Blog
“I was one of those children who pretended I was a teacher, so once I got started, I really loved it,” said Mecklenburg teacher Sharon Morris. “In high school, I was able to take courses. I was learning what it meant to be a child care provider. And in my third year, we were basically running a child care program in our class and learning how to do it. That was cool to me. I’ve been working with children now for over 30 years.”
Sharon knew she wanted to continue her early childhood education, and she began taking community college courses. “I was taking classes here and there, but when I turned 50, I decided I wanted to finish what I started. It is hard to work full-time and handle life issues, but I wanted to continue and push forward. I was still only able to take one or two classes a semester, but this past May, I graduated with my associate degree. It took me over seven years. I felt embarrassed at first that it took so long, but I realized others were in the same situation. I now feel proud that I was able to do this. I hope it inspires others. In this profession, you have to be open to learn every day. Things change constantly. You have to use your knowledge to be the best provider you can be.”
She’s grateful that she was able to access assistance from the TEACH Early Childhood® Scholarship Program to help her with her goals. “TEACH was a great help. Being able to get my classes paid for and to pay for what I needed for school was so important. There were times I didn’t know I would be able to finish. I had to put this on hold at times, and I was so proud that I could really complete it.”
Sharon is also thankful to be a WAGE$ recipient.
“The supplements really help financially. It has been critical to have the extra cushion. I’ve also been able to use some of that to help at work. Sometimes you have to come out of pocket to help teach the children in the best possible way. It helps with taking classes too. It was an encouragement. Without TEACH or WAGE$, I’m not sure I would have been able to accomplish what I was able to do. I was so grateful to have these programs.”
Sharon knows Smart Start of Mecklenburg County made a choice to invest in WAGE$ and she wants the funders to know how important that decision was. She said, “Thank you so much for helping those who want to be that educator for our children. With the way things are, we appreciate those who care about teachers. Thank you for taking the steps to fund WAGE$ and to help us help our children.”
