Moore County Schools

My mother was 16 years old when she found out that she was pregnant with me and I was born during the fall semester of her senior year of high school. Once I was born, my mother managed to return to school and was able to graduate with her classmates. Throughout my childhood, I watched my mother struggle to make ends meet, often sacrificing her own dreams to ensure that her children could meet theirs. My mother worked as a Teacher Assistant and throughout my middle school and high school years, I would volunteer in her classroom helping with various tasks like cutting, lamination, or filing papers. At night, I would watch as my mother attempted to juggle her college coursework while raising my three siblings and me. Unfortunately, due to financial constraints, my mother was unable to continue her studies to become a teacher. Watching my mother put her own dreams aside so that my siblings and I had what we needed to succeed is what motivated me to pursue a degree in elementary education. I will never forget the excitement on my mother’s face when I told her about my first teaching position and the time that we spent together setting up my classroom library and making posters for my lessons. My mother may not have fulfilled her own dream of becoming a teacher, but it is my hope that I am fulfilling her dream each and every day.