Growing up on the cold hard streets of "Motown".
Yeah, ok...that's more like it.
Seriously, I think we all have a story to tell, not just celebrities.
I mean, it's ok for them to share there struggles and triumphs, but regular folks struggle, too.
In my church, we call it "testimony service".
Anyway, according to family legend, I was born two months early and a bit premature.
It's 1977.
Spent time in an incubator.
Family would come, look at me through the glass and cry.
A stranger called me "a fighter". I would be my parent's only child...if I made it out the incubator.
Fast forward a few years.
I'm a toddler with a foot bar connected to my shoes to help straighten my legs.
I'm a little kid riding a Big Wheel...then a bike.
At 8 years old, I fell in love with Mario...and his brother, Luigi.
...and Zelda, and Mike Tyson's Punch Out.
As an elementary school student, I turn out to be pretty good.
In the 6th grade, I happen to peek into a classroom full of odd looking machines with glowing green screens.
"What are those?" I ask.
Apple IIes.
"What are those black squares?" I ask.
Floppy disks.
I put a floppy disk into one of the Apple IIes.
Oregon Trail.
My heart jumped. Twice. I'm 11 years old. Middle school.
Gotta get one of these computer things.
Way expensive, though.
Video games aren't that expensive, though.
Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, Nintendo 64.
I'm in High School now. I work in the library. I hate Driver's Ed class.
Not dating yet, but I carry a beeper.
The computers in the library are those square cut Macs with the black and white display.
Clip art makes my reports shine...and the other kids take notice.
Excepted into Wayne State University. It's 1995. Just graduated from Detroit Public Schools.
The beeper is gone. I have a cellular phone.
In the basement of the Science Library, I'm introduced to the World Wide Web, chat rooms, websites, and HTML.
The HTML code for black is #000000.
Chat rooms are...interesting.
It's 2001. I am now a teacher. Detroit Public Schools. Returning home to give back.
Teacher Technology Initiative gives DPS teachers laptop computers.
I chose the Compaq. It's my first personal computer. Ever.
After while, my parents bought a Gateway system for themselves.
I begin my first series of technology workshops...at home...training my mom.
Dad says he'll watch.
I'm now in the Wayne State IT program working on my Masters.
Afterwards, I will pursue Ed Admin at UMich-Dearborn, but become sidetracked by their Ed Tech program.
I'm good at this computer stuff. I still play video games, too. PlayStation 2.
Keeps my mind sharp. Still not dating yet.
By now, I've been teaching for awhile...my role in DPS is changing...and I now play XBox.
Fast forward. I'm a Literacy Coach.
I play XBox 360...and date...a little bit.
The World Wide Web has changed, too.
Everybody is on. Oh, yeah, I carry a "BlackBerry" and "text" people.
...then Facebook showed up.
...and Twitter.
Tried my hand at both. Epic fail.
But after much prayer, I came back strong in both.
One program for fun, the other for business.
I've got it now. I know what to do.
I also have a better website, a wiki, and a blog, too.
Feel better about my career. I am an Instructional Specialist at a PK-8 school.
Might just finish my Ed Admin goal as well.
Marygrove College.
But that's for part two.
For now, I'm Erica M Dean and this is how I've made it...so far.
No comments:
Post a Comment