We have spent the last few days in Portland, Oregon visiting our family. There is nothing better than having my small grandson light up when he sees us. I remember when his mother did the same thing many years ago. He will only be goofy about his grandparents for a short time, and before we know it, he will be too cool to show excitement when we come to visit.
We had great news while we there - our youngest received acceptance to the graduate program and school that she sincerely wanted to attend! Not an easy school to get into, we hope that the education she will receive will help her to be a great teacher someday. It's what she has always wanted to do, and I know from watching her on the soccer field she is tough enough to handle high school students. I was inspired by Obama's call to the nation to encourage our children to be teachers, something our country needs, in his State of the Union address.
I will admit that I've tried to sway her in other directions, simply because we do not take education seriously in this country. Not to mention the difficult social issues our teachers are supposed to deal with on top of teaching. Add the violence in our schools, the shootings, and there is no wonder parents are not encouraging their kids to teach. Many have master degrees, yet earn a paltry salary compared to other professions. There is no doubt they must really want to teach, to go against those odds.
So our lives will change over the next couple of years. Everyone has to make sacrifices in hopes she can start her life without massive college debt. Is there anything worse than that? Other nations don't require their kids to start their lives that way. Unless we find a way to help our young people get an education without crippling debt, the United States will continue to fall behind other countries in education. We need to stop pumping our treasure into the black hole of the Military Industrial Complex and start taking care of our citizens.
19 comments:
Congratulations to H.! I understand your concerns, however. No easy gig this mothering business.
Big congrats to your daughter. How proud you must be despite your concerns. I'm sure she'll do great.
nice. congrats to her...and i am glad whe is chasing what she wants to do...i agree its a chame to have to start so far in debt....
I so agree......one of the most important things I have done was helping my daughters get through college.
Congratulations to your daughter! I know you're proud of her and know she'll do well in her new endeavor.
As you said, you really have to want to be a teacher to go in that direction these days. Good news about your daughter, and I think it's wonderful that her family is going to help her so much in helping to fund her higher education. Many youngsters will be impacted favorably by her, I am sure.
What school did she get in to ?
My son is going to one of our state schools. He's deciding between studying History or Computer Science. I'm trying to talk him into being a teacher ... we will see.
Oh congratulations to your daughter, Nancy and to you too for having gifted the world with her. Remember, even when your grandson gets too cool to show it, he'll still be happy to see you.
If you haven't seen Waiting for Superman, you might enjoy it. Maybe she'll teach at a charter school. Maybe she'll be the person who spearheads the reform that finally brings about lasting change.
Or maybe she'll change the world with one inspired student at a time. Oh the possibilities!
I'm glad you enjoyed your trip.
yes, wouldn't it be nice if our country valued education for everyone and a healthy population. instead of being leaders by example we strive to be leaders by force.
Congratulations to your daughter! And best wishes. I agree with you that starting work with a huge school debt is just ridiculous!
Your comments on teachers took me back to the 1980s tv series, Greatest American Hero. The "Hero" was a school teacher. I still think teachers are the heroes of our society. There's a huge push for kids to get a good education. Good education needs good teachers — pretty simple. "Believe it or not …" as the theme song said.
That's wonderful news. I only wish our teachers got more respect...and pay. My DIL is a teacher and works unbelievable hours and weekends.
Best of luck on her new adventure. Nice to hear you got to visit the kids...
yes Nancy yes! Congrats to all!
That's great, Nancy, that your daugher was accepted into a graduate program of her choice. Good for her.
We need more dedicated young people like your granddaughter. There should be special scholarships for those who go into teaching as there is such a great need in this country for dedicated educators. I completely agree with you. The U.S. will keep falling behind until an education populace once again becomes a priority.
Congratulations proud grandma.
one of my daughters is finishing up her belated bachelor's and headed for master's in the spring - just yesterday, she added up her total student loan debt for the last year - astonishing! another daughter is a practicing attorney - i could tell you what her student debt was/is but i don't know that there is enough space here for the zero's - it's shameful to think that one of the most important accomplishments/contributions to society - education - is so infiltrated with mine fields enough to stop even the most devoted student - great post, nancy - and congrats to your daughter - way to go!!!
Debt is such a huge consideration when going into grad school (I'm just starting my first semester of it), so getting a teaching assistantship or something like that is almost essential to avoiding most of that financial burden. Luckily, I get my teaching assistantship next fall. There are scholarships for grad students as well, so those are worth looking into.
Good luck to her!
Congrats! So hard to be a parent, but the rewards are well worth it!
This post was my life in a lot of ways. The first thing that hit me was when you said about your grandson excited to see you and showing it. I was so sad because I know that at 4 Bryson is but in just a few short years that will end.
My oldest daughter teaches high school English and will graduate in May with her Masters and she is also National Board Certified. I too tried to change her mind but she has been teaching for several years and loves it. I wish we paid good teachers what they are worth especially in NC. We have helped her a lot so she will be debt free. Congrats to your daughter!!
Congratulations to your daughter!
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