| A Learner's Story |
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My Return to School
The reasons why I left school are many. I thought that I knew all I needed to make it in the world. I was too busy socializing with friends who had the same attitude that I had. I figured I could get any job and make the money I thought I deserved. Hey, who needed school? It wasn’t so very long that reality set in and I knew I had made a mistake. However, I felt it was too late. I was working and had bills to pay. So, for the past twenty years I have worked at dead-end jobs. I was caught in the cycle of working for so many weeks a year and getting unemployment for the rest. Nine years ago I became a single mom. I not only gave birth to my pride and joy but I also decided it was time to end the relationship I had been in for many years. When I looked at my daughter I realized that in order for her to have a good life I needed to focus on raising her. I also realized that I needed full time employment. Since her birth my daughter has had to undergo many surgeries on her feet. Watching her courage and strength as she learned to walk over and over again has given me a new outlook on what I myself could accomplish, if I only gave myself half a chance. She has been an inspiration and I know that if she can do all that she has done then I can do no less. I have been promising myself for the past three years to go back to school. This year I took the plunge. I did it for my daughter and for myself. I was so scared but I made it through the first few classes and now feel quite comfortable there. One thing I found out about going back to school and being a single parent is that it is a real eye opener. It definitely is not as easy as I thought it was going to be. Working full time, picking my daughter up from daycare, getting supper ready, finding a babysitter, getting our homework done (hers and mine), spending some quality time with my daughter, getting her ready for bed and |
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