Emma’s Education Story #1: Education as an Experience
As a child I always felt the overwhelming excitement about going back to school in September. Seeing the colourful school supplies displayed in stores, planning a reserved day for my mom to take me back-to-school clothes shopping, and knowing I was going back to spend my days with all of my friends never seemed to get old. Looking back at it now, it wasn’t necessarily the education aspect of school that I enjoyed, but actually more of the social exposure. In elementary school I loved recess, I loved being the office helper during lunch hours, art and physical education were my favourite subjects, I looked forward to being a part of the school plays, and most of all I couldn’t get enough of the haunted stories about my school that were passed along by my teachers. I remember the teachers that put in the extra effort and the ones that didn’t. I remember the butterflies that my adolescent self felt while getting ready for the school dances. I remember waiting impatiently to receive my report cards, just to read the personalized comments left by my teacher’s. If i’m being honest, I don’t think I have ever lost that feeling towards report cards, and now final grades. Unfortunately, one thing that has changed is the fact that my parents no longer pay me $20.00 for each A. I would absolutely consider that an inappropriate bribe, but it sure worked!
Once high school approached its end, it was time for me to try and decide the career path that I wanted to take. My dad had been one of the only people in his family to get any post education experience, and it was made clear to me that it was necessary for me to do so myself. Having loved school so much as a child, I thought I wanted to be a teacher. Unfortunately, after talking to one person that had predisposed negative views about a career in teaching, my mind was easily persuaded into thinking that teaching was not a promising career. Following high school graduation, I moved cities and started an education in a Therapist Assistant Diploma program. I only got through one quarter of the program and realized it was not for me. So, with the future looking so uncertain, I panicked. I knew I needed an education so that I could start a career that will fulfill my wants and needs, and entered into a Business Administration program that I new promised me a job after graduation. The program taught me life skills, taught me how to act as a professional in the job world, and helped me become a more independent person. I was at the top of my class, I got a full-time job two weeks after graduating, and worked that job for over a year. However, something in my heart still didn’t feel quite right. I knew I wasn’t using my full potential; I knew I wanted to do more than sit at a computer and do paperwork all day. After going back and forth as to whether it was worth it, I made the decision to start all over again. My parents have always instilled in me the belief that no education is a waste, and I agree. It wasn’t an easy decision, but, it was a wonderful one! I am now back at University working very hard to get into the Bachelor of Education Program.
I think the most noticeable difference between my prior education experiences and my current one is the desire to want learn. Because my mindset is so focused on my goal of teaching, I genuinely want to learn in my classes to help me become a better educator in the future. This not only makes my learning experience more interesting, but also easier. I’m not where I expected to be at 23 years old, but everyone has their own education journey and I can’t wait for a future in the classroom!