They Laughed at Me

as told by Joe Price

The police were at our house every week breaking up fights between my mother and stepfather. Both had issues with drugs and alcohol.  

When I started high school, my sister, my guardian angel, told me I needed to go live with my dad, a police officer.  He lived in Lake Forest, Illinois, a very wealthy community, the Beverly Hills of the Midwest. Starting over! That did give me a thirst to be financially prosperous.

My father didn’t really know how to be a dad. I was the classic Gen X latchkey kid, pretty much raising myself. As an accomplished wrestler, I kept my grades up just enough to stay eligible for wrestling. I graduated in 1989 with one of the lowest grade point averages in the class. 

During high school, I worked and had little side hustles. I saved enough so that the day I graduated I moved out on my own. Starting over!

From construction work, I segued into the professional world as a mortgage company clerk. I worked my way up in the business. File clerk. Loan closer. Loan processor. Junior underwriter. And then, at the age of 22, I became a loan officer. It was the ‘90s when mortgage rates went into single digits. People were calling in to refinance. I easily made a quarter of a million dollars by age 24. 

I proved I could make money. Now what? I called my guardian angel. My sister said, “Think about people who impacted your life?” 

My high school English teacher came to mind. He called me into his office. “Joey, you're smart. Do you know what makes people successful?” I was like, “Money.” He said, “No. It comes down to belief in themselves. You don't believe in yourself.” What he said next I was not expecting, “You're in lower level general ed classes. You probably won’t like it, but I’m putting you in regular level classes. I know you've got the talent.” So even though I pulled my same antics after that and barely graduated, I was challenged to work at a much higher level. 

My teacher was my inspiration for my next starting over. I decided to become a teacher. My mom rolled her eyes. My dad laughed, “You barely graduated from high school.”

I got my degree and began teaching middle school. Within a year I was teaching in high school and coaching wrestlers. I then got a master’s in education leadership to subsequently become assistant principal. Within two years, I became principal. Not enough, I got a second master’s that led to becoming district superintendent. Then I decided to finish my doctorate.

Over the years, some people would laugh at my ambitious endeavors. But, thanks to a teacher who helped me believe in myself, I was never afraid to gamble on myself.

Joe Price's link- https://jprice.esourcecoach.com