decided on Hillsdale, because of its environment and values. She said she assumed Noah wouldn't have a problem with it, because they had a good relationship. When the time came, however, and his friends and fraternity brothers started joking with him about it, she realized it might not be that simple.
"I tried very hard to keep a low profile while he was a student," she said. "I would not do anything to diminish his college experience."
Schellhammer had quite a different problem with her graduated son, who worked in President Larry Arnn's office her freshman year. Joel had been an excellent student during his time at Hillsdale, and Schellhammer struggled to compete with his grades.
"All the time we were homeschooling, my statements were that education was what was important and the great need to focus on the love of learning, but I found myself suckered into 'What is my GPA?'" she said "So I had those moments when I remember sitting in his office, just sobbing into a pillow because I hadn't done as well as I had hoped."
She graduated magna cum laude.
Schellhammer started working as Whitley house director in 2005, and started working as a lab director after her graduation in 2006.
While graduated with a history major, Schellhammer said she became interested in physics after Ken Hayes's Science 101 class, and took several independent study courses with him after that. She said she hopes she can spark a similar interest in physics among non-science majors as a lab director.
Schellhammer, who also works as a physics lab director at Hillsdale, enrolled as a freshman in 2002: after her older son, Joel, graduated and three years before her younger son, Noah, enrolled.
"After homeschooling my three kids and then everyone was out of the house, what does a newly retired homeschooling mom do?" she said. "I'd been in education for so many years, I thought it was time to finally complete what I should have done earlier."
After exploring all her options, Schellhammer decided on Hillsdale, because of its environment and values. She said she assumed Noah wouldn't have a problem with it, because they had a good relationship. When the time came, however, and his friends and fraternity brothers started joking with him about it, she realized it might not be that simple.
"I tried very hard to keep a low profile while he was a student," she said. "I would not do anything to diminish his college experience."
Schellhammer had quite a different problem with her graduated son, who worked in President Larry Arnn's office her freshman year. Joel had been an excellent student during his time at Hillsdale, and Schellhammer struggled to compete with his grades.
"All the time we were homeschooling, my statements were that education was what was important and the great need to focus on the love of learning, but I found myself suckered into 'What is my GPA?'" she said "So I had those moments when I remember sitting in his office, just sobbing into a pillow because I hadn't done as well as I had hoped."
She graduated magna cum laude.
Schellhammer started working as Whitley house director in 2005, and started working as a lab director after her graduation in 2006.
While graduated with a history major, Schellhammer said she became interested in physics after Ken Hayes's Science 101 class, and took several independent study courses with him after that. She said she hopes she can spark a similar interest in physics among non-science majors as a lab director.
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