New Beginnings

 Future Learning Goals Essay

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After years of hard work and commitment, the end is near. I can see the bright light at the end of the tunnel. I can visualize having my weekends and “summers off” back. I’ve almost completed the Master of Arts in Education (MAED) program at Michigan State University. As I come to the end of my journey I can’t help but look back at where I began.

 

When I first started this program I was asked to create a portfolio and to blog about my experiences every night. I only found it appropriate to name my webpage “A Roadtrip Through Education”. Like every good roadtrip, I knew that my journey would be full of surprises, potholes, and detours. Throughout the years, I have had my fair share of real-life curves and there were a few pit-stops on the way. But now that I’m coming to the end I wonder: Does the road end here?

 

Sure, the late nights of working on projects and blog posts and the weeks spent on campus will be over, but my learning does not stop here. In my future, I see myself passing on what I’ve learned through teaching my students and consulting other educators. Although I am finished with formal education for now, I also see myself continuing to learn by staying in the conversation of education.

 

When I first started this program, I did not know what to expect, but by the end of this program I thought I would be a "master teacher" and a “leader of education”. As I look back, we never focused on ONE tool or way to be this master teacher. What we focused on was HOW to help students learn. At the core of my learning was the idea that we need to consider how all of the pieces of teaching fit together to best meet the needs of each lesson. My teaching completely transformed during this time. In my classroom, I now use project-based learning and a flipped classroom model to give my students authentic learning experiences. Students collaborate in groups and explore what we are learning through inquiry. As my teaching style has changed, so has the attitude of my students.

 

I remember one day last year after I had just rolled out a new lesson. It was 8:32 a.m. (class starts at 9:00 a.m.) and my classroom was completely full. Students had come to class early that day (on their own will) to work on building geometry cities. I had several staff members wanting to know what was going on and why they were in my room. I shrugged and explained that they just all came in to work on their projects. I had just given out the assignment descriptions and the projects were not even close to being due. My students came in early that day because they were excited. From that day on I have been dedicating my time to creating more units and projects like the one described above. I want to keep doing this because I want to pass on my love of learning, curiosity, and science to my students.

 

And no, the road doesn’t end there either.

 

When my students came in that morning the excitement I felt was amazing. I had my own “Aha!” moment (you know, the ones we are always looking for in our students). I want other teachers to experience this too. Whether it is formally or informally in my future I see myself coaching and helping other teachers transform their classrooms. In my experience most professional development focuses on technology tools, not necessarily how to use them. It is my goal to show other teachers how to use some of the tools I have learned through this program in their classrooms successfully. If more educators viewed collaboration in this way I think we could transform more than classrooms, but we could change entire districts.

 

Whenever I help other teachers, I can’t help but think of all of the educators who have taught me so much. I think that as a community teachers are constantly asking for and giving help. There is not one of us who “knows it all”. As a lifelong learner, it is my goal to continue growing as an educator even after my formal education ends. Through attending conferences, more professional development, or even continuing my education further someday, I look forward to learning more about education.

 

So will the road ever end? I hope not. In fact, I know this journey is only beginning.