Now this is a topic that I can write forever on. My mother and father both attended college, but my father is a coal miner and my mother is a teacher. Of course, all of my life they always pushed me to the limit in school, due to its importance in me attaining a position of work in todays society. I attended every academic function and participated most of the time. Of course, academics to my parents is supposed to be a mix of learning and fun. I have to say that if it had not been for the other activities outside of school that my parents had me in to sort of balance my life, I would have got burn out my first semester of college. It sounds like my parents were strict with my academic life, and they were to an extent, but not to the point that academics was the talk of every dinner conversation. I think my participation in academic functions had something to do with the fact that my mother worked in the school system and in my hometown, the teachers have some level of dignity to maintain and they do so by pushing their child out in the forefront.

One value that was passed on to me, and I will probably pass on to my children, is the idea that education is ultimately only what YOU make of it. Someone my slide by in high school, but when it comes to the real world, that slider is going to be stuck in the lifes complex web. Given that idea, I took off for college and I am finally realizing that the statement mentioned before is proving itself everyday. Half of the class I graduated with are struggling because they are married, have children and, worst of all, no job.

I think by seeing the effects of wanting to grow up too soon and not give a higher education a chance has made me realize that my parents were not really pushing me to try to make me mad at them (which it did plenty of times), but rather give me the ability to live, think and do for myself and, this is the kicker, have a decent job so I wont have to labor as hard as they did. As a result, my practice as a student is one of stepping back and taking every opportunity to think out every question and action I am posed with.