My Future.....

Making life make sense is half the fun. I took post secondary child development classes from RCTC in my senior year of high school, but never finished the degree because I didn't have the funding or confidence to finish. I worked as a teacher's assistant in a child care center for a few years until the center closed. The nursing home that owned the center offered us all jobs. I worked in the housekeeping/laundry department for 2 years until was promoted to the manager position. I loved my job since the elderly are like big little kids and being the manager gave me business skills, more responsibility, and power to make positive changes, but I still yearned to get back to my passion of taking care kids.
When my 4 year old was diagnosed with severe seperation anxiety, it really pushed me to switch gears since he seemed to be falling apart at preschool and daycare. I had to make a change. So after 12 years working at the nursing home, I started my own daycare out of my home. I have been open for almost 6 years so far and have seen so many children that have special needs of some sort, whether they have mental issues, behavior issues, emotional issues, physical limitations or a combination. My own children have been diagnosed as well, my oldest has ADHD and my youngest has Generalized Anxiety Diorder and ADD. I have learned so much about about their conditions and found it very fascinating. Seeing that the need for special education is on the rise and will probably continue to be as time goes on, has convinced me that this is my calling. I decided to go back to college to achieve my Associates Degree in Liberal Arts and Science to then transfer to WSU to complete my Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Special Education birth -age 6. Since I am a child care provider, I qualify and have received a T.E.A.C.H scholarship which pays for 80% of my tuition and books up to 15 credits a year until my degee is complete! It will take me 5-6 years to finish, but that is when my youngest will will be a junior in high school and when I originally planned to switch jobs anyway.

I truely believe things happen for a reason. At the time when things happen, good or bad, a person often says' "What the?!, why am I led down this path?" or "Why did this have to happen to me?" but as I've gotten older and started reflecting on my path, I totally see that the things that have happened to me have actually gave me the skills to be a better, stronger and more confident me. Seeing how things have evolved so far, only make me more excited about the future.