Thursday, June 5, 2014

Believe In Yourself & Good Things Will Happen



Let me take you back a bit...

Four years ago I made the decision to go back to school to become a teacher.  It was something I thought long and hard about because when I had "finished" school five years prior to that, I wanted nothing to do with college courses and tests ever again.  Looking back now I realize what a completely different place in my life I was nine years ago.  I had just lost my mother, was desperate to move out and get a place of my own, and knew I needed to get some full time work to make that happen.  I had my Associates degree and felt satisfied enough with that.  But then after five years into the work force, I realized how limited I was both financially and creatively.  Working to get a pay check to pay my rent was not enough, not even close.  Something inside my heart started to flutter as I began to read more books.  The passion I felt toward reading then turned into a desire to want to teach and talk about reading with potential students one day.  For the first time, in a very long time, I felt alive again.

And so my journey to becoming a teacher began.  I took baby steps at first, only taking a few classes while working full time, not knowing if I could handle it all.  But as the semesters flew by, and the student teaching began, I quickly realized I COULD handle it and so much more.  Never in my life have I wanted something more, or worked harder to achieve it.  I am writing this blog post now because just recently I took my last state certification exam and passed.  Once I receive my Bachelor's degree in December I will be officially certified to teach in the state of Texas.  Everything is beginning to come full circle and the realization of that has started to hit me.

I am going to be a teacher.  This is for real.

The advice that if you work hard and believe in yourself will lead to good things, has been echoed in my ears since I was a child.  It wasn't until now that I fully understood and agreed with that advice.  If you're reading this now, and you're somewhere in the balance of in between your own goals, I hope you take my words to heart.  If you want something bad enough, work hard, and BELIEVE IN YOURSELF, your goals will be conquered.

As a good friend recently said to me, even though it feels like the end as I wrap up my education, it is just the beginning of the rest of my life.  I am standing here, with my head held high, arms open wide, ready to take on life's next challenges.  And it feels pretty darn good.

17 comments:

  1. Congrats on being so close to fulfilling your dream! My mother-in-law went back to college when her kids were in high school, and she's now been a teacher for 13 years :)

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    1. Wow, congrats to your mother in law! I have a lot of respect for parents who go back to school, no matter what age their children are. It has to be tough!!

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  2. Such a huge accomplishment to be proud of. Congrats!

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  3. Congratulations, Ginger! Your journey towards becoming a certified teacher is amazing and very inspiring. It's a reminder that, if we want something bad enough and love it hard enough, we might just be able to make our dreams come true. So proud and thrilled for you!

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    1. Awe thank you Alexa. I've definitely learned that hard work can pay off. I'm so eager to get in the classroom and begin this next journey.

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  4. Congrats, Ginger! That's wonderful that you took that step to go back to school. It's so hard, especially once you've been out of school and "in the real world" to make big changes like that.

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    1. I agree, it was a very difficult decision, but one I felt passionate about. I knew that if I ever went back to school it would have to be for something I truly cared about. This just feels right.

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  5. Congrats Ginger! I am so excited for you to start teaching and so excited for all your future students to meet you. I'm sure you'll be a wonderful teacher! I wish you all the best. So, so happy & proud of you.

    The line, "As a good friend recently said to me, even though it feels like the end as I wrap up my education, it is just the beginning of the rest of my life" reminded me of a line from Libba Bray's A Great and Terrible Beauty-- "In the end, there is always a beginning." This is just the start and I'm so excited for you.

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    1. I love that line, Alice. It feels completely true to my experience right now. Thank you for your support and words of encouragement! They mean the world to me. xxoo

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  6. SOOOO proud of you Ginger! Such an amazing accomplishment and you deserve every good thing that comes your way! You are going to be the most amazing teacher and ANY classroom would be so lucky to have you guiding their education.

    I hope you have a wonderful time on your well-deserved vacation and that you find time to relax and unwind from all the studying! I'll be celebrating with you in spirit! xoxo

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    1. My vacation was AWESOME. Wish it could have lasted longer! Thank you for your sweet words, Sarah. I appreciate them oh so much! xo

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  7. This is a really amazing post, Ginger. I really admire you and all the work you've put in to achieve your dreams. Congrats on passing your exam and early congrats on your degree!

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    1. Thank you Rachel! It's hard to believe this part of my life is ending. There were some days I never thought I'd get here, haha. Very excited and anxious for whats to come!

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  8. It's definitely helped me, YOU have definitely helped me, along the way by sharing this experience. Some days are hard and that little extra push is needed, ya know? Thank you for your endless support Lisa, xxoo.

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  9. Congratulations, Ginger! What an inspiration! You will love every minute of working in education. That was my dream too, and I am about to wrap up my first year of being a librarian at a community college. I can't even find the words to tell you how much I love it. It's so rewarding to help the students and spread my own love of books/reading, but it's also just plain awesome to finally have a job that I love. Best of luck to you as you start your new career, and I hope you enjoy every minute of it. You've earned it!

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