My reincarnation: from finance to inclusive education.
This post is about my decision to be here, at GSE. And the
root of it lies in social attitudes towards working or not working mothers. I
haven't met any mother who were satisfied with her position, whether she works
or stays at home. The working
mom wishes she had more free time to be available to her child, and maybe have
coffee after drop-off. And the nonworking woman would maybe like to have
something that's a reflection of her as an individual -a label that says
she's a capable, creative person who knows about more than just baby formula or
after-school programs.
All these judgements made me think why am I working. I
highlighted several reasons: a) Perception from childhood: I used to be an
excellent student at school and at university, aiming to find prestigious work.
b) Money interest: In order to attend at least some earlychildhood
developmental centers money were needed. c) Boring daily routine: I am very
social person, and whenever I sit at home for more than one week, my mood is
changing downturn. d) Fear for my children: My dad never let my mom to work,
although she had a bachelor degree in finance in one of the best universities
of Moscow. He was the main breadwinner and mom was raising us. When he died all
of a sudden, my brother was only 14 years old, and my mom struggled to pay for
his college and education. When she started to search for a job, it was found
that she has no sufficient job experience and failed to find well-paid job.
This situation was a model for me, that every woman should be working to be
able to take care of her children.
No matter of all these justifications, I quit the job after
a while. I got depressed. But, then I decided that it is possible to combine
raising children with work. The decision was made to complete training courses
on special education teacher in order work on a part-time basis and to help my
special need girl. After searching for suitable programs I found an
announcement about Inclusive Education Program at Nazarbayev University. I was
on the 7th heaven because this program covers my personal interest with
ambitious plans. And now I am here, graduating and thinking about continuing to
study at PhD program.
The moral of my narrative is that, nothing in this world is occasionally.
I finally found myself and feel absolutely satisfied with my life preferences.
Listen to your heart, because it will never lie to you!
Very inspiring story))) I am also inclined to believe that working for a mother is not only the question of money but the question of self-development. Hence, it is during our working time we socialize, meet new people, develop our interests. Whereas when you sit at home (even if you work there), you start to stagnate. I worked once as a translator of different documents sitting at home. One month of such a routine was enough to make me feel depressed and even money didn't help. Therefore, I think that working at the office or with other people make life more interesting and buzzy, because you can talk to a collegue, learn about the new film at the cinema)) Likewise I met my best friend at the workplace =)
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