The Graduation Coach

I have always been a bit outspoken; I like to think of myself as just being direct. I must justifiably state that my actions were in part due to my distaste for unfair treatment of people and hypocrisy. I moved to a small town in Georgia from a city up north and the culture shock in itself was dramatic. For instance upon speaking out at a board of education meeting about the lack of student academic achievement I discovered parents were in an uproar over cheerleading. Huh! This is in a town where sports often meant more than a good education; that is of course until the season is over. But I digress. After this meeting one of the assistant superintendents approached me and asked if I would consider representing the district at a state meeting and provide a parent's perspective. Of course I said yes. This is the point in which God opens the door; I rode to the meeting with a faculty member and during the two-hour drive we both became aware that my new landlord was her father. Well that gave us a lot to talk about and ultimately she became my manager in a position where I would be required to help students remain in school and graduate. This was familiar and fulfilling ground for me because I had just closed my NJ business a business in which I worked with at-risk students. I must love young people because my salary was slashed by 65 percent but I saw it as a door to a new career. Honestly I needed an income since I no longer had my business and helping others was something I enjoyed doing. I was in the midst of obtaining my BS degree in Psychology and this position would give me another level of hands-on experience so that I could move into individual counseling once I completed school with my master's degree.