When I entered my very first college classroom at Adrian College in Michigan, our professor told us, “Congratulations ladies and gentlemen; because you are in the classroom right now, you are part of the top 1% of the world.” It dawned on me that day that education was a privilege, and that I was one of the fortunate few who got to experience it at the college level. It was not long after that I decided to study education professionally and work to become a teacher. As I begin to exit my master’s program at Michigan State University, I can not help but feel bittersweet about coming to the end of an era in my life. I have spent every single year of my life since I was four years old being formally educated. Now, I embark on a new journey; one which allows me to use the tools and knowledge I have acquired over twenty years of formal schooling to serve students and allow them to see beauty that is molded in education. In my future, there are three specific plans I have for continuing my own education to share this passion of education with those I come into contact with: First, I plan to use this knowledge by continuing to improve my social studies and English instruction. Secondly, I will join an Educational Leadership program to eventually serve as an administrator. Third, I plan to increase my network of educators to collaborate with both digitally and in person to surround myself with like-minded individuals.
In the same way I receive new students on a yearly basis, my instruction must change and adapt to meet the needs of the students that enter my classroom. In order to keep up with the changing dynamics of the 21st century classroom, I plan to attend the local iFireUp conferencewhich hosts speakers that engage audiences of teachers by including new ways to incorporate technology in the classroom. It is a goal of mine to share in my enthusiasm as a presenter for a conference such as this. Attending an English conference such as a the National Council of Teachers of English convention is also on the horizon for me. I have attended professional development sessions featuring Dr. Kevin Feldmanand enjoyed teaching the staff at my middle school his techniques for student engagement. This privilege of being an educator is best used to share and collaborate with other professionals seeking to empower future generations of humanity.
Although I love working with my large classes of students, and building connections with them daily, I now have a wealth of knowledge of how a school district operates. In many districts, strong and confident leadership is a prerequisite to ensuring students receive high quality instruction from their teachers. I would like to obtain a building level administrator certificate through the University of Michigan, and become a principal or superintendent. Fortunately, my school district reimburses (6) graduate credits a year and so this is a tangible goal for me to complete in the next 3-5 years. I have learned the quality of building positive relationships with staff members, and I’m encouraged by the fact that my personality can be contagious to workers around me. The morale of staff members in my school is often low because when it comes down to it, teachers have an extremely difficult job. Often times they are not respected by society, and they definitely are not paid the amount of money they are worth. I believe I can truly change an entire school district by becoming an administrator.
Lastly, I will continue to be a teacher for at least the next several years and so broadening my network of teachers to collaborate with is crucial for the future of my classroom. Since I am teaching a similar content area each year, it is easy to remain stagnant with my approach to education and curriculum. However, I know this is not beneficial for me or my students to grow as an educator, and so expanding my educational network through Twitter is a goal of mine. There are weekly Twitter chats held by professionals to collaborate and share ideas by grade level, content area, or any field related to education. Some of the chats I woud like to collaborate and network with are: #michED, #engchat, #sschat, and #edchat, and #digcit. Sharing in this collaboration as a mentor to younger teachers is one of the best ways I can continue to learn, share, and give back to the profession that has helped define me.
I know one day I am going to wake up and be near retirement. Between now and then, I may not be able to change the landscape of education as a whole, but I will be able to make a large impact on my students. Through improving my instruction, transitioning to educational leadership in my community, and expanding my network of teachers to collaborate with, the passion and privilege that led me here in the first place will allow me to continue to impact education for the better.