I’m told one shouldn’t publish their financial data online. Least of all in a silly little blog about silly little things written by a silly little man.
I suppose I don’t really believe I’m a silly little man. Still, I’ve used self-deprecating humor my entire life to cope with moving through this silly little world. Self-deprecating humor is useful, but I’m stronger now. I don’t need it as much.
I proudly share this piece of financial information with you all without self-deprecating humor: My student loan debt is finally paid off.
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My student loans came in waves. In 1999, I took out enough money to pay for my B.A. in English and History from The University of Minnesota. In 2003, I took out more money to cover my M.Ed. in Secondary English Education from The University of Minnesota. In 2010, I took out even more money to cover tuition that wasn’t funded by assistantships to pay for my PhD in Critical Literacy and English Education. I have invested lots of time, energy, and money into becoming credentialed.
The three degrees I’ve just described are not financially lucrative. They are, in fact, an economic disaster. Each of my budgetary decisions has been worse than the last. Luckily, I do not live on bread alone.
The three degrees I’ve attained have been, in part, about staying alive. Richard Wright ended his memoir Black Boy by sharing that growing up in the United States offered him no models for how to live a human life. I’d like to think I majored in English and History because I was looking for models for a more human life. I’d like to think I pursued graduate degrees in Education because I wanted to offer others models for more human lives.
I’d like to think all of the time, energy, and money that I’ve sunk into teaching and learning has been about becoming more alive. Bring things to life with others and in so doing, following Kurt Vonnegut’s suggestion that building things makes our soul grow.
I’d like to think I have a very big soul. I’d like to think that I’ve helped students grow their souls. I’d like to think I’m stronger now. No need for self-deprecating humor anymore.
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Given inflation, eliminating my monthly student loan payment isn’t going to make as much as a difference as I’d once imagined. It takes a small fortune to go to the grocery store. I’m considering imposing tariffs on Hy-Vee to offset my financial burden. I don’t think Iowa’s Supreme Court will go along but, given the state of the world in 2025, legal precedence doesn’t seem to matter anymore.
All kidding aside, I am proud to have paid my student loans in full. My education was well worth it. I am proud of who I am becoming.
Samuel Jaye Tanner 