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By David Simpson

Cheryl Holman was expecting her ninth child – and was homeschooling the rest – when her marriage fell apart in 2012. Devastated, she tried to pick up the pieces of her life.

“It’s hard to even look back at that time,” she said recently.

How the King George, Virginia, woman got from that point to where she is today – about to walk across the stage to receive her Bachelor of Science in elementary education at 91��Ƭ��, a school she’s never visited – is a story of grit and optimism.

“If I had to describe myself in one word, I’d say ‘ambitious,’” said Holman, 50.

Her drive impressed instructors at 91��Ƭ��, where she has taken classes online since 2018.

“Cheryl Holman is one of the most inquisitive, dedicated and resourceful students that I have taught in my 15 years at 91��Ƭ��,” said Jody Sommerfeldt, a senior lecturer in the Department of Teaching and Learning. “She will relentlessly pursue ways to meet every diverse learning need in her classroom, and that is exactly the kind of teacher that 91��Ƭ�� strives to prepare.”

“She’s tenacious,” said Michael Mondak, an adjunct instructor in the Department of Communication Disorders and Special Education who supervised Holman during her student teaching stint this semester. “She's done a remarkable job in the classroom.”  

Holman grew up on the outskirts of Atlantic City, New Jersey, and started her family in Brooklyn, New York. When her first daughter was little, Holman began teaching her to read.

“I had never heard of homeschooling,” Holman said, but found she loved it.

After more than four years in Brooklyn, the family moved to New Jersey. Holman kept teaching her kids – reading, writing, math, science – using materials from a homeschool publisher.

School was woven into their life together. They had lessons at the kitchen table, on couches, even on the road, she said. To accommodate the children’s different learning levels, she taught classes like algebra to the older children while her young ones were asleep.

In 2008, Holman’s husband got a new work assignment in Virginia, and the family – now with seven children – moved to King George. It was already a houseful when her 90-year-old grandmother moved in with them in 2010. Supportive friends helped with the woman’s shopping and took her to doctors.

Holman taught her kids up through eighth grade, then enrolled them in online classes for their high school work. She would sometimes watch the video lessons with them, just to learn more.

And then, in 2012, her marriage ended. Money grew short and her van was repossessed. Things seemed hopeless.

But in King George, a town of about 4,600, people knew one another. Word got around.

“Someone paid my mortgage for three months,” Holman said, “and I don’t know to this day who.”

Meals would show up, she said. A bank manager gave Holman’s 16-year-old daughter a loan so Holman could get the van back. 

“I will always be grateful to her. Things were a disaster, but she saved that part of my life. People knew me or my situation, and it was like they just took me and my children under their wing.”

Eventually, alimony and child support started flowing, and the pressure eased.

But Holman wanted to establish a career for herself and not rely purely on her ex-husband's support. She liked teaching, so why not aim for a job in the public school system? That way she could be at home with her children when they were on summer break. She started taking classes online at Germanna Community College.

But in 2017 her life took another turn when her grandmother fell and broke her hip. Knowing she would require much more care, Holman put her children in public school. Her home education career was over.

Pressing on with her studies, she finished her associate’s degree in 2018 and enrolled in Old Dominion’s well-regarded online bachelor’s program in elementary education, relying on loans and scholarships to pay for tuition.

Still, Holman wanted to be more financially independent, so she worked in child care at the YMCA. She became a substitute teacher. One day she spotted a school bus and thought: “I could do that.” After training and certification, she drove a route from 2018 to 2021 – and still fills in when her schedule allows.

Looking back, she knows she has done her best for her five boys and four girls, along with her grandmother, who died in January at age 101. Holman’s five grown children include a registered nurse, an airman, a Marine, a master’s degree student and a shift manager at a business. Four children are still at home. She also has three grandchildren.

This fall, she’s been student teaching at Potomac Elementary in King George. She said she’s passionate about meeting the needs of her third-grade pupils.

“It’s been amazing how far behind most third-graders are due to circumstances beyond their control during the COVID years, and so we’re just picking up a lot of the slack and jumping in there and helping them catch up and thrive.”

Holman recommends 91��Ƭ��’s elementary ed program, mainly because of the faculty.

“Doug Brown was a great advisor – he helped me navigate the unknown. Jody Sommerfeldt and C.J. Butler were excellent teachers. The professors were all very encouraging and were always there to give advice or support.”

Holman is eager to walk at graduation on Dec. 17 and visit the 91��Ƭ�� campus for the first time. At least four of her children will join her. She has booked a Virginia Beach hotel with an ocean view.

“I’ll tell you what, pal, that is my prize. I’m so excited because I worked really hard.”

Next, she hopes to land a full-time, paid teaching job and continue helping students along a sometimes difficult path. She knows what it's like to struggle.

“I’m the perfect person to listen, encourage them and tell them to keep going.”