There is a quote I often think about that has an unknown author. It states, “Somewhere in the world, a child is dreaming about the education you complain about.” It is so true that Americans complain about receiving education that others yearn for. This applied to me most of my life. Eventually I realized how much I loved to learn and how education is a privilege. Every stage of my life included education in some way. I think about those stages of education as before school, elementary, junior high, high school, college, and as an adult.
Education began for me before school. My mom read books to us all the time. I still have a board book called, “Billy and Bonnie” about two bears playing on a seesaw, blowing bubbles, and playing in the rain. A corner of the book is chewed off, thanks to yours truly. We read all the classics like “The Three Little Pigs”, “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”, and “Jack and the Beanstalk”. At this time in my life, we lived out in the country, and we had very little money. My dad was killed in a chemical explosion when I was three years old and we received a settlement. We left the country for a popular city with very good school districts. I am sure that this move impacted my education for years to come.
So, now I was in a great elementary school. I was diagnosed with dyslexia. I would be pulled out of class once a week and would go do lessons with the dyslexia teacher, Mrs. Jobs. We worked on letters and writing. We were awarded skittles. We got out of boring classes. We were given special plastic devices to help us read. Every summer, my mom had one of the elementary teachers, Mrs. Pendergast, tutor us in reading. I remember that we had these reading log journals and I loved to fill mine out. At this point in my life learning was fun. My mom took us to Helen Hall Library where we got our very own library cards. I still remember the first book that I fell in love with. It was called “The Egyptian Game”. I remember checking out books on tape. I checked out “The Witches of Worm” about a possessed cat. I would fall asleep to it and get creeped out. I have both of those books in my library in my classroom now. I remember struggling with math in elementary school. This is something I would continue to struggle with all of my life.
Then came junior high. This is where the real struggle begins. My attention left schoolwork and focused on boys, friends, sports, and fun. My older sister was an over-achiever (Or maybe she was just achieving like she was supposed to). She had straight As and was in the National Junior Honor Society. My mom hung her certificate in the hallway. The big achievement that was hung up next to it was a picture of a rodeo clown I drew in first grade. Womp Womp. I did what I needed to so that I could skate by. “Patty talks too much and needs to pay attention in class” was a common note on report cards. I do remember always getting praise in English class and it stayed with me.
Next came High School. I transferred to a Baptist Christian private school my sophomore year. I was not going to get playing time that year for basketball. I was not good enough. But if you leave a 6A public school and go to a 3A private school you are all of a sudden captain of Varsity. I left a large ocean for a small pond. With 28 students in my entire class, I was seen. I could not get away with things. I still focused on boys, friends, sports, and fun. And when I had time for school, I would do the bare minimum. My mom had a rule that if you had a “C” you had to study each night for 2 hours until the grade came up to a “B”. My sister was off having fun, and I had a textbook cracked open. Remember when we had textbooks? I would fall asleep and my mom would start my time back over. We also used to get report cards on paper and had to bring them home to our parents. It was a long white card that I had my boyfriend run through a scanner to change my “C” to a “B”. He forgot to change the average, so my mom questioned me about it, but I was able to talk my way out of it like it was an error by the school. Senior year hits and you start to realize that college will be different. No one is going to chase me and force me to study. I am either going to have to try, or I am going to fail. My very last semester of high school I decided to try and see what I could actually accomplish. I accomplished Straight As. I still remember Mrs. Williams telling me that she noticed the change. I applied to SHSU and I got rejected. It turns out they care about your GPA. I went to SFA instead. When the acceptance letter came in the mail, glitter poured out and my mom and I jumped up and down.
