Woman's dream of education sidetracked
By Karen Blakeman
Advertiser Staff Writer
M.W. was a senior in high school when she realized what she wanted to do with her life; she wanted to teach high school English.
She had a flair for it, and she saw the need. The tutoring she'd done as a 12th-grader had given her a feeling of accomplishment like nothing she'd ever felt.
M.W. was on the path to her dream, enrolled in her first semester of college, when she started passing out on the bus en route to her classes.
She wasn't sick, and it wasn't the end of her dreams. Life had just handed her one of those little sidetracks: M.W. was pregnant.
Because her pregnancy made traveling to classes so difficult — for her and for the paramedics the bus drivers kept calling every time she lost consciousness — M.W. dropped out of school temporarily.
She married her high school boyfriend, and the two young people have worked hard to make a home for their son. They've also worked hard to care for his special needs.
Their son has a speech delay — his mouth just can't seem to form the words — and that has made M.W.'s time away from school stretch on a little longer.
M.W. has spent long hours working with her boy, coaching him to work through the words instead of pointing or acting out. Both parents attend speech therapy sessions with him.
He isn't completely up to speed yet, but his verbal skills have improved enough to attend preschool. Her new family has bonded well, and M.W. doesn't worry as much as she did.
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Now, she thinks, is the time to get back to her dreams.
How to help
Her job is close enough to the college to allow for easy commutes. And with preschool and the help of her husband, her son will get the care and attention he needs.
M.W. would like to return to college. It'll mean sacrifices for the family, and it'll be difficult to get the things she needs to make the family's new, tiny apartment feel like home.
But she's afraid if she delays any longer, the dream might slip from her reach.
"I think now," she said, "I can finally go back to school."
M.W. needs a computer so she can do her homework at home with her son, instead of staying after classes. Because their home is so small, a laptop would be especially nice, but she will be happy to take what she can get.
Christmas Fund donations will be used for families who need help making it through the holidays. Any money remaining after the holidays will be used to help those in need throughout the year. For information on donating, see the "How to Help" box.
Our anonymous Santa is matching the first $25 of each donation to the Christmas Fund.
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