My Progression From Teacher to Student
Lisa Hansen
When I first entered into the Masters of Arts in Education program at Michigan State four years ago, I set out with the aim of advancing my education to become a better classroom teacher. A broad goal. A simple goal. A goal that I am sure many educators possess. Yet, it is also a goal that may not be directly measurable.
As I progressed through my first year of teaching, it seemed odd to me not to be in school myself. I had spent the last seventeen years of my life in school, with the latter part both as a teacher and a student. After reflecting on this feeling, it was evident to me that I wanted more out of life. I wanted to be a powerful influence in the classroom, I wanted to challenge myself mentally, and I also wanted to achieve something that no one in my family has earned yet, a master’s degree.
Photo Credits:
We keep moving forward, opening new doors....: http://www.technologyrocksseriously.com/p/school- signs.html?m=1#.VPOd1nZv0ZQ
To Live A Creative Life We Must Lose Our Fear of Being Wrong: http://refe99.com/quotes/creativity/
Technology Integration is not an event....: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/b1/6a/29/b16a294cc62a0bc0fa68235551c134f1.jpg
With the support of my family and work colleagues, I set out to achieve my personal educational goals. Yet over the course of these last four years, my goals matured and developed. My main goal as an educator now is to help every student achieve their maximum potential through providing them with differentiated instruction and also engaging, wholesome activities that spark their interests and creativity. While my students still engage in our school’s structured curriculum lessons, I am now able to supplement my teaching with an arsenal of tools and resources that I have gained throughout my journey as a graduate student.
While I have successfully completed the tasks of challenging myself mentally and obtaining my master’s degree, my focus now rests on the children that I teach and interact with on a daily basis. I’ve brought in new technology tools into the classroom, new ways of assessment and checking for understanding, different ways to look at picture books and illustrations, and have re-newed my enthusiasm for teaching. My goal is not to become a better teacher for the whole classroom, but to become a personalized teacher for each student. Though I do feel as though I have achieved my original goal of becoming a classroom teacher through experience and additional work on classroom management, it is my master’s course-load that has helped me to realize the revision of my original goal.
My courses have helped me to recognize that there is more to teaching than getting students to sit quietly and do well on standardized tests. This journey has helped me to understand that students best learn when they are engaged using technology and interactive activities. Literacy courses have helped me to realize that students do learn differently, and proper techniques can be applied to best support a variety of learners. Classes in fostering creativity have revealed me that it is okay for a class of students to create projects that are not “cookie cutter” duplicates. Each day presents a new opportunity for me to make a lasting impact on my students, and I am proud of the unique learners they have become.