Jacklyn Schmetzer
My name is Jacklyn Schmetzer. I am a 47-year-old working mom to three children. I attended college in 1980 but financial circumstances required me to withdraw after the first year. While unfortunate, I have found life since then has taken me on a path much different than what I envisioned at the time. Despite this educational setback, I was able to secure a position within a large corporation. I progressed quickly, eventually gaining a position as a Buyer.
During this time I met and married my husband. Soon after our marriage, my husband lost his job and needed to return to school. I spent the next two years working to support both of us. As he neared graduation, I became pregnant with our oldest child.
During my pregnancy my husband was offered a position in another state, requiring us to relocate. I was experiencing a difficult pregnancy and was unable to work. Once our daughter was born, I began an in-home daycare which I operated for a total of nine years. It did not generate much income but allowed me to stay home with my children, which was very important to me. In 1998, after numerous lay-offs related to corporate downsizing, my husband was offered a job in yet another state. I was forced to close my daycare and for awhile was able to be a stay at home mom.
As a mother, I have been actively involved in all aspects of my children's lives. I am an active community member and have spent numerous volunteer hours working on behalf of all children. I spent eight years coaching Little League baseball and served two years as Umpire in Chief for the league's Board of Directors. As Umpire in Chief, I instituted a Junior Umpire Program which provided local youth employment opportunities otherwise not available to them. Coaching Little League initially proved to be quite difficult. I was the only woman coaching in what was considered to be a man's sport. Despite the difficulties I encountered, I stuck it out in interest of teaching my children how to overcome problems they may experience. I used my knowledge of the sport to prove I deserved to be coaching, regardless of my sex. Eventually, I won the men of the league over. Today, they do not think twice about seeing me on the field; but more importantly, I taught the youth of our community that anyone is capable of doing whatever they chose to do.
As a mother who believes in education, I spent numerous volunteer hours at my children's schools. I began by assisting their teachers in whatever capacity they needed. When we moved to Virginia in 1998, it was to an area experiencing rapid growth in both population and infrastructure. Since my children would be entering a brand new school, I decided it would be important for me to do what I could to ensure its success. Thus began my years as a PTO board member. I served as the Vice President of Fundraising in the first school and learned a lot about school boards. Two short years later, we opened another new elementary school where I served as the inaugural PTO President. During my second year, the Principal of our school offered me a position as a Special Education Teaching Assistant. Oddly, it was not one I thought about pursing prior to his offer. Thankfully, he convinced me to take the position.
Today, I am ever so grateful for the opportunity to work in the field of special education for it is truly my calling. For the last seven years, I have worked with students whose challenges range from mild learning disabilities to Autism and Down Syndrome. I cannot put into words how I feel at the end of each day. The perseverance these students display despite their educational difficulties is truly inspiring. The light in their eyes and the smile on their face when they accomplish something they have worked so hard to achieve is unexplainable. Each day is a reward unto itself.
As with all I have done, I have exceeded my defined duties as a Teaching Assistant and often spend extra time assisting all students within the classrooms I work. I tutor after school and am often requested by parents to work with their child during the summer for ESY (Extended School Year). I taught ESY for over five years and was the only Teaching Assistant who taught it. Unfortunately, last summer, the county decided to reduce my ESY pay because I was not a certified teacher. The pay decrease amounted to 60 percent of what I made per hour. It was like a punch in the stomach. After all, I worked hard and was very successful with the students I taught; proof of that laid in the number of special requests for my time. However, the fact remained that I was only an assistant, not a certified teacher. If I wanted to continue to teach ESY, I was forced to accept the pay decrease yet continue to perform as I have always performed. The bottom line was that as a working mom I could not afford to work during the summer at the reduced rate.
Ironically, the ESY issue taught me a valuable lesson. It taught me to take a hard look at what I did, how much I love what I do, how successful I am at it, and how little I make. As a Teaching Assistant, I currently earn less than a livable wage and by finishing my degree I could advance my standard of living. This helped me to realize I would make an amazing teacher. I wanted to go back to school, but was afraid I was too old and my life too busy to spend time in a classroom.
It took a medical scare to finally realize it was now time to put myself first. I have given so much of my time to my family and community that I did not know if I could add school to my list, let alone pay for it. However, after some research and an unexpected conversation with an enrollment officer from Ashford University, I learned that I could. They allowed me to start right away, even though my financial paperwork was still in progress. I never believed I could be an active mom, work a full-time job, and be a full-time student all at the same time. In fact, it is thanks to the online educational opportunity available through Ashford that I have been able to succeed at all three. Unfortunately, the current economy is making my less than livable wage difficult to manage. As much as I love my position, I cannot afford to continue earning this type of wage. My goal is to earn my teaching degree and to become a Special Education Teacher. Many question why I chose special education as opposed to general education. The reason is simple. It is because I am fortunate enough to go home everyday and know the impact I have made on the students I work with. It is also due to the thank you note I received from a student two years ago which simply stated "Thank you for understanding me."
Earning my teaching degree will enable me to continue receiving such rewards.
The Ashford online program allows me to persevere through countless long days and nights as I work towards making my goal a reality. I know without a doubt, that I could not afford the time to return to school in a traditional setting.
Regardless of the educational success I have achieved to date, the fear of mounting debt is quite a burden, especially given my current salary. I have wanted to double up my classes since returning to school but have not been able to afford another student loan. Becoming a recipient of The Working Mom Scholarship would ensure that I can continue my education without incurring a greater pool of debt. I know that I have had a tremendous impact on children I have worked with over the years. My time spent volunteering within the community and working with children both on the field and in the classroom have been truly rewarding. As difficult as it has been to put myself first, I know that now it is time for me to take care of myself. I may be 47, but I still have a lot of life to live and lessons to teach. In fact, by continuing my education at this stage of my life I am teaching those around me the value of life long learning and that it is never too late to earn a degree. Winning this scholarship will help me to not only achieve my degree, it will allow me to earn the salary I deserve. Thank you for your consideration.