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With the support of her parents and older sister, Schumacher pushed ahead through college and obtained the early education degree that opened the door to her teaching dream. It\u2019s the door of Ralph Askins Elementary, and she has walked through it countless times in her 16 years as a pre-K teacher. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Schumacher\u2019s life is filled with home and everything that makes Fayetteville home \u2014 students, staff, community, her family, and friends. It is especially filled with children to love and nurture, fulfilling her dream of becoming a mama.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI always wanted to do the littles. Then, as I got a bit older and realized that I wouldn\u2019t be able to have children, I got that mommy role a little bit. When you\u2019re in pre-K, all learning gets to be fun. I think that\u2019s what drew me to it, being able to nurture and have that kind of relationship with them. They\u2019re just happy and love learning,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, Schumacher became very sick during her first few years of teaching. Chemo was necessary to help her immune system get back on track, but she showed up for class through it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI came to work, and that always helps more than anything \u2014 having a purpose, coming in, and having that distraction,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s all about the kids because when they\u2019re 4 and 5, they don\u2019t really understand [you\u2019re sick], so you can\u2019t sit around and dwell on it. I think that was the biggest thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Motherhood came in due time as a foster mom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Schumacher said, \u201cWe had a little girl for two years. She was 3 when she came to us, and she was almost 6 when she had to go back home. That was very rewarding, but it was very hard when she left.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She also spends quality time with her two nieces and nephews, fulfilling her love of children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite the challenges of lupus and fibromyalgia, she looks forward to being there for her students. It\u2019s all possible thanks to the support of her family, friends, co-workers, and her faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI feel I\u2019ve been able to do all these things because of my faith in God. Even at your darkest times, He can get you through anything,\u201d Schumacher said. \u201cI really try to look for the joy and blessings in everything. I\u2019ve learned that from getting sick at such a young age. Even when it\u2019s not good, there\u2019s always good things around you. That, and finding something I love to do, has been a blessing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Schumacher is doing what she loves, where she loves to be. She\u2019s home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She said, \u201cI\u2019ve always felt very loved here. It\u2019s a very loving community. Anytime I got sick, they were always\u00a0there to help in any way they could. One of the people in pre-K was there when I started student teaching, and we\u2019ve been teaching buddies since I got here. And she\u2019s such a support. And I\u2019ve had wonderful aides that have been such a support. One of the great things about pre-K is I have an aide with me. Because I get tired so easily and have many doctor\u2019s appointments, it\u2019s really nice to have people I know I can depend on who love me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n While life may have turned out a little differently than she imagined, her eyes of faith see God has blessed, strengthened, and fulfilled her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI credit my parents for pushing me, for not letting me sit in my feelings or feel sorry for myself because I think that can be a real detriment. You can\u2019t push through when you have that kind of attitude,\u201d said Schumacher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She is pushing through one day at a time, surrounded by her sweet students and the good she finds around her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s no place like home. GN<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" SURROUNDED BY her pre-K students, Tami Schumacher is exactly where she always wanted to be.\u00a0 As a child of a stay-at-home mom, she played school and knew she wanted to be a teacher and a mama. Working at daycares as soon as she was old enough affirmed her heart\u2019s desires. She loved children and the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":17686,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/2-8-1024x683.png\")
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