Off Topic

I'd like to take a small moment of personal indulgence here . . .

Today, my eldest daughter (17) will walk at the commencement exercises where she will receive recognition for successfully completing her General Education Developmental examinations.  (That's the GED.)

Last year, her younger, autistic sister was horribly bullied and made the choice to come home for her schooling at the end of the school year.  When my eldest daughter heard that, she decided to come home, as well, because our local rural school, with its lack of opportunity, was uninteresting enough she did not feel motivated to continue in the classes they offered.  She already knew what career path she wanted to take, and as it does not necessarily require a Bachelors Degree (although, of course, it can benefit by one), she felt it a better idea to get ahead of the game.  (Interestingly enough, Harvard recently released a study mentioning the fairly obvious fact that not everyone really needs a BA, and perhaps the expense isn't always justified or necessary . . .)

Accordingly, she got a part-time job over the summer which continued during the regular school year, as she studied to prepare for the GED as a legally-registered homeschool student (required in our state).  In February, she finally sat for her examinations, which she easily passed, very close to the Honors level.  She is now working full-time to save the money for the career training program she wishes to enter next year.

I am proud of her for having a goal and being willing to work hard to get there, rather than expecting everything to be handed to her.  She has been shown to be a valuable asset at her job, which involves activites in three major areas of customer service.  (We live and work at a state-owned facility, and in her job, she works in a convenience store, with food service, or with housekeeping, depending on what day it is and what needs to be done.  Her boss appreciates that she can put her wherever she needs her, and she will perform well.  My daughter appreciates that she gets some variety, day to day.  I appreciate that she's getting experience in many areas, in case she needs to pick up a part-time job while at school.)

The local university (local = 90 miles away) includes the GED recipients in their spring commencement ceremonies, which I think is a great thing to do.  While she knows she has already completed the test and is already reaping the benefits of having done so, it is an event about which her grandparents are excited and one to which we will take all four of her younger sisters, both to show our support for her and to remind the other girls we support them in their educational goals, as well.

Grats to my eldest kiddo!