Education

“You’re never too old to learn.  Never.  Once you stop learning, you’re dead.  You might as well just give it up.  ‘Cause then you’re really of no benefit to anybody because you’re so opinionated nobody can teach you anything.”

Anita’s Education

Anita: My first year, my parents wanted me to go to school to be a nurse.  I did not want to be a nurse.  If I went into the medical field, I’d have went for a vet.   And it’s like I told my mother this.  My mother understood it, but my dad pushed me into the nursing.  I said, “People make theirselves sick 9 times out of 10.  Animals don’t.  I’d rather be a vet than a nurse or a doctor.”  So, my dad forced me into nursing.  I would go, and at that time our college was set up on quarters.  So every quarter, I would go.  I would pay my tuition, buy all of my books, put them in the trunk of my car, and that’s where they stayed.  I never went to one class.  I never did one assignment, nothing.  I got straight F’s my first year.  Then, you know, my dad seeing my grades were bad, so he figured I wasn’t smart enough to make a nurse, so then I could do whatever I wanted to.  Well then I went into the education program.  Well at that time my GPA was low, low, low.  And then I had to work for years to get it back up because even when I went to New River Community, that was still there.  And they asked me what happened this first year.  (laughs)  And I told them and I said nobody explained it to me. 

See, I didn’t want to go to college at first.  I wanted to work; I wanted to move out on my own.  I’ve never lived alone.  I’m 42 years old; I have never lived alone.  Never, in my life, not one day have I ever spent alone, just me.  And I wanted, that first year, I wanted to get a job in a textile factory.  I’d already found me an apartment.  And back then, it was $200 for that apartment.  It was so great, it had one bedroom, bath, kitchen, and a dining room.  And I loved it; I thought it was just the sweetest thing.  And I wanted that apartment so bad.  My father got wind that I had went and put in an application.  And I had an aunt that worked there at that textile factory and he had them not hire me.  ‘Cause he wanted me to go to college.  So of course I didn’t get the job, and that being the first job I had ever applied to in my life, that just crushed me, so… I kind of … went along, you know, did what daddy said.  As much as he could say I did.  I went and signed up for my classes and bought my books and stuff.  That was all I did.  But I wanted to be by myself.  I wanted to see if I could take care of myself, you know, cause my father always told me the whole time I was growing up and everything that I couldn’t.  That I would never be able to take care of myself.

Hilary: Really?  Why did he say that?

A: I guess it was kind of a controlling thing now that I look back on it and I know more.  It was to keep me under control, to keep me there.  Out of fear that I wouldn’t, you know, (imitates her father’s voice) I’d starve to death if I was out on my own, cause I couldn’t take care of myself, you know.  I couldn’t make a house payment.  All this other stuff.  Well I was in that frame of mind and plus, you know (switches again to parents voice) girls don’t work, they get married and have babies and take care of the house.  That’s the way my parents were. 

Teaching Aspirations

Anita: I graduated from high school and I lacked two classes from having a liberal arts degree.  Until I get [the dairy] more established, I can’t finish that, but I am going to finish and get my liberal arts degree.  That way if I want to go into the field of education, which is what I’ve always dreamed of being a teacher, then I could do that. 

Hilary: A teacher for what ages?

A: I might could go K-12.  I like high school.  I’ve done a lot of substitute work with the school systems.

H: Oh, that would scare me (laughs)!  You like it?

A: I love it!  Oh, I love the high school.  They’re young, they’re just starting to realize they’re part of the world… And they’re excited about it and they can’t wait to get out there and try their wings.  They’re like little chickens that are just learning to get on the roost.  They’ll stand there and flap their wings and finally they get up there and it’s like look at me, look what I did!  And I love to see that in young people, I love to see them succeed.  Even it’s just little success, I love to see it.  Because it builds their character.  It does.

Hopes for her Children: Education

Hilary: Do you have… goals or dreams or hopes for your children?

Anita: I used to… I used to want – I have three boys… of my own, natural born children.  The girls are my stepdaughters, so, you know, I’m proud of them.  And I would have wanted them to be teachers, ok?  But my boys, I’d love to have a doctor, a lawyer, and a vet. 

H: (laughs)

A: That’s the truth!  And what I have got… is Brandon, Sam, and Max! (laughs) And whatever they want  to – I’ve grown enough over the years to where… it’s not my decision and they’re the person that has to get up and go to work every morning and what you do has to make you happy or you’re going to be completely miserable.  I mean, there’s drawbacks with any job you might want, but… You can’t… I mean, I don’t care if they want to be… a clown!  You know, a birthday clown!  That doesn’t bother me a bit as lon-…. But I want them to be educated.  I want that for them because that’s something no one can ever take away from you.  Once you get that education – and it’s not just what you learn, it’s learning to apply what you learned to everyday life.  ‘Cause education’s not going to do you any good if you don’t know how to work with it, you know, do something with it. 

And you’re never too old to learn.  Never.  Once you stop learning, you’re dead.  You might as well just give it up.  ‘Cause then you’re really of no benefit to anybody because you’re so opinionated nobody can teach you anything.

...