STEPS - Library - Central Queensland University

Part Four: Student transformations
If the desire is great enough
Amanda Patzwald
From a very early age I wanted to be a facilitator of learning, an educator of
young minds — a teacher. Whenever we visited my young cousins, we
would play school and I was the teacher. My family moved occasionally,
and in twelve years of education I attended five schools, but most times this
did not worry me.
At the end of grade 12, I was accepted for a teaching degree at Darling
Downs Institute of Advanced Education, Toowoomba. However, as I was
the eldest of seven children, university was too expensive. I completed high
school on Friday and began work as a nurse’s aide on Saturday in order to
finance my university studies. Fate had other ideas and I became a full-time
mother, wife and farmer’s labourer. When Andrew was six months old, I
was employed as a teacher’s aide. Eighteen months later, Patricia was born,
and again I became a full-time mum, milking cows, feeding cattle,
mustering, volunteering at school and as the P&C secretary. Almost three
years later I became a single mum, moving 600km to another town —
Gladstone. I worked as a kitchen hand at Q.A.S.C. (Yaralla) for some time,
but with young children, night and weekend work was difficult so I
resigned. I began as a checkout operator at Woolworths, and soon became a
service supervisor.
With a wonderful man in my life, we decided to become a bigger family
and Bryce was born in 1993. I really enjoyed the time home with three busy
children and volunteer work at the school. Almost two years later, Travis
was born and our family was complete. I was kept busy especially when
Patricia decided to fundraise for the Leukaemia Foundation. Still desiring
teaching, I had a good friend completing STEPS at CQU and, with my
family’s and her encouragement, I began STEPS in 2001 when Travis
began grade one. Thus began the stepping stone to my lifelong dream.
Initiative
Taking the first step towards a change requires a desire. In life, it is easy to
sit back and let familiarity guide us. We really do only get one chance at
life, and it is detrimental to happiness to resist all feelings to self-improve,
attempt new ventures, or taste new achievements.
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