It is hard to imagine that I sit here in my third year of college and that I have already spent twenty-one years on this earth. I have to admit that my education has made a large impact on my life. Regardless of how much or how little money my parents ever had, they made sure that my brother, sister, and I received the best education possible. To them that meant sending us to Catholic Schools.
It all started in a small town in Missouri called Warrenton. There I started kindergarten. Even though I am twenty-one, I feel like it was yesterday. I am a firm believer that kindergarten and first grade are the crucial years that form a child’s learning habits and skills for a lifetime. I can strongly remember my kindergarten teacher helping us practice memorizing the Presidents of the United States. Unfortunately, now, I can maybe name five. That same teacher made sure that everyone was able to read so that we could participate in the daily mass. We were all so proud to stand in front of the rest of the school and read from the Bible. But who made that all possible? Mrs. Hambach, my kindergarten teacher.
Another teacher who truly opened my eager eyes to a new world was Sister Rosa Maria. She was a nun from Peru, who made me and the other children in my class aware of what existed outside of Warrenton. She brought in a very important multicultural aspect to our sheltered lives. She told us of Peru and the children there, which made us all realize how lucky and fortunate we are to have all that we have, especially our education.
Without these special teachers in my life, I do not think that my outlook would be so positive. They both helped me to excel in very important ways, confidence and exposure. As I sit here and ponder on what is relevant in my life, I realize that they based the foundation of a wonderful Catholic education.
-- Carolyn Schulze, Florida Atlantic University