I would describe my college years as fun and stressful. Trust me, I had a lot of fun. I went to SFA for one semester and then transferred to SHSU. Did you know that bars in Huntsville, Texas have a quarter night? I had plenty of fun. But I also wanted to prove something. I had learned from my last semester of high school that I could get good grades. I studied when other people partied. I had notebooks and highlighters and post-its. I went to review sessions. I asked my professors questions. I spent several nights sleeping in the school library when I had exams. And it paid off. I got “As”. I was on the Dean’s list, the President’s honor roll, and I received scholarship money in the mail. Two of my professors asked me to write for their books which was a huge honor. I ended up majoring in History because of those two professors. How could someone know so much about everything? I chose to major in History because I wanted to know everything that I didn’t know. I also loved hearing the stories. History is just hearing stories and memorizing them. I would come to class and learn about English Tudors, Mayan Indians, and the war in Vietnam. My favorite professor had cancer in his brain and also had a hook for his right hand. It had been amputated, also because of cancer. But was he down about it? Was he mad at life? No. He held his dry erase marker with the hook. He told us about how he stabbed watermelons and broke them open for his grandkids. He had written over 40 books. I even went to the Alamo once and his book was at the Alamo. His name was James Olson, a remarkable man. I pretty much knew that I was going to be a professor one day and hopefully one that was that cool. I graduated with honors and in only three years. But I graduated with a history degree and I was burnt out.
So, I was a college grad and an adult. What do I do now? I had always been told that it didn’t matter what degree you got, as long as you got one. Let me tell you, that is not true. A history degree needs more. You either need a teaching certification or another degree. I am not going to lie, I was sick of school. I didn’t really believe that I was smart enough to get a master’s degree. I had dated the same guy for seven years and we broke up right at the end of college. I felt lost. So, true to my impulsive self, I hopped on a plane to Thailand to get away from all of my problems. I went with a company called Cross Cultural Solutions and I went as an English teacher. I lived in Bangkok and I visited Chiang Mai. I loved it. It is so different from America. You are away from anything resembling everyday life. But then I came back to reality when that experience was over. I ended up meeting my first husband. Yes, I said first. I had three beautiful babies, one right after the other. Education got put on hold for a decade while I was enjoying being a mom.
I love being a mom. There is nothing better. I am completely obsessed with my three kids. But, at the same time I felt like I wanted to do something other than being a mom. I knew that I excelled in school. I knew I was a good writer. Was I really never going to do anything with it? But it was hard deciding to go back to school after such a long time. I decided to become a paraprofessional at the local high school. Then I decided to start a program to get my certification to teach. I completed the program and then I had to study to pass the English composition test. I studied hard and I passed. I began applying to high schools in my area. I was hired at a high school about 25 minutes from my home. It is very nerve racking to be a new teacher. You basically know nothing and have to learn as you go. And high school kids can be scary. They can also be hilarious and a lot of fun. During my first year teaching I had to pass my PPR exam and ESL exam. My mom also passed away from cancer that year. To say it was a lot is an understatement. I am now in my third year at the same high school and I am still learning. I am really proud of earning this position. I decided this past summer that I was going to get my masters. If I take one class at a time, I will graduate in 3 years. I know how proud I will be of myself. I sometimes daydream about walking across that stage and seeing my kids in the crowd. I will show them it can be done and give them something to strive for.
I am an English teacher, but I am also a mom to three teenagers. Education plays a huge role in our home. They have all different classes, multiple projects at a time, AP classes, etc. Let’s not even begin to mention choir, basketball, volleyball, cheer, football, etc. I know how valuable education is. I know that what my kids do during high school can determine what college they get into. I know that their study habits now can help them when they get to college. I mentioned how I did the bare minimum in school. While my mom had a “study for 2 hours if you have a “C” rule, I do it a little differently. If your grade slips below a “B” your phone, video games, and time with friends goes away. It is amazing how quickly they try to get their grades up when they want something. I want my kids to learn early that they are very smart, and they can accomplish hard things. When they get home from school we sit around the dining room table. Everyone has a laptop. Everyone pulls up grades and homework. It is a priority. I also pay for grades when report cards come out. Report cards are digital so no one will be scanning and changing grades thankfully. There is an amount for “As” and an amount for “Bs”. There is a fee for “Cs” and a different fee for anything lower. These rules would be adjusted if my kids were not capable of getting excellent grades, but they are capable. I love telling them how proud I am of them when they accomplish something hard. I love seeing them when they are proud of themselves. I know that the day that I see them graduate from high school and college I will swell with pride. One day in the future when they are successful in a job they love they will know it was worth all of the hard work.
As you can see, education has played a part in every part of my life. All of my experiences helped me. The times that I worked hard and the times when I didn’t both taught me something. We are lucky to live in a country where education is available. I won’t take it for granted again.
