I think this is how my cohort and I all feel right now. We are riding a fine line between "we have got to get this shit done" and sanity. Welcome to the shit show. Pull up a chair. Grab a drink. And watch it all unfold.
Have you ever been faced with knowing you need to a make a huge life decision in the midst of making 40 other huge life decisions? And while you are making said first decision, life laughs at you and says, "Just for shits and grins, we are going to toss you a few curve balls because what fun is it if we just let you score that homerun?" You gotta work for it. If you are me, you say what the fuck life? Thanks for bending me over without warning.
I made the decision to go back to school four years ago. I went part time at the community college, working toward my Associates in Teaching. I knew at some point I would have to find a bachelors program but that appeared far away and easy enough. This was my first fuck you from trying to finish my degree.
Turns out, 40 something year olds that need to work full time also do not go to college. At least they do not try to get a teaching degree. That program that I thought magically existed? Didn't. There were no programs that were part time. There were no online programs. The cost. The requirements. The list went on and on. I was nearing the point of needing to figure it out because I had completed all the associates work.
Enter Graceland. Full time. Nights. Perfection! A couple of my peers from MCC were also doing this program at the same time, so it was great.
I got all the necessary paperwork, financial aid, transcripts, you name it, gathered. I met with the advisor and holy shit. I did not have a semester that was going to be less than 15 credit hours. This program was every 8 weeks a new set of classes would start. Bonus: I would finish in two years. Downside: I was going to be exhausted and even more insane than my norm for two years.
Have you ever made a major life decision and knew that it was absolutely the right one? I have made a few that I have no doubt and no regrets about. Some of those are for a different post. Going to Graceland and starting at the time I did, was hands down exactly where I was supposed to be. Yes, I knew I was meant to be a teacher. Yes, I knew what type of program I needed to find. What I did not know, but became very apparent fairly quickly, was that I needed this exact group of women to walk this path with.
These women.....are also doing all the things. They are helping each other and I am truly in awe of all that each of them does. They get up each day and do the thing. They are moms. They are working jobs. They are pulling 4.0's. They are also taking no less than 15 credit hours a semester. And all of the fucking tests. They are making sure I have my shit together (and who are we kidding, that in and of itself is a full time job). We started this journey together and we are determined to help each other finish this journey together.
This group of women takes turns bringing food. Helping get homework done. Doing any number of things to hold each other up over the last year. On days that I am just not sure I can do one more day of this bull shit, I look at this group and know that I can. They give me that "you'e got this" motivation.
We are at the point of this journey we are spent. Laughing hysterically because OF COURSE we would love to write one more lesson plan. On that damn fucking template. Please. Let us. We could not be more excited to do so. We are making plans for field trips because good lord, we meed a damn break. We are truly trying to make this last push before we then get to student teach. The final fun of attempting to get a teaching degree. You paid all the money for college classes. Oh and even more money for all the tests you need to take to actually be certified. We will reward you with a semester of student teaching where, wait for it, YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE FINANCIAL COMPENSATION. #winning
But we are doing the damn thing. And in just three more months the coursework will be complete and we will be that much closer. There will be a huge party. No doubt. We earned it.
Thank you lovely, amazing, inspiring, strong, dedicated, loving, understanding, women for walking this path with me. I would not have been able to do it without you. I am truly in awe of you. I do not know what I did to deserve such an amazing tribe of women, but I am sure am thankful for you.
Three. Months. December 16 here we come. Watch out. Because we fucking earned this.
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