Really, I'm just thankful for the chance to be in school again. In August, I started my first class, working toward the MATESOL degree. (Masters of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) I think I've dreamt of this moment since college but never really thought it would happen. I thought only super smart people got to go on to graduate school. I had tons of friends who went straight from college to grad school or seminary, and I just assumed it would never happen because it would cost too much, and I would forever be paying off the loans I had to borrow for my undergraduate degree.
But God is good. I waited. And even though it is going to take a lot of time and money over the next few years, and I will still be paying off lots and lots of undergrad debt when I finish this program (in my mind I still say if I finish this program, but I'm deciding to make the hard choice today and not believe my negative words and thoughts...) God provided the desire and the opportunity to go back this Fall. It's really perfect having the chance to study online because it means I set my own schedule and use my books, notes, and the professor's power points to really comprehend the material instead of just memorizing and disposing of the info like I often did in college to make it through exams! It is also super that I have been able to spend three years paying on my undergrad debt which a lot of people my age are not able to do, and I can temporarily defer my loans right now to make monthly payments on the graduate classes as I go instead. I will definitely have some new interest built up to pay when I finish, but that amount won't be near what I would pay if I took out more loans and added interest with them for all of my graduate classes.
I feel like I've thought this through. I'm not just doing this to "do it" or working on a degree just to move up on a pay scale or add a credential to my name. I feel like I have a plan and some goals. And I am excited it is a program I will one day use. For the passion God has put in my heart. I still don't know where, when, or how I will use it. But that is the exciting part. There are so many possibilities. I might teach ESL here in public schools, overseas while I serve and also share my faith with internationals, or at a university in an international studies department. But those are just the possibilities in my mind. Who knows what crazy and wonderful idea God has in store? He always does. And it always surpasses anything I could have imagined or thought up or planned for!
I'm so thankful to be studying and taking classes while I continue working and enjoying being a music teacher full time. Not that teaching every day isn't satisfying or adequate, but I finally feel like I'm moving forward!
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