Carrie is a special education teacher in the Anderson County school system. She enrolled in WGU Tennessee in February of 2017 and is on her way to earning her master’s degree. Carrie decided to enroll in the online university after she learned about the university from a colleague who was also a WGU Tennessee student mentor. Now, she has a steady routine that helps her juggle work and studying.

A typical day for Carrie looks like this:

6 a.m.: Carrie begins her morning by getting herself and her children ready for school with the help of her husband.

7:30 a.m.: Before she heads to work, Carrie drops off her children at their schools.

8:30 a.m.: Throughout the day, she teaches sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade math.

3:30 p.m.: She also tutors two days a week after school. Her son’s school is within walking distance, so he comes to her school and works on his homework while she tutors.

5 p.m.: Usually, Carrie will leave school at 5; but on days when she’s not tutoring, she finds this is the perfect place to work on her coursework.

6 p.m.: After 5, Carrie goes home with her children or takes them to baseball or karate practice.

Juggling a job, family, and school is hard; but Carrie says it just takes practice and discipline.

“Whenever you have a free moment between work and juggling your family, you have to be committed to making that time to get your studying in,” she said. She is on the road to big accomplishments, and in five years, she wants to be in a coordinator or administration role.

WGU Tennessee would like to thank all the teachers for their contributions. Enjoy the well-deserved summer break!