The Journey Continued

As mentioned at the end of my last post, I was serving as an in-home counselor.  I had switched agencies yet was doing the same type of in-home counseling work, which included visiting children, youth, and adolescent clients in their schools. A desire to work full-time in the school setting began to develop within me as a result of regularly being in schools, yet an unforgiving doubt was lodged in the back of my mind:   How was it possible for a once average and failing student high school and the first part of undergrad expect to turn around and work in the school setting?

Fortunately, my present overruled my past.  The habits exhibited in the younger years of my life had changed. Additionally, there were still those individuals who consistently encouraged me.

Thus, as I embarked on the last semester of my master’s degree I began to look for school counseling jobs.  I was not initially interested in school counseling when beginning the graduate school program, resulting in my choosing community counseling, which required slightly different courses and testing.

Translation: I did not have the complete course requirements to become a school counselor.

Let’s pause here as a sidebar.  These last two posts about my journey include the highlights and exclude all of my emotions, positive and negative attitudes, extreme challenges, sacrifice, moments when I stumbled, fell down, and wanted to quit; it will take a book to expound on such.  The purpose of sharing is, as mentioned in the previous post, to demonstrate the power of a story – each of which we all have, and each that will impact someone.

Most individuals did not know my path, which has been riddled with successes and failures, ups and downs, celebrations and disappointments. I share to simply say this – if I was able to transcend the obstacles, then anyone is able.  I was statistically not supposed to be where I am today.  Prayer, support, and hard work pushed me beyond even my own expectations.  Thus, if sharing my journey encourages one person to keep moving forward – to know that there’s still hope as long as you are living – then my sharing has not been in vain.

I was lacking in school counseling courses.  However, when I interviewed for a job in a different county, enough credits had been earned to be hired on a permit.  I was offered and accepted the job the same day of the interview. Accepting the position was a risk within itself because I was replacing someone on maternity leave for one year; there was no guarantee that a job was going to be available for me after my first year of school counseling.

My last semester of graduate school included my first semester of being a school counselor.  I graduated with a master’s in counseling in December of that year (2001), and was required to take five additional courses, including an internship, and a PRAXIS exam to become a certified school counselor.  Completing the five courses took an additional 1 ½ years. I decided to also continue the licensed professional counselor requirements, which took longer because of being in a public-school setting.

Be determined to go the extra mile, when necessary.

I was working in the same school district in which I had attended high school.  One day, I took the opportunity to look through the archives at my transcript and the last set of standardized test scores, on which I saw something of interest.  I remembered my test scores as being average, all of which most were – except one area in which I scored the equivalent of distinguished on today’s standardized test results.  Any guesses?  English/Language Arts.  Even then my love for the language, reading and writing was shining through; I was elated. I supposed there was one area in high school where I extended beyond the just enough to get by attitude.

A change in schools and districts was made. Then there was the change of being hired at the district level as a coordinator.  It did not take long to realize that if I wanted to eventually move forward, then there were different skill-sets and credentials needed.  Thus, through guidance and deep reflection, I opted to go the doctoral route.

It took six years to complete the doctorate, which included the one unofficial year that I did not work on my dissertation.  I concurrently worked on administration and supervision certification – all while working full-time.  What was I thinking? Fortunately, I earned mostly A’s again, resulting in a 3.7 grade point average, solidifying that my past was far behind me.  I must admit, had I known the level of energy and work all of this was going to take, I may have foregone the whole process; I’m tired just thinking about it now!

Professionally I served as a director and now an associate superintendent within the same school district.  And as the saying goes, the rest is history.

Again, my journey is being shared to encourage someone to persevere; to keep moving forward.  You may feel isolated, intimidated, or like giving-up along life’s way.  Yes, your journey may be different than mine, the obstacles you face perhaps more daunting, and the critics you face more relentless…yet keep moving forward.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing expecting different results.  Choose to be different, whatever your different is (i.e. being different as a parent, spouse, relative, friend, employee, boss, etc.), for it is your choice!  Do not let others, or your own thoughts and past successes and failures, keep you in a place of complacency and/or defeat. Our new tomorrow is waiting for a change in mindset and behavior today.

Last year I had the opportunity to visit China for the second time.  The first time was for pure tourist purposes, while the second time was about learning more about the culture and visiting schools.  The next several posts will disclose a few key life lessons experienced while there.  Check-in next Monday to read about the experience.