Mom Earned My Degrees

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My mother is largely responsible for my academic and professional achievements. When I was a teenager, I didn't fully comprehend the implications of what she encouraged me to do. She was really interested in my professional and educational success throughout my life, not just for high school.

Since I didn't fully comprehend back then, I can only imagine how few other teenagers realize the implications of their activities. Students don't think it's important to study math but then end up paying for courses that give them no college credit because they didn't apply themselves when it was free. For my own part, it paid up front and later on. During my freshman physics course, I went to Phaneuf's help session every week. Not only did that help me excel in physics, but it also earned me a scholarhips. The committee read Phaneuf's letter of recommendation that I was a good investment. My mom earned me that scholarship both times.

Ultimately the responsibility to teach children lies with the parents. Not all parents are equipped with the expertise to teach their children science, latin, and algebra, and so schools exist to supplement the education of children. School is a supplement for parenting and not its replacement. No matter how much a teacher may care, the students are not ours, and so we cannot care as much as a loving parent can.

One of the greatest things my mother taught me was how to find the answers. She was interested in my success and helped to hold me accountable. When I wanted to slack off, sometimes she even gave me the third degree. Thanks primarily to her involvement in my education, I am the man I am today. Unlike some of my fellow students, I am not intrinsically bright. I am dedicated, resolved, and disciplined, and so I have been able to find solutions where smarter people failed to apply themselves. It has led to periodic and temporary benefits and may be the means to something more permanent in my future.

I could not see then what I see now. I could not see that the effort paid up front saves effort later on. I am not sure that any teenager can. That's where parents come in. Being a parent is more than about siring a child; parenting is about raising them, and if you engage in activities that may lead to that, you accept the responsibility for what happens afterwards. Fortunately my mother took her responsibility seriously, and I am grateful for that.