In my daily routine, my husband and coworkers serve as my main supports. I depend on my husband to pick up my daughter before daycare closes. I also depend on him to sometimes run errands, cook dinner, and perform household chores such as taking out the trash, washing cars, mopping, and cleaning the kitchen. Without my husband I would have to adjust my schedule and drop extracurricular activities so that I could pick my daughter up and perform all household chores. My husband is also responsible for his portion of our bills so without him I would have to get a second job somehow to make my money stretch. The benefit of having this support is greatly emotional and physical. My husband is a great asset to me and we work smoothly as a team, his love and support also helps me to maintain school, my career, and other activities that enjoy. He is always encouraging me and cheering me on to the finish line and without him I would be motivating myself which is difficult.
My coworkers provide great support to me because as a first year teacher I need them to help me plan lessons, do necessary paperwork, and help me make it through the day. When I first started I had no idea what I would be doing even the first day of school. My coworkers were there to give me handouts, activities, and other simple first day materials for my students. My coworkers provide a relief for me when I am having a bad day with my students, administration, or other colleagues. We often vent to each other and give advice where it is needed. Without my coworkers I would feel like I am alone, I would often feel lost at work and feel like I need to find someone to help me. When I am having a problem I would have to hold it in until I got home to talk to someone which could make me a worse day. The benefit of my coworkers support is the overall professional growth as well as the reduced stress. I know that they are always there to help me and provide guidance and direction for when I get lost.
If I were faced with the challenge of getting into a doctorate program I would want the emotional support of my family, the physical support of my husband and coworkers, and the practical support of my professors. I would need each of these supports so I could focus on the goal, get direction and guidance towards the goal, and so that I could prepare myself for what the goal entails. It would be hard to overcome this challenge if any one of these supports were missing. I need my family to encourage me and be my "cheerleaders" when I feel like giving up, I need my husband to help me maintain our household so I could dedicate time to my studies, my coworkers could help me move towards my professional goals by editing papers and post, and making sure that I stay 100% at my current job while working towards another degree, and my professors would of course be there to answer questions and guide me towards an appropriate doctorates degree. Every support that exist in my life is necessary and needed and it would be very difficult for me to function without them.
