Pursuing my master’s degree was something that I dreamed of being able to accomplish since I was still in high school.  I grew up in a small town that I knew was not where I was meant to stay and build a life in; I dreamed of bigger things and better places.  I knew I needed to become educated and work hard to accomplish the goals I set out for myself.  Five years and one change of major later I graduated with my undergraduate degree in Elementary Education from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania in 2011.  Upon graduating I moved to Coldwater, Michigan to build a new life for myself.  I chose to settle in Coldwater because my oldest brother and his family lived there, and I knew at least I would have one person to lean on if I needed help. 

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I began my teaching career in Albion and that’s where my interest in being an educator really took off. We did not have a set curriculum so everything I taught came from my own research and hard work. I created activities, lesson plans, and various other tasks for my students using information I pulled together from multiple websites. I sacrificed time with my family and friends because I really wanted to be good at what I do. I essentially built my own curriculum and it was incredibly moving to see my kids not just learn, but enjoy learning. I saw growth in each and every one of them and knowing that their growth was directly correlated to everything I put together throughout the year was very rewarding. Though I was successful in my first year, I quickly realized that there was a lot more I would have to learn if I was going to excel in my chosen profession.

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When I set out on my journey at Michigan State in the Master’s of Arts in Education program during the Spring 2015 semester, I knew it was going to be a tough and challenging road that I was given the opportunity to be a part of.  Michigan State has one of the top programs for MEAD and it was unbelievable to me to think it was actually becoming possible for me. The ability to complete my master’s program online was truly a blessing for my family as my husband is in the military and was gone for most of the year on orders.  This online program was the perfect option for me as it allowed me to be able to continue to teach full-time, and be the mother and wife I needed to be.   

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The MAED program is set up in a way that allows you to tailor the program to the area of focus you prefer. I chose a concentration of K-12 Administration because I want to become a curriculum specialist/director at some point in my career. Each course I enrolled in helped me become a better teacher but choosing an area of focus helped me become a more effective part of the team for my school.  My course work gave me the ability to think differently and have an open mind about what I do in the classroom. This was especially useful when it came to helping my colleagues in different areas. Another major part of my studies helped me realize that reflective tendencies and how much extra attention I must apply to be an effective leader within my organization. 

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After two straight years of studying, I am now at the end of my journey.  It is hard to believe and such a relief to know that I have made it through successfully.  Even though I am wrapping up my last few assignments, it still hasn’t sunk in that I am about to earn my Masters Degree. As I finish up this assignment for CEP 807, my CAPSTONE course, it gives me joy to be able to reflect and now write about some of the biggest take away pieces that I have gained in this program. While it is difficult to recap all the knowledge I have gained, there are a few big picture themes I found were clear throughout all my coursework.  First, as an educator you are never done learning and it is very important to be reflective on your learning, as well as your teaching.  Second, students should always be the focus of what and why you are teaching as well as the focus of decision-making with regard to the administration level of any school. Finally, the overall success of an organization will only be as good as the leadership within that organization. Having effective and consistent leadership is just as important to the organizational development as it is for the students’ success.

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Being a full-time teacher while pursuing my Master’s Degree has proven to be a great benefit to me. Even though working full time it made juggling a busy schedule more difficult, I believe it allowed me to apply several of the things I was learning as well as actively look around my district to analyze what I was seeing and what was happening in a more profound way.  While taking courses like EAD 822 Engaging Diverse Students and Families and TE 825 Diverse Learners and Leaning Subject Matter we focused on how schools and teachers are placed in a much more difficult position today when given a set of students.  A diverse classroom today means so much more that just the simple word of different.  Diverse now can mean anything from academic levels, as well as nationality, race, language, and sexuality.  It was in courses like these that I saw just what it means to teach with the students being the focus of every lesson, and how as a school we are a community made up of many different ideas and people.  In EAD 822 I studied varies groups of people that are often misrepresented or overlooked when it comes to making administration decisions.  I think it was in this class that I learned one of the most surprising things. I learned that some of my ideas that I had thought were great and just were not quite right.  I grew up being taught to not see differences, but to just see the person.  However, that approach is not fair either.  Each person is different and needs to be acknowledged for those differences.

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Gaining the knowledge about leadership by taking courses such as EAD 801 Leadership and Organizational Development and EAD 867 Case Studies in Educational Leadership allowed me to assess the kind of leadership qualities I was witnessing in my surroundings as well has reflect on what kind of leadership qualities I would like to portray not only as teacher but as a future leader of my school.   One of the most important things I gained from courses like these was learning about what being a leader really means.  I was provided with cases that showed me that sometimes being a leader is not just someone with the actual title.  Within an organization a leader can be anyone who is willing to show the qualities needed to effective lead others to the best outcome.   While studying past leaders and their successes and failures I was to see just how important it is for the leader to have buy-in from its staff in order to maintain an effective operating school that is conducive for learning to occur.  However, I also saw how being inconsistent or unprepared can create an environment that is unfocused and unable to achieve a common goal.  Even though I am at the end of my academic journey at MSU, I still have so much more to learn about a good effective leader really is. 

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Throughout the program I had to fight to stay focused and motivated at times when it was the last thing I wanted to do.  There were many late nights, and skipped meals; but no matter how frustrated I got with it all I still never gave up.   Whether it was learning about just how much of a procrastinator I am and how much I hate group work in an online setting.   While completing this reflection of this journey and all I have accomplished I think my biggest thing I can take from completing my master’s has more to do with learning about myself.  Completing the MAED program I found out just what kind of educator I am currently as well as what kind of educator I strive to become. This program has showed me so much about myself; what kind of learner, person, teacher, and future leader I want to become.  I am so grateful to be able to have completed the program and meet so many amazing educating professionals along the way. 

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     My final thoughts; being a student just like being an educator is not a one size fits all area. 

It is important that you find the right fit for you on your career path when it comes to the program and the school. This program has proven to be the right path for me. In a profession that requires you to be very ope and willing to change, I am looking forward to the new direction I may now take.

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