College continued

I have been so blessed to be able to reach my long time goal of finishing up my 6 year degree in education.  As a beginning teacher, many years ago now, I worked with several teachers that were working on graduate work in education.  I decided at that point in time, that one day, I too would finsh my graduate degree in education.  However, at that same time, I was somewhat of a newly wed and Cecil and I were beginning to think about having children.  It took longer to have children that we thought, but I have been blessed with 3 beautiful children.  Nathan, Kaleb, and Rachel's names have already been mentioned in previous blog posts.  Rachel was born 10 years and a little over a month after Nathan.  Basically, I spent the 1990's and early 2000's having babies and toddlers!!!

It was 20 years (from the time I started working on my bachelor's degreee) that I would finally get going on my graduate degree in education at Brenau University www.brenau.edu.  In the fall of 2004, I began working on my master's degree in Early Childhood Education in the Online College at Brenau.  I found out from a co-worker (who was taking classes at Brenau in the Online College) that I could actually earn my degree in an online program at Brenau.  I was so excited.  Since Rachel was a toddler at the time, I spent many nights with her in my lap while completing classwork at the computer.  I was very thrilled that I did not have to leave my kids though.  It was great to be able to work on my degree in this way.  I did take a class on campus during the summer and I had to go on campus to complete my Comprehensive Exams!  Fun!  I completed my MEd in the summer of 2006 (while recovering from surgery!)  One of the questions that I asked my professors was "Will Brenau University ever consider offer the Education Specialist degree program in the Online College?"  The answer was "No, not at this time. You will have to come on campus to work on your EDS."  Well, in the latter part of 2009, I discovered (while looking for a college that offered an EDS in an online format, that Brenau University was offering an EDS program in their Online College and I could start in 2010.  Soon, I was once again taking classes at Brenau University.  This time, I decided to get my EDS in Middle Grades Ed.  I finished the program in the spring of 2011 and chose to walk in the graduation ceremony.  I had reached a goal that I had set for myself nearly 20 years earlier.  I graduated in early May of 2011 from Brenau University, and Nathan, my oldest son, graduated from Hart Co. High School in late May of 2011.  We got to graduate together!!!  

I don't mean to brag on myself and my accomplishments.  I merely want to journal/blog about the ways that I have been blessed.  I have a tendency to focus on the negative things that are happening/have happened in my life.  I am challenging myself to focus on the positivie things (the blessings) rather than the opposite.  God has truely blessed me in so many ways.  My goal in journaling/blogging about my blessings is to help ME to focus on the many, many ways God has/continues to bless me in my life's journey.