"Made to achieve" - A road sign

​When I was young, you would not have thought I was made to achieve.  I was a very shy and introverted little girl.  I was the one who would hide behind my mom’s legs and would not come out when people addressed me, even if they were nice.  I did not want to venture beyond my comfort zone.  You would have thought that I would never be able to achieve.
 
When I was in kindergarten, I remember clinging to my mom – screaming.  I did not want to go to this thing called school.  I wanted my mom.  The teacher had to talk to me kindly and show me love and acceptance before I would be willing to stay.  You would have thought that I would never be able to achieve.
 
When I was in first grade, my ways continued.  I was to walk home for lunch.  My mom had sent along a small envelope of mints for snack time.  When lunch time arrived, I did not want to tell the teacher that I was to go home for lunch.  I sat there, hiding the small envelope of mints – eating one at a time.  The teacher asked if I had a lunch.  I said, “yes.”  Then my mom appeared at the door, and I ran to her crying.  You would have thought that I would never be able to achieve.
 
When I was in third grade, the teacher told us we were not to ask to use the restroom during instruction.  I had to use the bathroom badly.  But I would not tell the teacher.  I wet my pants.  When my dad picked me up from school, he noticed my situation and asked me about it.  All I could do was sob – he picked me up and hugged me.  We went home to change my clothes.  You would have thought that I would never be able to achieve.
 
When I was in fourth grade, I remember standing at the classroom door with the teacher admonishing my mom because I had lice.  She told my mom that she needed to clean our house…  Her tone and words were mean and cut my mom to her heart.  I saw tears in my mother’s eyes.  I wanted to yell at the teacher for making my mom feel so bad, but I was silent.  You would have thought that I would never be able to achieve.
 
When I was in junior high, I watched as a teacher threw my little brother up against a locker and yelled at him with derogatory comments.  My brother was gifted and talented, but he was a rebel and also stood with the underdog.  As I watched, I remained silent again.  This was the only time my parents came to school to complain.  You would have thought that I would never be able to achieve.
 
In high school, I took a required speech class.  I was terrified.  Every time I had to give a speech, my heart would pound, my palms and underarms would be filled with sweat, and I would gag repeatedly the morning of the speech.  You would have thought I would never achieve.
 
In college, I studied so hard for a class – but I was not doing well.  The final exam came – I had studied and studied, but I had studied the wrong information.  I looked at that exam and saw that I knew nothing.  I put my name on the test, and walked it up to the professor with no answers and left the room.  I was close to nine months pregnant at the time.  I needed that class to graduate, and I just failed the final exam.  I told my husband what had happened.  He was furious with me.  He went to the professor and convinced the professor to give me a D so I would pass the class.  You would have thought I would never achieve.
 
Still in my life, I have many failures  - and I question whether I will ever succeed.  I look back and see that I have become a teacher.  I have become an advocate for children.  I have spoken at conferences – still don’t like to do that though.  I am a life-long learner, reading every day.  How do we measure success?  I thought I would never achieve.  Now I work to try and make children aware that they can achieve no matter what their circumstances. 
 
BEcky