[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/single-mom-takes-leap-of-faith-to-become-teacher\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/single-mom-takes-leap-of-faith-to-become-teacher\/","headline":"Single Mom Takes Leap of Faith to Become Teacher","name":"Single Mom Takes Leap of Faith to Become Teacher","description":"Meghan Harris and daughter, Ollie. When Meghan Harris, now 30, became a single mom, she had to put her college education on hold. Moving back to Montgomery to raise her daughter in her hometown, she began a career in administration…","datePublished":"2019-07-17","dateModified":"2019-07-17","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/author\/rburylo\/#Person","name":"Rebecca Burylo","url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/author\/rburylo\/","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/37a0c97fbd1eda89e38697defcaf0573?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/37a0c97fbd1eda89e38697defcaf0573?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Faulkner University","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Official-Horizontal-480x128.png","url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Official-Horizontal-480x128.png","width":480,"height":128}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSC_1115.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSC_1115.jpg","height":3111,"width":3981},"url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/single-mom-takes-leap-of-faith-to-become-teacher\/","about":["Adult Students","News"],"wordCount":501,"articleBody":"Meghan Harris and daughter,  Ollie.When Meghan Harris, now 30, became a single mom, she had to put her college education on hold. Moving back to Montgomery to raise her daughter in her hometown, she began a career in administration in the medical field, but she felt something was missing. Since she was a little girl playing pretend school with her dolls, Harris had a desire to teach. To follow her calling meant enrolling at a new college after seven years.\u00a0In 2018, Harris\u2019 daughter Ollie, 8, was accepted into the magnet program with Montgomery Public Schools and Harris went back to college to continue her education. Making the emotional and financial sacrifices necessary to turn her dream into a reality was one of the hardest decisions she\u2019s made, she said.\u201cIt\u2019s a very hard decision to make under those circumstances, but it\u2019s worth it to be able to finish something that you started. To find a career that I love and the opportunity to impact the lives of children in the process, that\u2019s the greatest reward,\u201d Harris said. \u201cFinancially, it has been very difficult. I\u2019ve wanted to quit many times and while others have told me I\u2019m crazy, my family and everyone in the education department have been so supportive.\u201dDespite being told she would never be able to support herself and her daughter, Harris prayed and made the leap of faith. Her professors at Faulkner\u2019s College of Education were there to soften her fall.There are days she cries, but through the tears she sees the light at the end of the tunnel.\u201cIt\u2019s such a positive environment here. I go into their offices and share with them the emotional struggles I\u2019m dealing and they stand by me, encourage me and push me knowing that I am capable of making it. Good things take time and I\u2019m excited to see what the future holds,\u201d Harris said.Harris is studying for her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, while earning a spot on the President\u2019s List and assisting in the Education Lab through the work-study program. It\u2019s a full schedule of classes and work before she picks up her daughter from school.Once Harris became a mom, she knew she wanted to help mold young children by being a positive role model for them. \u201cAs a teacher, you are more than just an educator, you are a mentor, a confidant and a friend. I want to make a difference in the lives of as many students as I can,\u201d Harris said. \u201cIn today\u2019s world, there are so many children who don\u2019t get attention at home and where else can they get that attention, but at school? I see how my daughter will mimic her teachers and how much of an example they are to her. I want to be that for someone else\u2019s child. Someone that shows them respect, patience and kindness. Great teachers are great leaders.\u201d"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Single Mom Takes Leap of Faith to Become Teacher","item":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/single-mom-takes-leap-of-faith-to-become-teacher\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]