"Running as Fast as I Can"

Oct 18, 2011 17:35

(NOTE: Almost my entire entry that follows is recorded here, in a voice post. I am long-winded, so the voice post does lack the last few sentences, which are available in written form at the end of my entry.)

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Comments 96

m_malcontent October 19 2011, 16:23:25 UTC
I am 41...I get my Literature BA in a couple months. We'll be older teachers together!

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similiesslip October 20 2011, 14:55:21 UTC
I am 33 but won't graduate until I am 35 (assuming all works out). Yes, we will. Are you doing your internship? Is it going well? Are there teacher openings in your area? I don't think any schools are hiring around here:(

Good luck! I'm glad to know I'm not the only "old" new graduate:)

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m_malcontent October 27 2011, 14:30:05 UTC
I haven't taken any education classes, I want to teach junior college kids, the way I see it, by the time I took all my education classes would have been another 15 hours...24 hours plus a thesis will get me a Masters degree.

I don't trust the Texas school boards to actually let me teach real literature, so I would rather teach at the college level and bypass them to what extent I can.

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noodledays October 19 2011, 21:19:12 UTC
incredibly inspiring piece. :)

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similiesslip October 20 2011, 14:56:37 UTC
I'm glad you saw it that way. Sometimes I think I'm an object lesson of what NOT to do, ie, "Do NOT marry young and have 3 kids without a degree."

But I hope I can turn that around and become someone who made some good choices.

I like your user name. I love noodles, in any shape or form:)

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noodledays October 20 2011, 15:00:18 UTC
haha, thank you. I do too and so does my daughter, which is a good part of why I chose this name. :)

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similiesslip October 20 2011, 15:03:14 UTC
Every day is better if it includes noodles:) At least until I step on the scale!

We have a place in town called,"Nothing But Noodles." I only ate there once but I sure love the concept!

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shadowwolf13 October 19 2011, 21:48:04 UTC
I tried to go to collage but apparently my husband makes too much money but we can't pay our bills. I'm very glad you've been able to make it happen for you. Awesome! :)

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similiesslip October 20 2011, 14:53:45 UTC
It IS a weird way to be stuck. I'm not sure how the government calculate financial aid for school. I wasn't able to get any until this semester.

I think part of it is that we don't make much and we are supporting three kids.

I didn't mean to present that this is an option everyone has and that overcoming financial problems is easy. I am fortunate to have this opportunity and I wish more people had the same choice.

I hope you get to go back to school one day. I'm sorry it hasn't work out yet:(

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shadowwolf13 October 20 2011, 17:55:16 UTC
I honestly don't understand it at all. I'm thrilled that my boyfriend was able to go back to school and get fundage from the government to do so. He makes about the same my husband makes and pays less in child support for his 2 kids versus my husband's 1. To me their numbers don't make sense.

I'd like to think that one day I'll have the chance but I suspect it's not in the cards for me any longer. At this point I'd just be glad to find a job.

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whipchick October 20 2011, 01:16:11 UTC
Very inspiring-I hope you're getting some enjoyment out of school, too! Congratulations on doing so well balancing your commitment to you family and your big dreams.

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similiesslip October 20 2011, 14:51:48 UTC
Yes. School is stressful but I am really loving all the mental exercise. It's just the balance that is hard. I love learning and there is so much more to the world than I realized. I've learned to understand new perspectives a lot better than I did before.

Education has changed my thinking and beliefs so much. Through college, I've also met so many different people who are not like me which has helped me grow.

I complain now and then about all the work of college but it is changing my life and I'm so glad I "had" to go back. I wouldn't be who I am today if I hadn't. Now I understand the world better and am a more compassionate person. I needed to change my thinking.

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wolfden October 20 2011, 13:21:53 UTC
Very inspiring.

If I could figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up, I'd love to go back to college. I'm so impressed with your balancing your commitments. Good friends that step in and help when you need it are such a amazing thing. Last year, I learned how many I had.

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similiesslip October 20 2011, 15:01:42 UTC
I'm glad to know you feel surrounded by good friends. I am very bull-headed sometimes (I can do it myself!) but there have been a few key times when I don't know how I would have made it without people stepping in.

I still go back and forth sometimes. I think I will be a good teacher and I'm excited about it. But then I hear from teachers who are very burnt out and wonder if I can truly make much of a difference. I want to. My teachers were important to me and I hope that my students will know I care.

It's very hard to pick a major and stick to it. This is my 4th major but I picked this one when I returned and I have stuck to it. If I kept changing it, I think I would never get out of college!

I hope you're doing ok now? When you say your friends helped, it sounds like you had a difficult time?

Thanks for commenting!

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wolfden October 20 2011, 15:56:29 UTC
I was so close to finishing college the first time. I was on track to finish my original major in 3 years (I had college credits from high school and took summer classes). Midway into my second year I decided that I didn't want to spend the rest of my life doing that and switched majors. I loved my new major but then I developed kidney stones and ended up having to leave my classes before I finished. Then I tried to formulate a plan to go back, and completed one semester but it really wasn't working with everything else going on in my life at the time and ended up just dropping out and moving away. SO, I technically have more credits than I needed to graduate just not enough in any one subject area. I looked into going back 2 times and in the end haven't done so ( ... )

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similiesslip October 23 2011, 18:18:58 UTC
Wow, that does sound very difficult and scary! And just arranging all the rides and who does what and wondering how the surgeries will turn out is hard.

I'm so glad things are better now. Was he able to regain the full use of his legs? Was your horse ok?

One of my friends was framing a roof and fell off last week. They don't think he will regain the use of that arm. Sometimes surgeries change us forever. I sure hope that wasn't the case for your husband.

I'm really glad you are now on the other side.

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