How many of us I wonder end up in the career we dreamed about as children? I know for me when I was 8 years old and in third grade I was new to the area and didn’t have a friend in the world. My teacher was Mrs. Allen. She was super friendly, and even let me stay in during recess to help grade papers. Yes this sounds a bit corny, but eventually the one friend I made turned out to be the type that only came to school once very other week, so I counted on something to occupy my time. Eventually Mrs. Allen ended up moving to Arizona, but she left such a powerful impression on me that from that day forward I wanted to teach. Once I reached high school I started to think of different professions, and even considered being a CPA, but was again inspired by two incredible teachers in my senior year. I now had an example who made me want to be important in the life of a child, and two others who had gained my respect in making me think on a deeper level. This was when it was certain that I was going to teach one day.
I finished high school with a high GPA, started community college and then oops, found out I was pregnant. I was probably the last person anyone would have ever thought would be entering into single parent hood as I was super responsible and “going places”, but plans were made to be broken, right? I spent the next 4 years raising the sweetest little boy on a waitresses income, and periodically continued going to go to school to get my degree, but sometimes a second job would get in the way and school would get to be too much of a challenge so I would decide to stick with waiting tables.
Just before I met my husband in 2002, I had started going to school full time again and finally pushed through my AA and started my BA. I gotta say I hit many bumps in the road, including a hectic mommy schedule with two additional pregnancies and added family members, as well as frustrations with myself for waiting so long to finish. Plus each time I would run into someone who I had told I was going to be a teacher it would remind and embarrass me that I still wasn’t doing it.
Now, the point of this long winded post is that tomorrow is a super big day for me. I am going to be walking on to my first campus as a teacher. Ok, well actually substitute teacher for now, but still a huge milestone for me. What seemed like an impossible goal for awhile there is now actually happening. I will be finished with my BA in just 5 months and I can not believe I have made it here. I am super nervous and am not sure I will be able to sleep too well tonight, but I can say without a doubt that I am glad I didn’t give up when the tough got going. Wish me luck that I don’t fall flat on my face on day 1.
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