I can’t believe the semester is over and I finally have a break from my doctoral program. There were times I wanted to call it quits and thought life was too complicated right now to consider school. But through the grace of God I pushed through and made it happen!
Here’s a glimpse of an Instagram post I made which pretty much sums up how I feel: “Learning has always been my happy space...in other words, ‘I've been a nerd my entire life’. Embrace your love of learning, growing and pursuing your dreams. Some people want to be in VOGUE while others would love to be in an Academic Journal...we're not the same”- Keisha M. Robinson Have you completed a goal during the pandemic despite many obstacles? Honestly, waking up everyday, functioning and taking care of your household is a major ACHIEVEMENT, so be proud!
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The month of October is coming to an end but many of our problems are just starting. As I navigate the loss of a colleague, shootings in my community, rioting, looting, police brutality, injustice, inequality...the list goes on, I am reminded about the glimmers of hope that appear when I’m feeling unsure. My life has many obstacles but as I always say, resilience gets me through most times. I hope to find peace in areas of my life that cause me to have the most stressful thoughts. To constantly feel blessed and highly favored, even through the worst trials is a blessing in itself.
Praying November brings unity, hope, happiness...and a new President. Keisha One of the many things that sucks about having a rare and chronic form of NHL is being denied treatment and/or medication because insurance companies don't understand your condition. Today I received yet another denial letter for a new treatment medication.
So when I choose to avoid controversy, reduce my stress or distance myself from negativity it's mainly because I have real life fights to battle. And if you can't understand or support that, then I don't know what to say🤷🏾♀️. Every accomplishment means 1000% more than most people could ever understand. And when you add in the extra stress of working full-time, it becomes very disheartening to be micromanaged for things like not making calls at work when in your personal life you have to spend your days calling about medication that can save your life.....crazy right. Have you ever experienced denial of medication through your insurance carrier? How did you manage? Please comment below. Today, I took another long hard look at my work schedule, my health schedule, my school schedule and my children's schedules and realized I needed to make more changes.
Despite starting my own business and writing a book, I never wanted to stop my 9-5...at least not yet. But the reality is that my children have always and will always be my first priority. Some people don't realize that in between everything else I have going on in life, I am still a NHL patient and require in office visits at least twice a week. My condition is chronic, requires ongoing treatment and will likely intensify within the next few weeks. As much as I advocate for equal rights for everyone, especially those working with chronic medical conditions, it's not easy requesting accommodations, especially when you're young and enjoy being as productive as possible. But, today I had to do what's best for me and my family, because I am no good stressed, drained, and running around trying to fix everyone else's problems. I pride myself on being a hard worker, but one thing I've learned through this entire quarantine is that what's important will happen and everything else can wait. So if you're fighting a battle with yourself, choosing money over your health, image over your happiness, just know that putting yourself first is okay. And if you're a parent, putting your children's needs before a company is best. Have you made adjustments to your normal schedule or required work accommodations since the pandemic? Please comment below. *And don't forget, certain employers are required to provide their employees the "Families First Coronavirus Response Act: Employee Paid Leave Rights". Happy first day of school everyone! Some of you may have started last week or may have one more week left of summer vacation, but school has officially started for my middle-schooler and I am slowly losing my mind LOL. There's a huge part of me that wishes my daughter could experience her 1st year of middle school in person. There's nothing like entering a new structure, meeting new friends, joining clubs and decorating your first locker. I'm going to be completely honest, my daughter was more disappointed about the locker situation than anything else listed. But it still sucks and I hope things will be safe enough by next year for in-person activities.
Despite the disappointment of my daughter starting middle school in a virtual model, I am very grateful that her school is prepared. As a middle school educator I'm familiar with the difficulties of new virtual learning models. Schedules are important but you also have to balance screen time exposure and class structure effectiveness. In less than one week my youngest child will start 1st grade virtually. His school virtual model is completely different from my daughters and will require a lot more hands on assistance from yours truly. Sometimes I wonder how I will manage my full-time job as an educator while homeschooling my two children, attending a doctoral program, managing my business and just functioning period. But then I remember everything I've gone through and where I am today. Resilience and determination has always pulled me through. How's your first week of virtual homeschooling? Any suggestions? Please comment below. |
Author"I'm not a celebrity or a famous influencer, but I'm REAL, HUMBLE and BLESSED and you can't place a value on that." - Keisha M. Robinson, M.Ed, M.S., LBS Archives
December 2020
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