Life in the Class Lane : Priorities: She is 35, a single parent of 7-year-old twins, and typical of a large number of Ventura County adults who have returned to the classroom.

“There aren’t enough people out there that support us, and anyone who tells us to keep going is appreciated,” Pattie McPhun said.

McPhun, 35, a single parent of 7-year-old twins, is representative of a large number of adults in Ventura County who have returned to college seeking a degree. She studies at the Ventura satellite center of Cal State Northridge, where the average age of students is 34. Women are 78% of the students. Eight of 10 from that group are working. Many are single mothers.

McPhun’s composure and determination are as striking as her height: 6 feet, 1 inch in heels. If people struggle to pronounce her name, she says in a soft, measured voice, “just remember the ‘fun.’ ”

McPhun began working in the technology division at Ventura Community College five years ago; for the past year she has been the athletics secretary. Her longtime desire to be a teacher, coupled with a need to earn a living, motivated her to return to college for a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts studies in September, 1989.

In 1981, McPhun received a two-year associate’s degree from Ventura Community College, where she took as many transferable courses as possible. She is now taking math and health science as part of her second semester of work at the CSUN Ventura center.

Initially, McPhun planned to finish college in 3 1/2 years by carrying a full course load of three night classes in addition to her secretarial job during the day. She cannot, however, easily schedule all the classes necessary for her major and has decided to finish the degree over five years. To achieve her goal, she must take two courses per semester and a third course twice weekly in the summers.

“My children let me know they don’t like that I’m gone. I have to remind them of our goal for me to make a better living. When I have my teaching credential, I’ll be off summers and afternoons.”

McPhun considers herself luckier than many adult learners because her employer’s release-time policy enables her to attend a weekly class from 4 to 7 p.m. without losing salary. She also has two grants totaling $500 a year, “which covers registration fees and almost pays for books and baby-sitting.”

Divorced in 1985, McPhun has earned her own living for the past five years. She said her former husband did not support her academic pursuits and she receives no help now beyond child support. Besides the strain of balancing school, work and family, McPhun has to juggle expenses. She spends $300 per semester for tuition and fees, $75 for books and $250 for evening child care while she attends classes.

After she earns her degree, McPhun will need to complete a year and a half of course work and student teaching to obtain her credential.

“The liberal arts studies degree program is the academic basis of the K-8 teacher’s credential,” said Joyce Kennedy, director of the CSUN Ventura center. “It is very popular with an enrollment of 130-150 students, 66 of whom are now serving as student teachers in elementary classrooms throughout the community.”

Kennedy said that to complete this last phase, most people have to give up their jobs or find alternate forms of employment suited to their daytime commitment.

“They often make enormous sacrifices to attain their degrees,” she said.