Looking Back on Learning

Did you know that I actually started out teaching home economics to middle schoolers?! Yeah, I wouldn’t have placed myself there either but I wouldn’t change that experience for the world because of where it has gotten me today!

With a little bit of learning and faith, God can have some pretty awesome plans for you.

I should actually back up to college. I was a Human Development and Family Studies major at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas! I absolutely loved my major. The child development classes, the psychology and family learning! But when it came to my senior year, I had no idea what I was going to choose as my career path. I even minored in Human Resources just for a back up! I think I was the only senior who chose to jam pack their schedule with a full load of classes and an internship.

The summer after graduation comes and I still don’t know what I’m going to do. I looked for some Human Resources Jobs, went on lots of interviews. But nothing seemed to fit.

It wasn’t until I remembered how my mom gifted me with a textbook she found at a goodwill. It was my senior year of college. The textbook was “Reading in the 21st Century”. I was very confused as she handed it to me. All she said was how she thought about me when she saw the textbook, and that maybe I should think about going into teaching.

That’s when I started learning about the certification process for becoming a teacher. I was nervous and feeling very insecure because I didn’t like how unprepared I felt going into the classroom. I didn’t have a education background but I did have a child development background so I leaned in on that. I learned about the certification of Family Consumer Sciences (formally Home Economics). I could actually teach classes on what I learned in my major! (Yes, that means I taught the baby class, and no they aren’t the flour sacks anymore, they are REAL life baby robots 😂)

My husband, boyfriend at the time, was so confused as to why I wanted to teach middle schoolers. So was I to be honest. But I was left with limited choices so decided to go with it!

Two years (and lots of headaches) later. I knew I was ready for the next thing. I wanted to try teaching elementary school. But this time, I wanted to feel prepared. So I applied to graduate school and started my new learning journey of getting my Masters in Education. I knew I wanted to focus on literacy so I chose the path of Curriculum and Instruction in Triple Literacy studies.

Again, I got weird looks and doubt from others around me. “You really want to teach elementary school, AND you want to teach reading? That’s so much harder than what you do now, why bother?”

But I knew God had a special plan for me. I thought about that text book that my mom got me. Jeremiah 29:11, I thought. “I know the plans for you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Hope. Hope is what I leaned in on this time. God had something big planned for me so I knew I had to keep learning.

I learned that those doubtful of me were right, moving down to teach elementary school was hard. It’s the hardest profession in this world. But I never worked so hard in my life. And I felt like I was right where I belong. I had people around me who supported me and told me to keep going. Through teaching in a title one school and then a not-so-Title 1 school, I focused on my teaching values. What I learned in college and graduate school. I was able to combine my two passions of child development and literacy together.

A couple of years later, I did something I knew would probably come in my future. Time for family, babies and to focus on a new stage in my life. But I didn’t want to leave everything I had worked for behind. I couldn’t. So I decided to start writing down my thoughts. Thoughts on learning, literacy and my life.

To this day, I continue to lean on God and try to follow His path. I know that things will probably change drastically when our first baby comes along in December. But as for now, I’m thankful for the opportunity to stay home and prepare for our growing family while also being able to lean in on my passion of learning and literacy through sharing resources and information with you!

Happy learning!

Ashley