Education
I graduated from high school a year early by attending summer school two years. I couldn't wait to get to college and get out of the small town I'd lived in all my life. I knew from 9th grade I wanted to be a social worker, so I chose my college accordingly. I was accepted at my top two choices and chose one farthest from home.
I was so young. I graduated at 16, went to college the week after I turned 17. My first class, on my first day was Social Work 101. The professor came into the room. She was a very masculine feminist. (No, that's not a typo.) She climbed onto a long table, stretched herself out, lit a cigarette and drawled her first lecture. "This is Social Work 101. If you are in this class because you think you can change the world, you can't. If you are in this class to go out and help the needy, you won't. If you want to save a woman from abuse, she'll go back. If you want to spare a home, the children will be taken. You will be sitting behind a desk, with paperwork piled to the ceiling, handing out food stamps to people you know don't need them, while a woman sits in the corner with no place else to go and begs for your help but your hands are tied. If this is the kind of life you want to lead, then you're in the right room. If not, you probably want to drop this class."
That negativity dogged me the rest of my college life - two years worth. I didn't drop the class, but I did change my major. A few times, even. After a year there, I moved to Atlanta and went to another college for one year. There, I decided I'd study business and was quite good at it. I made the dean's list each quarter. But then I dropped out because living life took over. Looking back it was a life I wasn't yet prepared to live, but hey, hindsight's 20/20, right?
The whole point of this diatribe is to share some of my actions this week. I've been thinking of going back to school. Because we are fulltime RVers, and because I prefer this method, I want to take online courses. After looking at some traditional universities, and online schools, I've decided to take online writing courses. Writing is my passion right now, and a degree from a traditional school will be more expensive than it will pay off in the long run, so a wise use of my time and my dollars will be the alternate route. Now I just have to start saving!
Every few years I think of continuing my education, but I've always postponed it. I've never been settled enough to know what I wanted to study. So many things interest me; if I went through a regular course of study for all my interests I'd be in school the rest of my life. I am a lifetime student of learning; for now I can pick and choose the courses I need the most. I have a desire, and the time and lifestyle, to be the best writer I can possibly be.
I received some critical remarks (and rolling eyes) from an author this week on a paragraph I had written. For a day or so, it made me doubt myself, my purpose, my abilities. I prayed about it, and asked God for some kind of encouragement that He wanted me to continue. In my mind, that encouragement would come in the form of an acceptance letter for one of the dozen or so proposals/queries I have submitted at the moment.
Instead, when I awoke this morning, I was renewed and refreshed. I sat at the computer and typed out 10 pages on my current WIP without even thinking one negative thought. I just wrote and enjoyed every word I put on that page. Yes, it is a first draft, but the story is moving forward.
God knew the encouragement I needed and answered my prayer. Thank you God for always providing my needs. Amen.
I was so young. I graduated at 16, went to college the week after I turned 17. My first class, on my first day was Social Work 101. The professor came into the room. She was a very masculine feminist. (No, that's not a typo.) She climbed onto a long table, stretched herself out, lit a cigarette and drawled her first lecture. "This is Social Work 101. If you are in this class because you think you can change the world, you can't. If you are in this class to go out and help the needy, you won't. If you want to save a woman from abuse, she'll go back. If you want to spare a home, the children will be taken. You will be sitting behind a desk, with paperwork piled to the ceiling, handing out food stamps to people you know don't need them, while a woman sits in the corner with no place else to go and begs for your help but your hands are tied. If this is the kind of life you want to lead, then you're in the right room. If not, you probably want to drop this class."
That negativity dogged me the rest of my college life - two years worth. I didn't drop the class, but I did change my major. A few times, even. After a year there, I moved to Atlanta and went to another college for one year. There, I decided I'd study business and was quite good at it. I made the dean's list each quarter. But then I dropped out because living life took over. Looking back it was a life I wasn't yet prepared to live, but hey, hindsight's 20/20, right?
The whole point of this diatribe is to share some of my actions this week. I've been thinking of going back to school. Because we are fulltime RVers, and because I prefer this method, I want to take online courses. After looking at some traditional universities, and online schools, I've decided to take online writing courses. Writing is my passion right now, and a degree from a traditional school will be more expensive than it will pay off in the long run, so a wise use of my time and my dollars will be the alternate route. Now I just have to start saving!
Every few years I think of continuing my education, but I've always postponed it. I've never been settled enough to know what I wanted to study. So many things interest me; if I went through a regular course of study for all my interests I'd be in school the rest of my life. I am a lifetime student of learning; for now I can pick and choose the courses I need the most. I have a desire, and the time and lifestyle, to be the best writer I can possibly be.
I received some critical remarks (and rolling eyes) from an author this week on a paragraph I had written. For a day or so, it made me doubt myself, my purpose, my abilities. I prayed about it, and asked God for some kind of encouragement that He wanted me to continue. In my mind, that encouragement would come in the form of an acceptance letter for one of the dozen or so proposals/queries I have submitted at the moment.
Instead, when I awoke this morning, I was renewed and refreshed. I sat at the computer and typed out 10 pages on my current WIP without even thinking one negative thought. I just wrote and enjoyed every word I put on that page. Yes, it is a first draft, but the story is moving forward.
God knew the encouragement I needed and answered my prayer. Thank you God for always providing my needs. Amen.
posted by Tracy Ruckman at
10:00 PM
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