I Dropped Out of School...For Now

I dropped out of school. Shhh...don't tell anyone.

I have dedicated my life to education. Seriously, my entire life. We were given two choices; either become a nurse or become a teacher.

I chose education.

I got my Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Education and a Master of Education with an emphasis on curriculum design. I was proud of that. It took grit and determination, among other things. I am, however, a statistic. I only lasted three years in the traditional education system. I was a high school Spanish teacher. It was one of the best times of my life. I have so many good memories, so many good stories. My students were always making me laugh. I just couldn't stay stuck inside a box and be traditional about anything, sticking to a curriculum that I may not have agreed with entirely. I was almost through my Master's program when I vowed to myself that I would never return to a traditional classroom setting. And I never did.

I have since been involved with student services. So, everything non-curricular; which is kind of hilarious. I decided to go the opposite direction of what I went to school for. Go figure. Sounds like me.

I have always been inspired by my students. I call them my "babies." They all mean so very much to me. They make me proud every day. I see them all flourishing and know that they are game changers. I always told them that, too. And they always expressed their gratitude to me, as someone to look up to. I vowed that I would never preach, "Do as I say, not as I do." I didn't want to be just like all the other hypocrites that I couldn't look up to. I told myself I will lead by example, no matter the sacrifice.

If you think about it, the people you influence watch you like a hawk. They see. They pick up on subtleties. They see our energy. It's almost as if they know us better than we know ourselves. If we believe that we are smarter than them to pick up on those subtleties, we are just fooling ourselves.

I just started my Ph.D. in Global Leadership in Academic Administration and got an A in my first class. But don't tell anyone; I dropped out. At least for now.

The first class I took for my doctoral program was research methods. And as a result of the class, I looked at life a bit differently than before. I questioned life even more and ultimately I decided it was time for a break from academics, and take time for living life coming from a new perspective.

I couldn't justify the academic side to what I was doing anymore. I just couldn't. How is it effective if I don't even believe it anymore? I decided that the projects I would become involved with, would have a bigger impact. It was time for experiences.

Reclaiming my life has been a most liberating and also unnerving process of finding freedom. The creativity that has flooded my life lately as a result has been incredible. I have found myself delving into projects that seemed completely out of reach.






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