I have said this before, but I am once again reminded of how quickly the sand leaves the hour glass.
The Boy only has just under 14 weeks till his high school graduation. That is less than 100 days.
High School life has been a challenge for us. Although The Boy has been encouraged to attend college his whole life, he never felt a connection to become something. He contemplated the military, factory work, and at best a community college.
The one thing he did promise me was that he would obtain his A+ diploma. For those of you who do not know, an A+ diploma is awarded if a high school student maintains a minimum GPA, has a minimum attendance, scored proficient on some exams, and completed 50 hours of tutoring hours.
Last summer, The Boy volunteered at his old elementary school to get his A+ hours. Almost immediately, he began coming home with stories of children and learning. Every day he talked about it a little longer. Finally, I asked him if teaching was something he would be interested in doing as a career. He responded very confidently, "yeah, I really think so!"
So, we began our exploration of education programs in our area. We started making college visits in November visiting three universities. I referred to them by their school colors: Team Green, Team Red, and Team Purple. Each had their pros and con's.
Team Green has a strong education program and they even have an elementary school on campus. Students at Team Green start seeing the inside of a classroom immediately. They also have a strong athletic department and watching sports is a huge part of The Boy. We took a Team Green Alum with us when we went to visit. When we left there that cold cold day I really expected Team Green was The Boy's future home.
Team Red is my alma mater. They also have a strong education program. The Boy loved their campus life., he even told me he was visualizing all his "stuff" in the dorm room they showed us. Unfortunately, we left not knowing anything about their education department as they did not have anyone who could meet with us that day.
Team Purple is out of state and I honestly was not going to pay out of state tuition. Team Purple is a Division 1 school and has been my sons love for many many years. His step mom went to school at Team Purple and she introduced him to the school and sports program when he was five. As soon as we learned that due to The Boy's separate household status (one parent lives in one state and the other in another state) he was eligible for in-state tuition. Finding out that Team Purple's tuition was comparable to both Team Green and Team Red, I knew my son had found his new home.
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Team Green responded first. Followed by Team Red. They both accepted him. It took Team Purple the longest but we heard from them late last week. Team Purple accepted The Boy.
I am so proud to say that my son got into his dream college and will become a Wildcat this coming fall to pursue a new dream of becoming an educator. My heart is so full of pride that he is motivated and has worked unbelievably hard over the past year. His determination is only starting to pay off.
It is a very bittersweet time around this household. On one hand, excitement exudes around here. A future goal. A dream college. Division 1 football games and basketball games. How could we not be excited? But that is mixed with the fact that in a few short months he will be moving away and living on his own. It is so hard to imagine not seeing his face every day. Or knowing he won't be waking me up every morning when he turns his bathroom light on. Or that I won't be tripping over his big shoes that he leaves laying all over my house.
I am trying to embrace my last moments. They will be gone before I am ready. But I am also excited to create new moments. Bittersweet.
The Boy only has just under 14 weeks till his high school graduation. That is less than 100 days.
High School life has been a challenge for us. Although The Boy has been encouraged to attend college his whole life, he never felt a connection to become something. He contemplated the military, factory work, and at best a community college.
The one thing he did promise me was that he would obtain his A+ diploma. For those of you who do not know, an A+ diploma is awarded if a high school student maintains a minimum GPA, has a minimum attendance, scored proficient on some exams, and completed 50 hours of tutoring hours.
Last summer, The Boy volunteered at his old elementary school to get his A+ hours. Almost immediately, he began coming home with stories of children and learning. Every day he talked about it a little longer. Finally, I asked him if teaching was something he would be interested in doing as a career. He responded very confidently, "yeah, I really think so!"
So, we began our exploration of education programs in our area. We started making college visits in November visiting three universities. I referred to them by their school colors: Team Green, Team Red, and Team Purple. Each had their pros and con's.
Team Green has a strong education program and they even have an elementary school on campus. Students at Team Green start seeing the inside of a classroom immediately. They also have a strong athletic department and watching sports is a huge part of The Boy. We took a Team Green Alum with us when we went to visit. When we left there that cold cold day I really expected Team Green was The Boy's future home.
Team Red is my alma mater. They also have a strong education program. The Boy loved their campus life., he even told me he was visualizing all his "stuff" in the dorm room they showed us. Unfortunately, we left not knowing anything about their education department as they did not have anyone who could meet with us that day.
Team Purple is out of state and I honestly was not going to pay out of state tuition. Team Purple is a Division 1 school and has been my sons love for many many years. His step mom went to school at Team Purple and she introduced him to the school and sports program when he was five. As soon as we learned that due to The Boy's separate household status (one parent lives in one state and the other in another state) he was eligible for in-state tuition. Finding out that Team Purple's tuition was comparable to both Team Green and Team Red, I knew my son had found his new home.
Team Green responded first. Followed by Team Red. They both accepted him. It took Team Purple the longest but we heard from them late last week. Team Purple accepted The Boy.
I am so proud to say that my son got into his dream college and will become a Wildcat this coming fall to pursue a new dream of becoming an educator. My heart is so full of pride that he is motivated and has worked unbelievably hard over the past year. His determination is only starting to pay off.
It is a very bittersweet time around this household. On one hand, excitement exudes around here. A future goal. A dream college. Division 1 football games and basketball games. How could we not be excited? But that is mixed with the fact that in a few short months he will be moving away and living on his own. It is so hard to imagine not seeing his face every day. Or knowing he won't be waking me up every morning when he turns his bathroom light on. Or that I won't be tripping over his big shoes that he leaves laying all over my house.
I am trying to embrace my last moments. They will be gone before I am ready. But I am also excited to create new moments. Bittersweet.
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