Daily Chuckle:
Funny English Errors is a book full of unconsciously made English errors and misuses of the English language. Here’s a sneak peak – see if you can spot the mistakes:
-The equator is a menagerie lion running around the center of the earth
-Lost: Wallet belonging to a young man made of calf skin
-In preparation for the channel crossing Caesar built 18 new vesuls vessils vesles botes
Thought Thief: “Man’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.” (Thanks to Oliver Wendell Holmes for that thought provoking line.)
Weathered Wisdom: Curve balls. Nobody likes them, nobody wants them, but everybody has to catch them when they’re thrown. The past few months have been all about the curve ball for me. As I began my senior year, I was daunted by the looming college applications and in-house competition for the most impressive grades. There came a point this past autumn where I had to stop and ask myself what it was all for. Granted a secondary education is important, but can there be more to life? Absolutely. This thought became a reality a few weeks later – a reality I had to accept, a curveball I had to catch. My parents, while wholeheartedly supportive of my college career, had to press pause for a moment and be honest with me. They told me that unless I could find a means of putting myself through school without graduating in a sea of debt, they weren’t so sure the university route was for me. Don’t get me wrong, my parents would gladly work to help me pay for school, but they were genuinely concerned about the financial aspect of attaining a degree. While frustrated, I agreed that, should scholarship opportunities not come my way, community college would see one Amy Bareham in September of 2012.
It wasn’t until I humbled myself to the prospect of what, in my mind, was a “lesser educational path” that I realized the practicality behind community college. And I needed to be humbled in order to fully appreciate the massive blessing of a full-tuition scholarship to a private school I was recently awarded. See, through adjusting my perspective, I remembered that everyone’s going through hard times; everyone’s having to make sacrifices. Schooling, no matter how prestigious or impressive to potential bosses, can’t be everything, at least, not for me…because if I don’t have a warm, inviting home to call my own or a family to encourage and love, I don’t have much of a fulfilling life. So whether you’re stressing about the college-hunt or fretting over another, equally important decision, keep in mind that your path, your plan, may not be the best one. Don’t hesitate to catch the curveballs that come your way, because they may teach you something you didn’t know you needed to learn.
Great inspirational story Amy! This is so true! Life is unpredictable. You have to be prepared for those curve balls that come your way and always have a plan b. Congratulations on your scholarship and thank you for sharing your story!
ReplyDeleteGreat inspirational story, Amy! I loved it! Also, before I read this, I thought going to a community college would be failure on my part. That's just because my sisters have great grades (one got a teaching fellows scholarship to a great private school), and my dad skipped eleventh grade in high school because of his prestigious grades. However, this story kind of got me to thinking, and while I still want to go to a 4-year university right out of high school, I'm now opened to attending a community college first, then transfering to a 4-year university. Thanks for sharing your experience!
ReplyDeleteStephanie,
DeleteGood job being realistic to think what might be the best route to go for your future. You can save a lot of money in this route plus some students find the extra maturity gained before going off to college is also beneficial.
Good luck as you move forward.
Congratulations on your scholarship! What a true accomplishment!
ReplyDeleteI love your honesty Amy! I must tell the truth myself...when I was in high school, I thought the only true accomplishment in life was attaining a true college degree, and I didn't consider community college as a true degree. But once I graduated and entered the world, I realized what a gift community colleges are! I never knew the vast degrees and programs they had to offer and I will say that even since teaching Success 101, I've learned even more! So for those who are "thrown that curve ball," as you wrote, it may not be a curve ball at all but a walk directly to first base and you may end up reaching your goal even faster!
Amy,
ReplyDeleteYou have made some valid points about life and its twists and turns. Your parents had some honest financial advice for you to think about paying for college and not coming out of school with high debt.
We need to have a plan, and the plans need to be in place before we get to the end of the road. I love that Success 101 has various planning and thought processes for students to think about their futures.
Congratulations on your scholarship that has helped with your financial dilemma. Yes, life sometimes makes us think more deeply about things, and we may take a different route than we thought to get where we are going. The thing is that we can still get there.
Again congratulations, and thanks also for the great job you are doing in the Peer Tutoring Center.
As an English teacher I really appreciate not only the "errors" you shared but your wonderful self expression as well! No matter what your educational path may be, your future is certainly bright. Congratulations on your scholarship!
ReplyDeleteThank you all for your kind words and support! If there's one thing I've learned through this college finding journey it's that the lemming mentality can be dangerous - a set 4-year path isn't right for everyone and that's perfectly okay! I hope more people embrace that sooner rather than later :)
ReplyDelete