Personal Narrative: My Goal Of Finishing School

I am a single mother. Not only is my daughter in school, I am in school. I have bills to pay, mouths to feed, and a job. Yet, I am still striving in an educational environment. While my life is complicated at the moment, my success in school is due to my strategic balancing of my free time, while managing my rigorous schedule, giving me hope that I will achieve my goal of finishing school. The financial burden of paying bills, school, and supporting my child while working a minimum wage job has proven to be one of the biggest difficulties I have ever faced. The stress of being late on paying bills sometimes makes it difficult for me to conduct my studying the way I would like. This throws me off course and delays my studies. I had two jobs at one point, however, this limited the time I was able to spend with my daughter. She eventually began to beg to spend more time with me, but because I am so determined to get my associates degree, I quit my second job after I paid off my largest bill. There is also the added factor that I have to make sure that food is always cooked for my daughter, pick her up from school on time, and make sure that she attends her dance class. After all of that is done, I still have to help her with her homework, bathe her, and make sure her clothes are prepared for the next day.
To make sure my bills are paid on time, I have set up my Penn Foster account to a collection agency, making it one less burden that I have to worry about. On the train ride to work, I check my school account to see what assignments are due that day and insert them on my phone as reminders and on the calendar. By putting the assignments in both my calendar and reminder app, I can visualize what my week will look like and be reminded as to when I should start the assignment. I also utilize my train ride by reading the assigned book and writing important information on sticky notes in order to make studying easier when I get home. Although my lunch break is only thirty minutes long, I am aware that every minute is vital, and continue to read and write sticky notes. On the train ride home, I continue to read and begin to decide how I will tackle my assignments and in which order. My alarm rings at two, reminding me to pick up my daughter from school and take her to dance class on Wednesdays and Fridays. Occasionally, while she is dancing I will glance at my sticky notes as a refresher. This allows my mind to continue to stay focused on my assignments, and makes it easier to finish my assignment later. After dinner I will begin to finish my assignments. This is when the sticky notes become vital because I use them to study off of before taking the corresponding exam. When ever I have trouble with an assignment, it is comforting to know that my instructor is only an email away, and I can always communicate with other students for help and advice. Although I am tremendously excited at this point, I force myself to do two exams. Finally, I get to go to