I got everything done for this last until of my first term. Thankfully! I struggled more with this last unit than I did all other 7 units combined!
If you're confused by why I have two terms instead of all classes for an entire semester - I'm taking accelerated 8 week courses. It's still 4 classes per semester, it's just broken down into two class terms, within the semester.
I don't know if I ever posted about my plans with college? I'm majoring in psychology, plan to get through college (at least through my masters program). I want to be a Clinical Psychologist. I'm very interested in diagnostics, mental health disorders/abnormal psychology, and counseling. After I get my BA degree, I may try to find a decent position at the mental hospital in Marion Viginia (I live close by, in Abingdon VA). I like my job now, but who knows where i'll be (job-wise) in 2027.
I worry i'm going to not do so great in this upcoming term. The first term classes were easy, so no surprise that I got an A in both (waiting on the last assignment to be graded in each class, but right now I have 100% in one class and 98.49 in the other. I want to keep my grades up, it's extremely important to me.
I was bad in school. In elementary school, I had (what I NOW know is called..) Selective Mutism. Several teachers and principal thought I was autistic, because I couldn't speak at school. I tried and couldn't. I did decent up until 3rd grade. 4th grade is where I was getting 0's, refusing to go to school. I felt "sick" all the time. It got to the point, they were threatening my Mother with "educational neglect". The neglect, in my opinion, was not allowing me to get mental help that I needed. She absolutely refused, with me begging her to get me help.
I continued to miss a LOT of school over the years, and not complete my school work. Except for a couple assignments, one I can remember was a biology project, I got an A on that one. That was 7th grade. Still continued to miss a lot of school. I was held back in 7th, due to missing so much. That 2nd year of 7th was HELL for me. Then, in 8th grade, school term of hell, my Dad took me out of school. It was the day my Grandmother passed. He enrolled me in a private home-based school call Christian Light. I was excited! I did a few assignments... My Dad didn't have time to grade my papers, and my Mom didn't care enough to.. So, I basically dropped out of school completely in 8th grade.
Dropping out was no big deal in my family. I remember when I was younger and not wanting to go to school, my Mom would tell me I can drop out as soon as I turn 15. Ended up being 14. Education wasn't encouraged.
So... I got my GED as soon as I turned 17 and started college. I was doing good, loving a couple of my classes, then I was kicked out for tuition not being paid. When my Dad died, his pension allowed to me to go to college for free until I was 22 or 25, don't remember for sure. My brothers decided they need my tuition money for something - cigarettes probably. So, family members, if you are reading this.. You may wonder why I feel the way I do about things.. But TRUST me, I have good reasons to be bitter toward family. You only knew the sides of them they chose to show you. If you don't respect how I feel - well, I simply don't care.
Anyway..... So, there it was. I was unable to continue with school. Who knows where i'd be today if that didn't happen. They never paid the tuition, but they both started school for a couple years or so. I couldn't, not until my past due tuition was paid. Which, it never was. This was back in Wyoming.
In August of 2003, we all (imediate family and Nathan) moved to southwestern Virginia. A little bitty town called Swords Creek. It's where my Mom grew up. After a few years, I felt more confident in my abilities again (dealing with mental health issue since 7 years old), so in 2006-2007, I started college at Southwest Virginia Community College. They didn't offer a psych major, so I was majoring in human services. I qualified for the pell grant, and it covered my tuition for the year. I really enjoy the classes and got A's in most, but missed a big project in a psych class and got a C. I started to have some significant health issues, and put college on hold. I signed up again in 2010, then my oldest brother died. I tried to stick with it and couldn't. It was too late to drop classes, so I let my GPA just, go...
I've wanted to go to college again, all these years, but I didn't feel like I could handle it with some of my health issues. Then, I believe it was August of 2022, I felt different. (more on that another time) I didn't a lot of cleaning in preparation of starting a job, and was finally able to keep a fulltime job, and then this August, I decided I was ready to go to college again. This is something that, earlier in 2022, I was stressing hard and feeling horrible that I couldn't do anything - job or school. Something changed, I don't know what is was.
Anyway, i'm nervous about my upcoming College Writing course. I hear there are tons of essays. I've never written an essay. And math.... wow, I dread that. Imagine starting college with, basically, a 3rd grade formal education. I've done a LOT of reading and learned a lot on my own. But I feel a little out of place, not knowing algebra, when everyone else took it in middle and highschool.
A lot of things drive me to continue my education and to follow my dream. But, I will admit, knowing that i've become somebody in life will make me feel so much better after having my Catholic school principal tell me i'll be a drop out and never amount to anything. I hated that school. And no, i'm not Catholic.
So, when I am proud over my grades, i'm not bragging. It just feels so good to be able to get good grades, compared to my life as a child. I mention it, because I personally find it hard to believe. I have that "never amount to anything" stuck in my head.