I was eight years old when my brother was born. By the time I was eight, I was well adapted to being an only child; until I had Rhett around, I was more than happy to read alone in my room for hours, but with the new baby at home, I would spend my time reading to him. Later, it became a thing of pride that I had helped teach him to write his name when he was three and read when he was five. Six years after Rhett, my sister, Lilly, was born. By this time I was used to sharing my space with a sibling and loving to help him learn. At age fourteen, I could help much more than I could when I was eight; which meant I could help Lilly even more than I did with Rhett. Growing up with young children for most of my life as an older child likely inspired the love I have for children now. My freshman year of high school, I began tutoring a middle school girl through my church and my junior year, I began tutoring at a local elementary school through Big Brothers Big Sisters and every summer I go with my church youth group to volunteer at schools and daycares for underprivileged children in Miami. My mother taught me through her example that education is a significant part of every aspect of life; she put college on hold to work and start a family when she was young. She taught me to value education since she did not stay in school and to always give everything my best shot. She worked hard to teach my siblings and me in addition to working toward her degree, taking a class at a time at the local college for as long as I can remember. What she intended to teach us was important, but her dedication has taught me how vital an education really is and it has become important to me that I share my love of education with others. I hope that I can inspire the kids I tutor and my siblings to realize the importance of education in the same way my mother did for me.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at USFSP chapter.