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Previous Thoughts 4
"TEACHERS ARE ONES WHO EFFECT ETERNITY, FOR NO ONE KNOWS WHERE THEIR INFLUENCE STOPS" FROM HENRY ADAMS, THE EDUCATION OF HENRY ADAMS
Although this may seem like it should be a journal entry and not a thought, I feel it fits here very appropriately! It is very true, that no one knows where a teachers influence stops. I of all people know this because I have had a few teachers that have left a lasting impression on me. There are those from my junior high years, high school years, and even my college years. One particular teacher has had a great influence over my life and that is my homeroom/art teacher in junior high, Mrs. Steele! While some thought she was harsh and uncaring, I felt she cared about what happened to me.
I've often talked about how so many people have had such an influence on my life and it seems as though the list grows more and more as days go by. The above quote can be found on my guest book, signed by a wonderful and extremely caring person, Reed Scull. I have never met this wonderful man in person, but have talked to him on the phone many times, e-mailed back and forth many times, and also we have seen each other on camera because he works for Distance Learning at the University of Nevada, Reno and I have the privilege of working for him. I facilitate classes whenever he needs me and I have enjoyed it tremendously. Those of you who have known me for quite some time, know that I did facilitating on a regular basis for Western Community College when I attended it. Now that I have graduated, it has been my dream for quite some time to be a certified teacher. Through Reed's persistence and patience, he sent me school after school, which I had no luck in at all with. Commuting is hard here where we live and everything is so far away, plus the fact that there are not too many programs for Nevada. Through Reed's persistence and his wonderful confidence in me, he found a school and I am so happy to say that I have been accepted into it and my dream will soon be coming true. I cannot thank him enough for all that he has done for me! Western Governors University in Utah is a completely online school, which will work out perfectly for me. I will be working towards my BA Interdisciplinary Studies with Teacher Licensure, K-8 and will become a licensed teacher here in the state of Nevada.
Reed, along with many others encouraged me and told me not to give up on my dream. It was Reed though, that made this dream a reality. If there is one thing I have learned, it is that no matter what your dream is, it can become a reality if you want it bad enough. I never gave up on trying to achieve my Associate of Arts degree, although there were times when I was extremely exhausted and didn't think I could keep going. But, I did and I am so glad that I didn't give up! Achieving what you want can make all the difference in your life. It just makes you aware of so much and you realize how much people care about you and want that dream to come true for you. I've often been told that I have made such a difference in the lives of so many people with my poetry and just by the way I care. I see it so differently! I see me as "just me" and there are a few that want to throw darts at me or tell me I am talking down on myself because I say this. I am the type of person that doesn't think twice at helping someone and at making them happy or feel good about themselves. I see the difference people have made in me! I see their support, their praise, their love, their confidence in me and it makes me feel so incredibly blessed to have these people in my life.
If there was one thing I could say to all of them, and especially to Reed (though I could say so much more), it is "Thank you from the bottom of my heart, I couldn't have done it without you. You will have a place in my heart that is truly special, always!"
For all those out there that might read this, never give up on your dream. It may take weeks, months, even years before it seems that it is falling into place, but I promise you one thing, you will never regret going after that dream and when it finally becomes a reality, your life will take on a whole new meaning. Go after that dream and don't give up, no matter what anyone says! Do it for yourself!
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| "JUDGING JEREMY"
No, this is not a story of a judge, but a story of a remarkable young man. It is a story of how he beat the odds and came out smiling! It is a story of a miracle! This is about my son's best friend, Jeremy, who just a few years ago was not supposed to live.
It was an ordinary day, yet it was Easter Sunday! My youngest son Chris decided to go skating and little did we know that this day would change the life of not only my son, but the lives of many people. As I was preparing dinner for my family and company, my son came home white as a ghost and crying like I had never seen him do before. He and his friends, Jeremy and Michael had Michael's dad take them up to the old dump road and drop them off so they could skate down. I won't go into detail, but what happened next is something that no child should have to see, let alone an adult. (TO BE CONTINUED)
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| MIKEY'S THOT FOR THE DAY:
"I HAVEN'T LOST MY MIND - IT'S BACKED UP ON DISK SOMEWHERE"
Now, this is one of the best quote's I have received in a long time and oh, how true it is! I think this basically applies to those persons who are at their computers almost 24/7 and who, like myself, have a million things going through their minds at one time and they just don't know how, when, where, to get them all out. I know that my mind can go a million miles an hour. I can be thinking about one thing and then all of a sudden I am thinking about something else. I know that anyone that visits my site or that knows me personally, knows that I will have one thought and on my site will put, "TO BE CONT." or when I am talking face to face, I will say one thing and jump to another. I have so much to say at one time and it feels like there is just not enough time to spit it all out. You sometimes wonder, "Have I lost my mind"? Rest assured, you are not alone out there, if this happens to you. It's so easy to lose time when you are working or just having fun at your computer. It's a whole new world out there to explore and a fascinating one at that. I have met so many people and have built up so many wonderful friendships just from being on my computer. This is when you wonder about the "what ifs". You know, "What if I hadn't met this person", "What if this person hadn't been on at the same time I was"? I am constantly wondering how my life would be so different, had I not met this one or that one. So many people have had such a dramatical impact on my life and I am constanly in a state of "Awe" over this. I am always hoping that I have made a difference in someone else's life, a positive difference! Not that I have a big head about this, I just care so much for every person that I have come in contact with and if I should never hear from them again, I hope that I was able to get across to that person, how much they have meant to me in such a short time. You begin to worry when you haven't heard from someone in a short while, wondering if they are okay, if they are hurting, if they need a shoulder to cry on, if they just need someone to say "Hi"! Modern technology has allowed so many peope to be able to find a lost loved one, make new friends, keep in touch with those who ordinarily would not write through snail mail, to be able to reach out. I find it so amazing that now you can follow your dreams, just by the touch of a button or the click of a mouse. Right now I am attempting to make one of my dreams come true, and it is to become a teacher. Without modern technology I would not be able to do this! I now, have the opportunity to stay at home and go to school to obtain my BA Interdisciplinary Studies with Teacher Licensure, K - 8 and it is all due to this wonderful world of cyber space. This is where being on the computer so long, can start to drive you just a little insane. Of course, those who know me, already think I am a nut case. Little do they know, I was already one when I started to use the computer. I have been allowed to make many comments on my web site and some of them are a little out of the ordinary and those who do read my comments may think I have lost my mind! So, for all those who are asking themselves, "Have I lost my mind"? Nah, you haven't! It's backed up on disk somewhere! Trouble is, you can't remember where you put that darned disk! Not to worry, you'll find it and just when you think you've found your sanity, oops! There it goes again!! What's a little insanity among friends!!
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