Many of Nan Kuhlman's students came to community college looking for a second chance. So did she.

Nan Kuhlman reworked her plans for her career—and her life—several times to support the needs of her family. Then a chance encounter gives her another chance to pursue her dream of teaching college students. Kuhlman begins teaching writing classes at her local community college where many of the students are "nontraditional"—returning service members, laid off factory workers, and a range of other people who never thought they might be "college material."

In this collection of linked essays, Kuhlman introduces us to her students, the lessons she taught... and the lessons she learned along the way.