NESSA’S NOTIONS: Help Wanted … Needed … and Appreciated
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By VANESSA W. SNYDER
I’ve been writing about this doctoral journey of mine (emphasis on MINE), as if it’s all about me.
However, it’s not just my journey to take alone. Yes, I have to do the writing on my own, but the journey is so much more than writing. If the journey really was ALL MINE, I wouldn’t need to ask for help. If I could possibly get this done by myself, that would be great.
But I can’t.
I need a whole lot of help. And I’m not just talking about my committee chair and all the other university employees who support doctoral students. I’m talking about my family, friends, co-workers, acquaintances, and strangers – and most of all, God.
The realization that I need others along this journey reminds me just how challenging it is. I think God designed it this way because He wants us to understand that we, in fact, do need each other. At this point in my doctoral journey I’m beginning to reach out to participants, many of whom I don’t know.
I’ve got to ask them for help. I have to stretch myself more and figure out how to get folks to talk to me. I need people so I can get this done.
But isn’t that how life works?
None of us travels through life without needing some help. We can’t reach our goals without some help. I think that’s a good thing. And it’s something I need to remember while moving forward on this path … and every path ahead in my travels.
Yes, we all need assistance sometimes, not just to earn a doctorate. And it’s okay.
So, reach out. Look around and find the aid you need.
But don’t forget to look up. That’s where our real help comes from.
(A former journalist currently working on her doctorate in Social Emotional Learning, Vanessa is a dedicated and passionate educator in the DC Public Schools system. She loves learning, leadership, innovation, collaboration, and discovering new ways to drive student gains and support staff members).
