Cause Essay #1

What do grades really say about a person. We all get so hooked
on what letter or number we receive from our work. When it is
a low number it chips away at our self-esteem. When you start
to think your not smart enough, you start to do even worse. This
is what I've seen happen to my nephew. He began High School
barely getting by. By this point in his life he was labeled as just
being a lazy boy. The teachers offered no guidance and even
more, neither did his parents. The teachers blamed his parents
and his parents blamed the teachers. It wasn't either one's
responsibility. No one took the time to figure out a way to help
him. Who failed whom? Now my son brings home his progress
report this weekend and how is he doing? He is barely getting
by. I'm not going to stand by and just let him struggle on his
own. I'm not going to let him develop an attitude that he doesn't
care as long as he can slip through by barely passing. And I'm
certainly not going to let him have the attitude that he gave
last night. As long as he is passing five or more classes it's okay
because he is still on the football team! I know it's not the end of the
world, but as parents and teachers we need to stop it before it
gets any worse. I blame only myself for not paying more
attention to what has been going on with his life. I've bitten off
more than I can chew. My number one priority is being a good
Mom. So I've decided to take some steps to change in order to
help my children when needed. Are my 3 jobs really worth
keeping? I think not. I need to make some changes.

My Real Estate job is something I don't do much of due to
lack of time and not much ambition to sell houses.
I went for my license when I worked as the office manager
in a Real Estate Agency because it was necessary to have.
I worked very hard to get my license, so when I left as
their Office Manager I stayed with them as a part-time
Sales Agent. Time to move on.

My full-time "job" is just that, a job. Not a career
that feeds any passion. I work because I have to, or do I?
They won't even let me take time off when my children
are sick. And when I do, the phone at home does not
stop all day long. That's certainly not fair to my children.
Which brings me to why I went back to school. Change #3.

My third job is not really a job, but more of a hobby, or you could
say "my passion". I teach fitness, strength training and nutrition
at a certificate level. I can't imagine actually making a living out
of doing something I love to do. What a concept. One concept
that I should have figured out a long time ago. This will be
a change that will take hard work and dedication. I want
to take my hobby to the next level. I want to finish school with a
Kinesiology and/or Nutrition degree.

I want to help others become strong and feel good about themselves.
But the best that will come from this is the flexibility I will have
with my schedule. I will be able to structure my schedule around
my children's needs. I want to be able to sit down at night with
them and work on their studies. I want to be home when they're
sick and nurture them. I don't want to miss any games. I want
to know what's going on in their lives. I want to be a role model
that they can be proud of. I want them to succeed and find what
fills their soul with happiness. My son's progress report really
isn't who he is and shouldn't be his label for the next four years.
But it certainly is a wake-up call for me to start paying attention.
Falling through the cracks is something I won't let happen. It's my responsibility to straighten out my life and hectic schedule in order
to be the parent I want to be.