It’s true, my friends; I am finally going to college! In an honest moment, it’s not too far off the beaten path. I’ve always been passionate about education and supporting those in the educational field. And I fell in love with teaching while on staff at Master’s Commission of Austin. I was the staff member that was “too serious” about book class. For instance, when I led the book study for Glocalization: How Followers of Jesus Engage a Flat World, I created a custom spiral-bound companion workbook for each student. Each chapter had an interactive experience piece tied to an organization or idea that students had to complete. For instance, one session’s interactive involved learning about Charity:Water, and I provided each student with a water bottle and some packets of sand & dirt. In the class, I had students drink some of their bottled water and then write down how it looked and tasted in their notebooks. Then I had them add some sand to the water, swirl it around, and write about how it looked and how their life might change if that was the only water they had to drink. I instructed them to do the same with the dirt and had them write their observations down. The completion of their companion workbook counted for half of each student’s grade . . . and I meant business with it. (I mean, I put a LOT of energy and effort into creating it!) Some staff and students thought I was over-the-top, but I was serious about the students learning the book content and applying it to their real life. I loved teaching them, and I still have students that remind me about that class and the things they learned along the way.
On and off, I’ve taught through the years, leading workshops for parents, leaders, and students. I’ve been a Middle School curriculum contributor for Orange, and have spoken at public events. I enjoy opening up great conversations to help others think outside of the box regarding their faith and life. Then, last year I had the opportunity to step inside of an actual classroom. . . well, multiple classrooms to be exact. I volunteered at Fuentes Elementary in Kyle, TX, traveling from classroom to classroom in 30-minute rotations, and teaching fun fine arts activities to the kiddos in K-5. I’ve spent the past few years in conversations with many teachers, administrators, and non-traditional educators, and every one of them has encouraged me to teach. Yet every time I thought I might be ready, something didn’t feel right, or I didn’t feel like I was in a position to pursue something so big and important.
I almost started school at the beginning of the pandemic. I saw that Harvard University offered free courses online and wanted to check out some of their offerings. But then the pandemic dragged on, and pieces of me down with it. Then came the big drama of being blindsided by the local church that acquired our church in deceptive and unholy ways. That experience hit us on many levels; it took a while to bounce back and work through some of that hurt. Then I had a few family crises to walk through and eventually became the legal guardian of my wonderful nieces. As ministry work continued, we pushed through with online church and shifts in systems and practices and thankfully got to meet once a month at Buck’s Backyard. (Such a gift!) It wasn’t even until a few weeks ago that we found a fully indoor location that we could rent weekly. And just a couple of weeks ago, we held our first regular in-person service! In the middle of all that, I engaged in more serious conversations with my boss/Lead Pastor, some family members, close friends, and other ministry leaders about what it could look like to pursue college while working full-time. With their encouragement, support, and blessing, I started the process and am now officially cleared to start pursuing my Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Science (Biological Science). I aim to teach Middle/High School Biology and eventually get a Health certificate to teach a more expansive Health Class. I want to help students learn more about the wonder and beauty of biological science and the importance of good nutrition, mental health, emotional health, and overall well-being.
So starting today, I am attending Western Governor’s University online! Over the past 6 months, I have put in so much thought, prayer and research towards this decision. I’ve engaged in many deep conversations/debates, asked so many questions, and it feels a bit surreal to even be at this new starting point. The prep work to get to this day has been intense and tedious but very well worth it. I graduated in 2000 and haven’t had formal schooling since, so the idea of going to college for the first time was pretty overwhelming, and now I feel more prepared and ready to go. One of my most significant learning curves had to do with learning MATH!! (Not my strongest subject.) Since I’m at the stage in life where I’m dusting off the old math brain, I had to take some pre-assessments to catch up to speed and prepare for my upcoming classes. WGU provides math assessments through EdReady, and after taking the initial diagnostic, I had a score of 59. And through dedicating about 2-3 hours a day for the past three weeks, I’ve finally reached my goal of 95! One of my favorite things (there are very few) about taking the math assessments has been having Vanessa sit next to me as she and I did our homework together.
I hadn’t told a lot of folks about going to college at WGU up to this point. It feels a little odd using this platform to make this big announcement, but I’ve just been so busy getting things in place to start courses that I haven’t had the space and capacity to engage in extensive conversations with all the big questions. The biggest question I’ve gotten from folks who hear about this big new adventure is if I’m still going to be working with Eikon. And the answer is YES!! I’m super grateful for a boss who is supporting me through this. As I go through online courses, I will still be the full-time NextGen Pastor at Eikon. And once I’ve acquired my degree and gone into full-time teaching, I’ll still be volunteering in leadership at Eikon, leading our NextGen ministries with new systems to accommodate this significant life change. So now that the cat is out of the bag, I can officially say that it’s never too late in life to try something you’ve been putting off for so long. And pray for me along this journey . . . it’s a major shift, and I’m not afraid, but I am realistically aware of the intensive demands it will bring. I’ll need grace, patience, and wisdom along the way. They don’t call us the WGU Night Owls for nothing! 😉🦉
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