My Legacy: A Love for Learning
From the very beginning of my life I have been fascinated by all that this world has to offer. By the age of three I was an avid birdwatcher. My grandfather and I would go out into his backyard every morning to catalogue each bird that we saw and the date and time. Later we would go to the library to look up all the facts about each bird. We would write down their natural habitats, what they liked to eat, and their migration patterns.
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When I started school the other students wondered why I always did my homework and asked so many questions every class.
They didn't seem to understand what an incredible opportunity we had to learn so many things. After graduating from high school I didn't have enough money to go to college. I tried to find another way to keep learning. That is when I decided to join the U. S. Army as an engineer.
They didn't seem to understand what an incredible opportunity we had to learn so many things. After graduating from high school I didn't have enough money to go to college. I tried to find another way to keep learning. That is when I decided to join the U. S. Army as an engineer.
I learned to troubleshoot and fix the diesel generators that were used to power the M.A.S.H. units. Later, I changed careers to become a Dental Specialist and make dentures for my fellow soldiers.
It was a wonderful opportunity to not only keep learning, but to travel around and live in seven different states in this country. Every new place brought new people and interesting experiences.
Upon my return from active duty I got a job working for a large bank in the Boston area. I was assigned to the stock transfer department to handle over 13 million dollars of accounts on a daily basis. I took advantage of the employee benefit of paid continuing education and embarked on a degree in business management and accounting. "Ever learning, ever growing" - that was my mantra.
After five years in the banking business I moved to Michigan with my family. My electrical engineering background came in handy as I landed a job with a spa and pool company that needed a repairperson. It was then that I learned how to draw up my own original electrical schematics and make quite a considerable profit for the company that hired me. I always told my own children, "don't ever be afraid of trying something new." I didn't just tell them, I showed them.
I continued to broaden my horizons by taking a job as one of the first female managers of a well known hardware store chain. My education continued as I learned to be a paint specialist, cut and thread pipe, and tackle any plumbing job someone might need help with at 10:30 on a Sunday night.
There was no way I was going to leave the midwest, the heart of America's breadbasket, without learning all I could about agriculture. I took my degree in business and accounting and landed a job as an administrator for an international agricultural company. Not only did I handle their accounts and customer service, but I learned to customize fertilizer to grow any crop you could imagine.
I took up organic and companion gardening. It was wonderful to just walk out to my own backyard and pick fresh fruits, vegetables, and flowers every day.
Another hobby I picked up was flying ultralights. It is an incredible experience to achieve lift off in less than 75 feet and soar over Lake Huron and the surrounding beautiful landscapes
Along the way I had many hobbies. I studied piano at the nearby college and played Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata for a concert at the end of the year.
I tell you all of this to show you how wonderful this life can be when we are hungry to learn. What the world calls mistakes are simply lessons learned so we can do better next time. To live a full and satisfying life we must find what we are good at and what we believe we can give to this world to make it a better place. I believe every life that comes into this world has a purpose. I believe parents and teachers are central to helping children discover what special talents they have to offer to our society. I believe this world is not complete without the unique gift each of us has to bring to it. The same love of learning I have had my whole life is what I endeavor to pass on to all my students. Learning doesn't have to stop when you graduate high school.