Hard Work Pays Off

Good morning! In September, 2015, I began taking graduate courses at Purdue University Northwest so that I could continue to teach upper level math classes as dual credit/dual enrollment. Through a variety of grants, the courses were available for free to teachers who pursuing the Higher Learning Commission's requirements for dual enrollment instructors. If I had already had a master's degree, I would only have needed 18 graduate credits in Mathematics to meet the qualifications. Since I did not already have a master's degree, I needed to earn one. This was a problem since the universities offering graduate courses were not offering degrees.

Not sure what my opportunities would be in the future, I took full advantage of the graduate courses being offered through Purdue University Northwest by earning 9 graduate credits in the first year. Then the grant money ran out. Scrambling for more options, I took advantage of another opportunity through STEM Teach and earned 9 more graduate credits the following year through Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU). By the time I was finished with my courses at IWU, I had earned 18 graduate-level Mathematics credits but still had no means to pay for a master's degree.

It was at this time that I heard about Indiana University's (IU) Advance College Project Dual Credit Pipeline. The pipeline was designed to offer online graduate-level coursework to dual credit instructors, whether they required a master's degree or not. If they did, IU would offer the degree and help instructors get enrolled in the degree program. I began taking classes in September, 2019.

If you are keeping track, at this point I already have 18 graduate credits. The degree program required 30 credits, 18 in math and 12 in education courses. If my previous credits all transferred, I would only need to take 4 more classes. If they all transferred. They did not. In fact, only 6 credits did. And on the two different days that I found that information out, I was ecstatic. Each email I received meant one class that I would not have to take to complete the degree program.

In May, 2022, I graduated from Indiana University Northwest with a Master of Arts in Teaching Mathematics degree by taking one class each term and a handful of summer classes. It was all worth it.

In June, 2021 I began to take apart the deck attached to the back of our house. My plan was to replace it with a block patio that was much larger than the 10' by 20' wooden deck. I budgeted a few weeks for the work and managed to purchase block for around $700. By the end of the summer I would be relaxing the days away. At least that is what I had envisioned. That lasted less than a day. Once I began pulling up the slats from the deck I saw old patio block, about 200 square feet of it, that had just been "decked over" by a previous owner. In addition, the reason the old patio had been decked over became abundantly clear; there were multiple root systems bulging up from the ground and so the entire old patio was one big, unleveled mess.

Over the course of the summer and the fall, old block was moved, more roots were cut out, and designs changed. It was a pain-staking process. Eventually, in November, 2021, the final blocks were laid for the new patio. Just in time to not be able to enjoy it for several more months.

Both of the accomplishments described above required a tremendous amount of sacrifice and effort. They were hard work. And they both paid off.

It will be graduation season when this post finally gets published. And for seniors across the country, their efforts will be rewarded with a diploma and, for better or worse, a ticket into the real world. For some, this means continuing their education by going to post-secondary institution. For others, it may mean joining the workforce, going into a trade, or something yet unknown. My hope is that each graduating senior has had the opportunity to learn what they are capable of giving. How much effort they can give. How much work they can accomplish. And that they received sufficient practice in the 13 years prior to recognize that hard work pays off, because it really does.