Dear MNPS & Community Member:
The story I'm sharing today is quite personal, and by no means unique, but I'm sharing it anyway in hopes it can help inspire others to never give up when facing similar circumstances.
One of our two older sons dreamed of becoming a commercial airline pilot since he was 4 years old, but he seriously struggled academically for most of his elementary and middle school years. In fact, he was one point away from failing 7th grade. My wife and I were worried he would become another dropout statistic. As educators, it was both frustrating and concerning for us. The "carrot and the stick" approach didn't work for him. While several of his teachers advised us to have him evaluated for ADHD, others thought otherwise and provided us with several additional ways to help him at home. One of them recommended a math tutor, Mrs. Joni, and our son's academic life started to change for the better.
By 8th grade, he had made a complete turn around and several years later he graduated high school with a 3.67 GPA and was admitted to one of the top-ranking aerospace college programs in the nation to pursue his otherwise improbable dream. Last week (May 5), he graduated from MTSU with a bachelor's in aerospace science (pictured above). After he graduated, his final grades were tabulated and he was given the great news that his actual GPA was 3.50, thus bestowing him with a cum laude honor! He is currently a full-time flight instructor at his alma matter. His plan is to continue accruing flight hours to become a commercial airline pilot.
Finally, I believe my wife's posting on her social media page summarizes our son's "before and after" academic journey: "This young man has made me a better person and a better teacher. He didn't care about school as a kid. I'll admit I took it personally. How could a teacher's kid not apply himself?!?! I was worried about him. But when the rubber hit the road in high school and he realized if he wanted to fulfill his dream of becoming a pilot, he'd have to bring up his grades. He's been the most dedicated student since making the decision to go for it. This is a reminder to me, as a teacher, that I must never define a student by how they are at the time."
Until next time!
