I am in an inspired mood for some apparent reason, and for some reason, I find myself reflecting my educational growth as student. As finals week is approaching quickly, I am alarmed that I would have one year’s worth of my degree. In fact, Monday will be the start of a week long journey of finals, and the birth of vigorous coffee drinking. In reality, I suppose late night, early rising, all-nighters might be an exaggeration to the truth of finals week, but I must say that we might appear to be underneath the pressure of last minute changes to a paper. Whatever the case may be, finals week is surely not the same fashion as a weekly ritual for a college student. What is the meaning for college? I mean, can going to classes, study your ass off, and graciously buzz through a three section test for about four years to say that you are qualified enough to work for a higher paying job? All of these types of questions used to swim in head, but now they do not because I find meaning and purpose in the academic lifestyle. I suppose each person is different, but as for me, I am excited about learning and growing academically. Can the building excitement for education inspire us?

What inspires us? How can the college lifestyle allow us to become inspired? I think for the most part, at least for me, inspiration comes from hard work. I love the quote from one of my professor’s door. The quote from Jim Fay, “Building self-respect comes from struggle and achievement, not from being made comfortable.” is truly something I really agree with because I can totally relate to my own struggles and achievements in the academic spectrum. But, in my other personal experiences, I can safely say that I experience various physical and cognitive disabilities that render my work a tidbit harder compared to if I did not experience the firsthand disabilities. With or without disabilities, hard work is hard work that creates self-respect. The first time I attended college, the quote aforementioned was hanging on the professor’s door, and used to think differently about it. I used to think that my self-respect needed to come from my educators and peers, but of course, I think differently about it now. Self-respect needs to come from the inside of us. People get to choice what formulates as hard work. The moment we start setting and achieving harder goals for ourselves is the moment we begin the process of having self-respect. Once we create and build our self-respect, I believe that it could be a harnessing tool to be inspired.

With that said, I am inspired because I have worked hard to be where I am now. With my language mechanics department in part of my cogitative disabilities, I used to agonize over the thought of writing, grammar, punctuation, and writing structures because I failed many, many, many times to the point of giving up. The giving up part started at a young age right after my accident, and I was constantly informed that my brain was damaged. Although, my educators and my parents under no circumstances told me that I would never achieve the normal excellence of a writer, I found other methods of communication to be much easier than to find ways to write properly. Before graduating high school, I maintained only an excellence of third grade writing level, and fifth grade reading level. I hid from my poor language skills through the invention of a word processor. I went to college for the first time to only to have the attitude of a “pricked-up-know-it-all” because I knew a few HTML codes. Short story of that – I flunked college and had to find other way to go about my life. Fast forward five years, and I ended up where I left off.

My first semester back, I enrolled for a developmental English course, where I would learn the very basis of English formality. I took the class very seriously, and allowed my English professors to perform open brain surgery on me. Once in my life, I rewarded myself with small but important steps to becoming a better writer. Once in my life, English writing made sense to me. Once in my life, I understand the importance of academic writing. All of these, “Aha” moments tie into the works of communication, and of course, I seek communication, knowledge, growth, and professionalism on a daily basis.

So how can these experiences make me desire to be become an educator? During of the course of this semester, my peers would come to me for assistance in our technology program courses. I enjoy helping students achieve success, and I always wondered why. I made the realization that the reason why I enjoy it is because I have empathy toward students. In essence, I was that lost student at one time, but today was different; I had one of my peers asked for my advice in a given subject. Can you guess the given subject? Yes! Writing – I felt honored because writing used to my weakest link, and of course, overcoming the struggles to be a lending hand in editing or advices surely gives me inspiration of what I am supposed to become. This post is a reminder for everyone to never ever give up! If you say you can’t or can-You are correct! I tell myself that I want to become an educator, but I have already realized, I am an educator and a student.