This touched me...

Coming to Memorial was quite the experience for me. At one point in my life I was so many statistics that if someone made a movie about me it would probably be considered too cliché to air: high school dropout, drug user, and self-destructive teenage girl. To top it all off I became pregnant at the mature and stable age of 18. Talk about a wake up call. I was no longer responsible for just my life. I knew that things needed to change; I wanted to be a good mother and role model for my child but I also realized that there was so much in this world that I want to know and experience and that I could not just sit around and wait for it. I had to take a leap.

Taking the steps to go to university was, at least mentally, one of the biggest and most frightening things I had ever consciously decided to do. I applied as a mature student and had no past experiences to prepare me as to what to expect. I always believed that university people were a different breed than I. I would picture all these beautiful young people sitting around discussing politics and world issues using words I could not comprehend. Then there was me; I hardly ever watched the news. Even after I was accepted and well into my first semester I felt that I was going to get caught somehow. Somehow someone would see me and figure out that I do not belong here with “them”. The whole thing was very surreal to me, especially when I started receiving my grades and realizing that I was quite smart. Looking back on it now it seems almost comical but to me at the time it was terrifying. Now I am into my third year and trying to find ways to stay in school longer. Coming here has not changed who I am on the inside, yet it has strengthened my character and given me the confidence to believe in myself and to know that I deserve to, and will, do great things in my life.

Having moved a lot growing up I had the opportunity to attend some very different schools in very different environments. I will never forget one teacher who told my mother that “we are merely babysitters here... there is nothing we can do” in regards to the disruptive and destructive nature of the classrooms. I was in grade five. On the other hand, I will never forget another teacher who made me somehow believe that math was fun. There is one teacher though, that stands out above all of the rest; this woman believed in her students and was constantly reinforcing the fact that we were great kids. She went out of her way for myself and many other students. Within her words I felt her honesty and I knew she genuinely cared about my welfare. She loved her job. She is my inspiration.

The more that I learn in school the more I want to learn and share my knowledge with others. I always thought that I wanted to be a teacher, now I am sure of it. I will teach children how to read, write and add. I will teach them about colors and science and tell them why the sky is blue. I can not wait to watch them learn and learn myself as I watch. Above all else though, I will teach children the importance of healthy living; this includes in their minds, bodies, and within their environments. I will show them the importance of respect to others and more importantly: to self. I will be wacky and funny and weird and great. I will love my job. I will be an inspiration.