RENEWING AMERICA'S PROMISE

The last two days have been very special. Yesterday we recognized and celebrated the legacy of a great civil rights leader and wonderful human being, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Yesterday, I listened to MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech and although I have heard it several times, it means so much more to me now than it ever has. MLK's faith was astounding. He lived in a time of struggle, injustice and inequality, but was able to imagine a day like today. Several African-Americans stated earlier this year that "it was not Obama's time" and our country was not ready for an African-American, but MLK believed different and on November 3rd, so did America. Election Day Americans embraced "The Dream" and today a new, better America surfaced.

Most of my college coursework will be completed online, but I had to visit the campus today to take care of a few loose ends. As I walked the halls, I started to feel pride and excitement. There were hundreds of people like myself that smiled and spoke in passing. I like to think it was partly because we were all there for a common goal of getting an eduation to provide better lives for ourselves and our families, but there was also an overtone of pride that WE [as Americans] made a choice. WE volunteered and campaigned for Obama. WE supported him through contributions to his campaign. WE voted for him. WE decided...overwhelming...WE wanted change...WE wanted our opportunity to achieve the American Dream and WE got it!!

JUST A THOUGHT

The school has been hosting an orientation for new students taking classes online this week which I initially thought was a great idea. It's a 1 hour session hosted by the IT department to get new students familiar with the system (logging in and out, posting papers, doing research, etc.). I thought it was a great until I found out it being held Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 8:00am-5:00pm and...you guessed it...those are the same hours I work!! You would think that they would understand that the majority of the people enrolled in online courses have done so because they don't have the time during the day to attend class.

NEW OUTLOOK

Today I received most of my textbooks in the mail today. Who knew textbooks were such a hot commodity. Over $500 for the necessary resources needed to START class. It's amazing that an algebra book can cost more than the Bible!! :)
School will start in a week and I have to admit that I'm a little nervous. It was hilarious to hear myself classified as a "non-traditional" student. I'm pretty young and fun (well at least I thought I was), but it seems that people with major responsibilities outside of school are considered non-traditional students. Is that their way of telling me I'm old and no longer a part of the 'it' crowd?
Well...if that's the case, I wear the label proudly. The experience I have received has prepared me well thus far.
Although I'm sure there will be lots of sleepless nights and extremely long days, I'm looking toward a bright future for me and my son...after all...Education opens door of opportunity!

TEAMWORK

For months, I have been trying to get my son to understand the importance of being proactive. Last night I think he started to take it to heart. His homework for the week is sent home every Monday (which is priceless to me because I'm a planner). His homework Wednesday was to read and report on his favorite book and my son waited until the last minute. He read the book earlier this week which he assumed bought him extra playtime...needless to say at 10:30pm last night we were still working on his report. He was persistent and so was I. He finally finished about 11:15pm at which time I explained that he would still be expected to get up early and get ready for school on time.
Dragging myself out of bed this morning about 20 minutes behind schedule, I awoke to a child already dressed and working on his report. He told me that a good grade was important to him. I've lectured him for several months about always exceeding expectations, but I never really thought he was listening...I was soo wrong!! He definitely exceeded my expectations!
This afternoon, while helping him with his homework, he looked me in the eyes and apologized. He said, "Mom, I'm sorry for being so difficult and acting like I couldn't do my homework yesterday and making you stay up so late at night. I love you and I'm sorry for making you upset." Almost moved to tears, I accepted his apology and explained that we all have "lazy" days, but we shouldn't practice it. And to show how sincere he was we revised his book report...together!

MY JOURNEY BEGINS

A few weeks ago, I made the decision to return to school to pursue a career in dental hygiene. I was admitted and received a grant for most of my college tuition--notice I said MOST of my tuition.
BACKGROUND: For those who aren't familiar with how the education system works, after you complete a FASFA (a free application for financial aid) you are provided an EFC (Expected Family Contribution) score. This score tells you what the government feels (based on financial need) what you are expected to pay for your secondary education.
Initially I was concerned about how I was going to pay the money back, but I later realized that it's really not about the money...its about the experience...the opportunity.


LESSON LEARNED: I've always known that given the opportunity, I can achieve grandeur and I just enrolled for my first of many opportunities.