What I Learned While My Son Learned to Read by Linda

What I Learned While My Son Learned to Read by Linda - March 2014 Scholarship Essay

Wow, I actually get to tell the world about my amazing accomplishments. It’s embarrassing to admit this was my first thought after reading the question for this essay contest. Granted, I will share a story of personal academic success. However, the academic achievement I truly consider the greatest has been teaching my son to read.

At the start of every college semester, I would mentally give myself a pep talk and outline a set of goals for that semester. These goals typically included a strong commitment to studying outside of class and the final grades I intended to achieve. With this kind of clarity, I worked through each semester of my college years until graduation approached. I remember to this day the professor’s words as he communicated to our class the results of his meeting with the Dean and other faculty members. He quite plainly announced that my name had appeared at the top of the list of graduating students with their respective GPAs. Consequently, this meant that I was graduating summa cum laude and had managed to achieve the highest GPA in my graduating class.

While I have thought this was my greatest academic achievement, I realized that achievements go only as far as the impact they make on us and, in turn, the people we impact. What good is an education if it is not used to help someone else? Fast forward twelve years and I am a mom with two boys, ages five and three. My son would soon be attending school and I realized ultimately, the responsibility is mine to ensure my child is ready for school and can be successful in the new environment. We began spending more time together learning letters and sounds and understanding how they combine to form words. Through daily practice and commitment to keep trying, he was soon able to read simple books all on his own. His excitement and amazement were contagious as he realized he could do it! I too was overcome with joy and a sense of fulfillment knowing he not only had attained a new skill, but was growing in confidence as well.

These experiences combined have shown me how much we can achieve when we are disciplined and committed to reaching our goals. Sometimes, attaining our goals involves repeating seemingly mundane activities, like studying for exams or practicing the sounds of alphabet letters. Now that I am back in school aspiring to become a CPA, I know I will have to repeatedly choose seemingly mundane alternatives over other more exciting ones. Attend class rather than go hiking. Study statistics rather than primetime television. Buy a textbook instead of new shoes. It will all be worthwhile when I begin working as a licensed CPA. And this is what I learned while my son learned to read.