Part D: Program Experience Essay
Success is a journey and I have had a very enlightening one.
In 1979, I completed my sophomore year in high school. As soon as school was that year, I made my annual trek to my Granny’s home in Nelson County, VA. When she had the opportunity to pull me aside to talk to me, Granny told me that she was very proud of me. I was a very difficult child throughout my elementary and middle school years, mainly due to dysfunction found within my family. My family thought I had grown out of that with the start of high school as I began to focus on my grades and strived to be perfect in all that I did. I didn’t have long to bask in my Granny’s pride in me though, because as soon as she said how proud she was, she asked me if I was going to quit school. In fact, she was encouraging me to quit school! In Granny’s eyes, I could read and I could do “figgers”. That was all a girl needed to get a job. I was told that I had enough “book-learning” and now I needed to pay my family back by getting a job because times were tight. Fortunately, I had an older cousin who told me that he would break my arm if I listened to Granny. Since I was more afraid of him than Granny, I graduated high school.
During my senior year of high school my guidance counselor asked me what college I was going to apply to. I had not thought about college and promptly told her so! She was adamant that I would attend college and even helped me find the resources to pay for college. I earned several grants and scholarships with her help. I was amazed at what was happening for me!
It was at Liberty Baptist College that I earned my salvation and my bachelors’ degree. I thought I had all the education I could possibly want and I immediately began teaching without even thinking about further education. I am happy to say that I am about to finish a graduate degree at Liberty University!
When I first began my graduate degree, I signed up for two courses under Dr. Clarence Holland. Not only were my first two courses under the same professor, they were during the same eight week period. Friends that knew Dr. Holland or had him for a course immediately told me to drop a class, not due to his teaching style; in fact, they had nothing but praise for him. Rather, the problem was in the great expectations he held for his students. He expected nothing but the best and made his students earn the grades. Never being one to admit defeat, I staunchly plunged ahead. Inside though I will admit to being terrified! However, I am excited to say that I passed both classes with a perfect score. These first two classes were School Finance and School Administration. This victory, plus Dr. Holland’s encouragement and confidence in me, gave me the support I needed to keep on with the courses.
One of my favorite courses was again with Dr. Holland, School Law. I was excited to discover a hidden passion in me. I loved learning about the relationship between the law and education. This course made me look at things in my own work. I began to find more compassion for administrators and the way their hands are tied at times.
The most eye-opening course I have taken was Foundations of Exceptionality. During my undergraduate work at Liberty, I was told to complete a practicum at Central Virginia Training School. Liberty did not prepare me for what I would encounter and I was terrified! I wanted nothing to do with persons with special needs. During my graduate class, I was able to again have an experience working with students with special needs. This time, Liberty’s professor, Constance Pearson’s discussions, readings, and interactions, were a source of support and I felt perfectly comfortable in the special needs classrooms that I completed my field hours in. In fact, I have made a point to weekly work in a special needs classroom ever since my course with Dr. Pearson.
The intensives I took at Liberty during this degree program have been awesome! I sat under Dr. Holland, Dr. Ackerman, and Dr. Angle. Each of these professors went out of their way to make the week long classes both challenging and yet gave us time to bond with our colleagues and the professors.
My most difficult course at Liberty was Research and Assessment. I had an unsettling experience with the professor. He asked for suggestions at the end of the course and was not happy with the ones I made. Even though I earned an A for that course, I felt I somehow lost something. Through this experience, I learned though that not everyone wants the input they request. As an administrator, I will have to carefully discern who is ready to handle the truth and who is just looking for reinforcement.
I lost my Granny many years ago but I daydream that my Granny can see me and in spite of the fact that I gave little heed to her admonitions to quit school and get a job, that she is as happy as I am with the completion of my degree. Liberty has given me so much! I had an opportunity to meet my Lord. I completed an undergraduate degree here. Now I have successfully finished a master’s degree. These accomplishments are due to the support and encouragement of the highly trained, compassionate professors Liberty has employed. I have learned that I am capable of completing any task the Lord sends me to do. I am graduating with a 4.0 grade point average. Even Granny should be smiling at that!
