Elementary teacher aspiring to go to grad school

[Seamonkey2012]

I am a mother of a 2 year old and I work part-time as an elementary teacher. I am also taking professional development courses online to upgrade my skills and I realize that this is starting to put quite a burden on me. I know I need to work on my time management skills, but recently I just burned out and took some time off work.

I would like to go to graduate school someday and get a M.Ed in Counselling Psychology. There are 2 universities in my area that offer this program. I attended the information session for one of them and I really started doubting my ability to get in.

I am not sure that I have the best writing skills to get into graduate school and I get nervous when presenting in front of adults. I have clinical depression and sometimes that gets in the way of ability to study or work. I am afraid as well that I will not be organized enough to handle the demands of the graduate program and take care of my family.

Does anybody have any experience or advice regarding this?

[TropicalCharlie]

I don't have a child or depression, so I can't speak to those. For school, I think that what you really need to do first is ask yourself why you want to go grad school. Make a list if that that helps. If you are passionate about psychology and have a strong desire to pursue it, those are good reasons. Those are the things that will get you through grad school. Taking on something new can sometimes overwhelm us, but remember that it's a learning process. You'll figure what works or doesn't and learn to use time more efficiently. Self doubt is a common feeling that gets the best of us. For me, I just put on blinders, don't worry about other people, and just focus on what I can do best. As for presentations, grad school is a great platform for these as you will learn how to communicate and present info. I'm not fond of them myself but they come with the territory, and I see them as a teaching tool not only to others but more importantly for myself. The point is to view presentations as a positive aspect of grad school. While I don't have experience in depression, I would suggest that you establish a good support system whether it is through family, friends and/or therapy.

[Seamonkey2012]

Thank you Charlie 808,

I'm actually surprised that I got a response so soon. I really appreciate your advice and am going to remember it when I pursue my goals.

[UnlikelyGrad]

I met a number of grad students last year who were former teachers, so it's not at all uncommon.

I had serious doubts about my ability to get into grad school too--I'd been a stay-at-home mom for years when I applied--but what it came down to was the ability to put the right spin on things. Obviously, I can't guarantee that you'll get in, but I'd bet that you have a better chance than you think. You never know until you try, right?

As for the whole kids-and-depression thing: I've totally been there, done that. It is doable. I'm not saying it's easy--it isn't--but it is doable. I have a labmate who is single, no kids, seems not to have mood swings...and I still can get more done than he can. (I've learned to prioritize my time better.) As my sister once said (paraphrasing): "I work like crazy when I'm not depressed; then, when I can't get anything done, they don't seem to notice as much."

P.S. One nice thing about being a student is that you frequently have access to free counseling.

[juilletmercredi]

I've never been diagnosed with depression, but I'm pretty sure I have it - or at least some mild cylical form of it. It definitely gets in the way of my ability to study or work, because some days I don't even feel like getting out of bed. I just want to shut out the entire world, close my eyes, and disappear.

You can get help for that - I'm assuming if you are diagnosed you have a therapist you are seeing, maybe even taking medication? Plenty of people with depression get through graduate school. I make a point of working hard when I'm feeling okay so that when I go through depressive episodes, I don't fall as far behind. (I like the way the above commenter's sister puts it - when you work really hard when you feel better, people tend not to notice as much when you aren't working and depressed because they assume you've worked at a steady clip the whole time.) I've found that it also helps to let people I trust know about my depression, because they check in on me when I go MIA. They don't just assume that I'm hard at work.

As far as organization, I was a fairly disorganized person before I came to graduate school. I quickly learned how to organize myself enough that I've been very successful. I write EVERYTHING down - I always have a notebook and a pen with me because I'll forget in like two seconds. I have schedules everywhere. I save every article that may be remotely useful into my reference manager. Things like that. You learn a system that works for you.

I don't have children, but I know many graduate students who do and who get through the programs just fine.