Education…The Equivalent to Faith…Self-love…Success

I was raised in a middle-class family, with upper-class dreams. Although we may have not been the most financially secure, a wealth of parental motivation was the equivalent to King Tut’s Riches. I never attended private schools or lived in houses meant only for purposes of admiration. Yet, the hollow walls of my home were held together by the bindings of perseverance and value. Back then, though it may have been hard to accept not having what others did; I had overlooked the obvious. Gifts never replaced quality time, quality time never replaced education and self-love was poured into me like water dancing into a stream. In a two-parent home, I grew to learn the importance of parental guidanceâÂ?¦How that would, ultimately, craft the “me” I would become.

To my dismay, I lost my father at the age of thirteen and the road towards “becoming” looked ever so bleak. From there, I took steps that were nailed to my frontal lobe by two of the most persistent people I had ever known. Through faith, I discovered self-loveâÂ?¦Via self-love I found success. There was no rocket-science involved, when it came to my stride towards becoming more than I was. My parents had painted me hues of ambition and passion.

With the past still awakening facets of my future, I understand that my parents’ way of educating me continues to feed my drive. Now, walking in the footsteps of my blood; I know I must educate my two sons in the same light. Just as I did, they walk the halls of a public school (Bouchet Academy) where children are starved for parental guidance. They open textbooks in classrooms where educators feel the burden of trying to be what their students should have at homeâÂ?¦parents. It is a fact that, as parents, we can not assume that educators will excel where we fail. Parenting must become a priority.

On the other hand, there are instances where teachers have accepted defeat without having fought. In addition, instead of becoming an exception in someone’s vast book of statistics; instructors fail to live up to the challenge. The confidence of our children is worn thin by the ever-repeated phrase “I’ve gotten my education; you’ve still got to get yours.” Because the point of being an educator is not to compare accomplishments, I would rather my children see the degree exemplified in the classroom than have the idea of acquiring one sarcastically spouted.

In the days of my childhood, my parents knew that they had to be the example; in order for me to see the example.
Even when my peers and educators saw me as less than what I was, my drive had already been birthed by a mother and father who educated me. It was their belief in me that watered the garden of my faith, strengthened my love of self and paved my path towards success.