First Semester Essay

Sandra Gomez

Ms.Lopez-Garcia per.7

9/11/10

This I Believe

I believe in education.

Who wants to wake up early every morning? Not me! Well I used to think that way. In middle school and my freshman year of high school I despised every minute of being there. I hated waking up early and going to a place where I felt an endless sleep and I couldn't do anything about it, it made me cranky. I guess it was my fault I was lacking in school, it was no one's fault but mine, and the fact that I felt like I wasn't smart didn't help either. It used to feel like a hell on earth, a place where you're always told what to do and yelled at if it's not done correctly. I was only in school as a request from my mom, but I didn't understand why until now.

It all changed when I had a deep conversation with my mother. It was during my winter break of my freshman year and we were walking to the store down the street. She asked me how school was going and I told her that it was not so great. So, she started talking about her teenage years (something she rarely does). When my mom was around my age my grandmother had gotten sick. My mom was in her sophomore year of high school when it all happened. My grandmother had no other daughters to care for her, my mom's sisters ran off with their boyfriends, so my mom was the only one there for her. My mother had to find a job, and as the pressure of school and work fell on top of her, she had no choice but to drop out. She never had the chance to go back to school after that. So here she is now, at the age of 50 working her hardest to make ends meet. She is a strong, hardworking woman, but even my mom has limits. 

Every day you can see the tiredness in her eyes, but she doesn't complain, she makes sacrifices. I understand why, it's all because she didn't go back to school. If my mom had gone to school she wouldn't face the struggles she has to face now. She could have finished high school and made something of herself, she did what she had to do at that time, and I don't blame her for that. Parents always say "we want what's best for you, we want you to have a better life then we did", I didn't get that message till now; I learned a lot from hearing  her hardship.

I learned that I shouldn't take for granted the opportunity to learn and make my life better. After our conversation I began to pick up my grades and actually focus on school. I realized what I wanted to be and what I didn't. I didn't want to be in the same position as my mother was in, I can do better, I can make her proud, and all I have to do is believe. I believe in education and the power and opportunities it can give to one person.