Forever Learning

 

            One thing I have learned from being an educator is every year is different.  I have realized every school is vastly different as well as every student.  There is never a time when learning does not occur in the career path I choose.  It is my belief that as an educator I am not only responsible for the teaching and learning that goes on within my classroom but also the teaching and learning that occurs within myself in order to help my students progress. Since beginning my career in education I have taught in three different districts and 5 different classrooms ranging from Prek-5th grade. Each classroom brought a new perspective as well as many new learning experiences.  During the beginning of my teaching career I knew I wanted to pursue a masters degree but was not sure what my focus should be. I began to think about what the next few years my look like for me as well as where I wanted a masters degree to take me.   Michigan State is where I found myself, pursuing a Masters in Education Leadership.  While on this journey I found I had three main goals that I wanted to accomplish and would need some help from the sites that at listed.(To the left) 

            My first goal to leave the classroom is not one that looks good standing alone, but when explained makes sense.  As a classroom teacher my job is to teach students, come up with and use any effective researched based strategy to achieve learning growth.   But when what to teach them is continuous changing, or new strategies are being made public it is hard to say what it is that is actually working within the classroom.  These changes also make it impossible to buy a solid curriculum to meet all your needs for a few years.  This then turns educators to become curriculum builders.  My hope is to become one of those builders but in an effective way for fellow colleagues, not just inside my own classroom.  I do not want to stay within the walls of a school only helping the children.  I would like to become, a leader, someone who helps the teachers, which will in turn help the children. 

            My second goal is one that connects very deeply with my first goal.  Having the opportunity to see different curriculum, as well as strategies within teaching I have found that many pieces get left out.  The reasons are numerous ranging from supplies, time, to student readiness.  I have had the chance to work on both ends of the curriculum world, one side being –I am on my own and the other side being you must do and use every piece of this curriculum.   Neither is perfect but having the freedom to create and teach according to your students and their needs allows for so many more windows to open up for you to teach and the students to learn.  My goal is to become someone you builds a curriculum or helps a school develop one from start to finish that works for them and their needs individually. 

            My third goal is that of being effective in wherever I end up.  I have chosen to complete a leadership masters based on the fact that many schools will look for that quality/degree when working with curriculum within their school.  My hopes is that whether I land at a company or within a school as a curriculum specialist that I am an effective leader, and that I make the most of what I do.  I believe leadership is about knowledge and knowledge comes from continuously learning, it also means that you know it is ok to not always know everything.  Learning should never stop and that something I learned throughout completion of my masters, there is so much to learn and so many great ways to be an effective leader.​

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