I am sitting here in my classroom pondering what exactly I gained from my journey through grad school. Here’s what I know. I have become a better manager of time. Because the classes were five weeks long, I had to make sure to stay ahead with my work. As a person who struggles with depression and anxiety this is sometimes easier said than done. I can honestly say that I did pretty well keeping myself on task and achieving the goals I set for myself.

Change is not something that I have always been good at accepting. I am a person who likes routine. The fact that there was a set schedule for everything at ACE was very helpful for me. I knew what was expected and I did my best to deliver results that I could be happy with. Was I 100% successful? The short answer to that question is no. I do not deal well with failure. As a child, being the oldest child in my family, I was expected to set a good example for my younger sister. I can honestly say that if there was a time that I was glad that I was older, this was it. My sister was an all A student, played every sport she could, and was “popular”. I got along with pretty much anyone, got above average to average grades, was on the dance team, and was captain of the color guard. I would have hated being her younger sibling. I would have had to live in her shadow.

Even though I was not a straight A student, I have worked my way through college, got a teaching job, and am earning my masters. Graduate school has taught me that I am far more driven than I thought I was. I work full time, have an extracurricular that I coach, and I have a home to take care of. Going to school required some dedication and time. I have been very successful. Not to say that my journey has been without issues, but I have navigated those issues and am at the finish line. I have one more class to finish and I will have earned a new degree.

I chose a career that requires not only patience and a love for children, I chose one that needs constant training to keep up with the newest trends in education. We must do so many hours of professional development and renew our licenses every four years. This not necessarily a bad thing, but it does require planning so that I can get enough professional development hours. When asked why I chose a blog for my project, my answer is simple. I have always wanted to blog, but never actually did it. This assignment was the perfect catalyst to get me moving.

This particular blog post and a few of my others are strictly for school purposes. I must share the things that I will continue to do in my career and also some of the new methods that I learned while pursuing my Masters degree. There is always a reason behind my decisions to utilize my choices for how I want to use what I have learned. Among these things, is adding more time for collaboration for projects. Another new choice is to add more use of technology for research, writing, and presentations. This betters my ability to be an effective teacher. Learning how to avoid biases, both implicit and explicit biases. I have learned how to consider gender when selecting lessons. How is this going to help my performance as a teacher? Well, by bettering my skills in collaboration, technology, and choosing higher order thinking, I become a stronger educator. I have learned that I must be open to perspectives that are different from my own. By considering everyone’s point of view and listening to what people have to say, I can be a teacher who my students and co-workers can go to for a listening ear and a helping hand.

Not everything that makes me a professional educator is for everyone else. I can be a voice for reason and for new ideas both in the classroom and during department meetings. I can share lessons in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Blooms’ Taxonomy with my fellow teachers. Education is a job where sharing resources and ideas is essential. The more we learn the more we can benefit our students. Working as a team is a goal in education.

One thing to consider when thinking of how to use what I have learned to help others, I feel that showing how students can use virtual reality to create an adventure that students and staff may never experience in real life. This is a resource that can benefit all different content areas. While this technology may be costly , I believe that the benefits outweigh the cost. I can picture how great this type of lesson would be. It will make English class a little more exciting. It could bring the literature alive.

Starting this blog has been great. I am not sure how it will affect the people who choose to read it as I am not some famous actor or musician. I lead a very humble life and just wanted to share my thoughts and feelings. I wanted to create a community of like minded people. So whether you are a teacher, a lawyer, or a myriad of other choice careers, it is my hope to pass along what I know.

How does this pertain to my graduate school experience? Because of the final assignment in my final class, I was given a choice for the final project. As I have stated, I have wanted to start a blog for some time now and this helped push me in that direction. I was to tell all of the ways that graduate school would help me be a better teacher and a better colleague. I learned about Canva. It is a great way to build a project presentation. I learned how to do infographics which I could use in my classroom. I learned about various thoughts of educational beliefs. A big component to my degree was to learn about online learning and teaching. I could use this for any time that something may interfere with traditional education such as weather related emergencies or in the event that we experience an illness that keeps us inside of our homes. I feel that I could share what I have learned with my co-workers. My impact may be small, but it is meaningful. Key to success….Love what you do.

Until Next time,

Cat