Back to School…?

Author: Kayla Crawley Haidara

I’m still trying to determine what this phrase means to me now…a 27 year old with 5 years of work experience. Um…not much coming to mind. I’ve been out of school for more than a few years and it seems like I’ve got to go in my closet and find my big girl pants to gear up for what’s ahead. This Fall I will be starting a Master’s program in Teaching, Learning and Leadership at the Graduate School of Education. Of course, because I don’t just bite off opportunities, I tend to gorge myself with them, I am front-loading this semester with more courses than the typical part-time student. Why? Who knows? I must be crazy. No, the truth is I have a plan and want to push myself to see how quickly I can attain my goals (with the add/drop period as my safety net).  But another truth is that I’m scared shirtless!!! Coming to Penn for undergrad presented its own anxieties, mainly around what I had to prove to my family and loved ones whose support brought me to that point.

Today, I have much more to prove to one person, myself – and, for some reason, that burden feels heavier. At the start of a long road that I’m hoping ends with an Ed.D. or Ph.D., it’s easy for me to feel daunted. However, the good thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time. I’ll be sure to take this semester moment-by-moment, cherishing even those instants camping out in my office to finish a term paper, or going straight to my office from an all-nighter at Van Pelt (I promise to pack deodorant).  I’ll just have to remember that even on trying days, I’ll still be one step closer to my goals than I was the day before. GSE get ready for me!!