Choked up in class?!

I have not been to school in 6 years. That is crazy to say, think about, and even wrap my head around. Mainly because I feel like I just left high school 3 years ago. When I went to Chattanooga State, my mind was just not in it. I went to class until I found a friend to skip class with. I did my homework until I met a guy (my now husband) and decided that talking on the phone to him was more important. I paid attention until the teacher bored me. I studied for test until I realized that regardless of if I studied, I was going to fail. I didn't expect much out of myself. I didn't have the motivation for it. I was in no way ready for school. So, during the second semester I dropped out. I did go to nail school (and finished it) but then I got pregnant. While I was a stay at home mom, I did online classes for property management. I used that education to get a job at an Apartment Community which I did very well at for 2.5 years. There was no room for me to move up, get pay raise, or really succeed any more than what I already had unless I switched communities. After some thought, I decided there was no way I could spend my life dealing with people's every day living situations without helping them in a positive way. I could not deal with seeing the way people live, drank, smoked, and treated their kids along with not paying rent.

I had been patiently waiting since the birth of my daughter (who is now 4) for the right time and opportunity to go back to school. Well people, the time has come! The time is here! Today was my 2nd day of classes.

That is right, I am back in school. My first semester is only 6 weeks. I have 2 classes that are both 2 hours long back to back in the same classroom. 4 days a week. The teachers are husband and wife. Class one. Oral Communications. Class Two. Career Development. Therefore, spending 4 days a week in the same class with the exact same people for 4 hours a day and a husband/wife teaching, I feel like I am in a 4 hours class. It is LONG. Only a 10 min. break in between. It is LONG.

Anyways, that was just all the background on my 2 day schooling.

While in Oral Communications today, the teacher was talking about graduation. She went on to mention that some people feel like that are failures because they did not go to or finish school right when they graduated high school. That people come back to school so they don't feel like such a loser. Most the students in my class have kids. Most are actually single moms. As she started talking and I really started listening I got choked up. Choked up in class on my second day. The teacher started talking about the impression that it makes on a child to actually see their parents go to school. That when parents finish school before the child is born, it does have many benefits such as being easier to do well, being easier to go to class, setting up yourself with a good job before the baby is born, and so on. The difference is that as the child grows up, they know the parent went to school to get where they are at and provide for the child. They do not see the struggle, the homework, the motivation to better yourself. This is so true! The teacher went on to not think of yourself as a loser or that you failed. Think of yourself setting a visible example to your children that you can and you will do what need to for their future. This hit me. Mady knew it was my first day. She actually sat next to me while I did my homework for a while on the couch tonight. She visually watched me to my school. She sees me leave in the morning to go to class. It is making a visual impression on my 4 year old that will last a life time! She will be proud of me. Another thing the teacher brought up was graduation. I had not thought about graduation and walking across the stage. Then she said, your children will be there. How many parents can say that their child watched them walk across the stage clapping and yelling. OMG. This excites me! Mady will be almost 6 when I graduate (the first time, because I will be continuing for my Bachelors in Applied Science after these 2 years) She will understand that I have accomplished what she saw me working at for 2 years. This is going to be amazing. As I am sitting there all choked up I realized that this was why God had me wait. This is why "my" time did not come until now. Maybe Mady needed me and I needed her to see me struggle at and accomplish a goal. Everything does happen for a reason doesn't it?!