Widowed at 29 with a small child and one on the way. What would you do?

/Life was good for Jill McLachlan. Happily married to an Army Corporal, Jill and her husband both enjoyed OU study while living in Germany and raising their young daughter. But at six months pregnant with their second child, Jill’s husband – himself only two courses away from completing his dream of a degree – was killed in a road traffic accident. Jill’s world turned upside down. Now, she is the proud recipient of the prestigious Walter Hines Page Scholarship 2009/2010. And this is her story of how she decided not to become just another victim.../   I qualified as a primary in 1997 – I have always loved learning and being in school, and so primary teaching seemed to be the right path for me. After graduation I settled into life at Mayhill Junior School, in Hampshire. After a NOF funded ICT initiative we were all given the opportunity to continue our staff training with an ICT course offered by the OU – E850 teaching and learning with ICT. Little was I to know that it was the start of a strange and interesting journey for me. I began my Masters in Education with the OU in 2000 with encouragement from my head teacher and family.   In 2001 my eldest daughter was born and I took a short break from studying.  Then in 2002 my husband, a Lance Corporal in the Logistic Corps received some surprising news - after one year he had earned a second promotion, complete with a move to Germany. It was a difficult decision to leave everything and everyone behind, but the pull of the unknown and the opportunity to explore new cultures and places was just too great. The advantage of the OU was that I could take it with me, and with the extra money a Cpl earned, plus overseas allowance, my husband Robin embarked on a life-long ambition to study for a BSc degree in Environmental Sciences.  Happy times. Once our six month old daughter was asleep we would fight for custody of the dining room table – junior rank quarters are not huge.    When Robin achieved his diploma on route to his degree I was so proud of him. We both loved the OU study and method, but I found it a much more natural pursuit. Robin, on the other hand, had been diagnosed with two of the three forms of dyslexia and often studied on deployment, including Macedonia, Cyprus, Nigeria and a windowless basement in Northern Ireland having recovered a chair and table from a skip! The OU were fantastic, they offered extra support and equipment to help with the dyslexia and with the study schedule.   *Widowed at 29* In 2003 life couldn’t be better, I was expecting our second child and Robin’s OU study had earned him recognition, with him being recommended for Sergeant and helping other soldiers with their dyslexia and with starting OU study. Little was I to know what lay ahead. In September 2003 Robin was killed in a road traffic accident, returning to the fuel park where he worked. My world fell apart, my best friend was gone, he was 32 and just two courses away from his beloved degree. I was 29, pregnant with a two-and-a-half year old toddler in Germany. Again, the Army were very good, and nothing was too much trouble.  I was brought back to the UK and decided to live with my parents for a while.  Each year I go back to Germany and present a trophy in Robin’s name to the best adult learner at 34 Army Education Centre.   I continued my studies, embarking on ED209 Child  development in 2004.  I can honestly say OU study was a lifeline, it kept me sane and gave me a place in my head to escape to. My husband would have never forgiven himself had I given up and I couldn’t let him down!  In 2005 I studied E840 Child development in families, schools and society, and achieved my Advanced Diploma in Child Development in 2006. One of the many things I love about OU study is the fact you can build qualifications as you go, you can mix and match and you are in control of what you choose to study.  Six years of part-time study and full-time commitment can seem a long time, so earning a diploma or advanced diploma part-way is a real boost and gives you something to show for all of your hard work.   In 2006 I completed my Masters of Education (MEd) with E835 Educational research in action.  My graduation at the Sage in Gateshead was strange.  I was elated that I had overcome so much and the OU staff had worked very hard on hosting the ceremony.....but the day was marred in sadness, as although my girls stood proudly in their best frocks, someone was missing…   *Not Mrs, not Miss, but Doctor* The final course of the M.Ed (E835) was to design a research project, and we were encouraged to submit our ideas as a research proposal for the OU’s doctoral project.  Why not, I thought!  Looking back, I think I was caught up in the euphoria of achieving the M.Ed and it hadn’t really sunk in what I was about to do.  Through my experiences I have always been a member of the Army Widows’ Association steering committee and at one of the veterans meetings in London I jokingly told a retired RLC officer that as I was no longer a Mrs, and could never go back to being a Miss, I was thinking of becoming a Dr. Before I knew it my research proposal had been accepted, and the Army benevolent fund approached me wanting to sponsor childcare costs etc so that I could afford the fees!   So in May 2006 I was amazed as my research proposal was accepted by the OU and I embarked on the long pursuit of achieving my doctorate in education, the Ed.D.  It still hasn’t sunk in yet, as doctorates are what brainy people do, not people like me! So far I have enjoyed every minute as I feel I am being really challenged to my absolute limit.  As predicted, it has not been easy and I wouldn’t want it to be. Due to changes in work commitments and the demands of family life, I have had to resubmit my first year report. But I am hanging on, I have the support of my tutor and the EdD team and am determined to keep going.   In 2008 I was appointed as an OU Associate Lecturer for the North West region and in March 2009 I was awarded one of six prestigious Walter Hines Page Scholarships for my EdD research. The scholarship is awarded and co-ordinated by the English Speaking Union (www.esu.org.uk).  It is open nationally to all teachers who are members of the three main teaching unions (NUT, ATL, NASWUT) – so if anyone reading this is an OU student and teacher – why not have a look.  Each teaching union sponsors two places, and I was awarded one of the two places offered by the ATL. The purpose of the scholarship is to support professional development and to share ideas and research between the UK and USA. Walter Hines Page was a significant figure during WW1, as US ambassador to Britain he laid the foundation for  the UK-US partnership.   *Enjoying the ride, pass or fail* The award consists of a two week professional tour, covering four cities.  The ESU New York branch will help organise a suitable programme and I will be placed with a number of host families.  During my tour I will be able to research my topic, exploring teacher training in the US. I will get to work with some of the top professionals in their field.  I will participate in giving talks and I have to complete a blog throughout the trip.  Finally, after the trip I will need to submit a report to the ESU and ATL on my experience and what I´ve learnt.   The tours have to be taken between October 2009 and May 2010 to match the USA school holidays.  In July I will attend an orientation day in London and once regions are confirmed, I can begin to make contacts with institutions I would like to visit.  I am really hoping for the New York/Boston area as my research points to this area (especially Harvard).   It all seems very surreal and the news hasn’t sunk in yet.  I’m not quite sure what I expected, but it is already starting to bring further educational research opportunities via the OU in my direction.  I have just been offered a place as an assistant researcher on a small scale pilot. I have the best of both worlds, as I can combine family life with my love of learning and enjoyment working with children.   I am very grateful for the support of my family, my tutor Sally Heaney, Region 8 Staff Tutor James Roy and the OU Ed.D team. Somewhere along the line I decided that life was too short to waste being a victim and that I just had to get on with things the best way I could. I have no idea where the journey will end, pass or fail, and am just enjoying the ride and possibilities. / / /Picture: Jill McLachlan with her two daughters during her graduation at The Sage in Gateshead/