Goal Reflections
My Graduate Journey
It took me a few months to decide what I wanted out of my graduate education. Deciding where I wanted to complete my education was a much simpler task. Flexibility in how and when I learn was an important part when exploring programs; I blame my pregnant wife. Michigan State University is where I completed my undergraduate degree and it also has one of the best online education graduate programs. Done. Now I had to decide what I was going to focus on.
I believe teaching is the most important job in the world and because of that, I want to remain at the “ground level” of teaching. If I can be used in a different role that would have a greater positive impact on our students’ learning however, then I would be all for it. Because of this possibility, I chose to pursue my Master of Arts in Education degree with a concentration in P-12 School and Postsecondary Leadership.
Going into this program, I had only finished my second year of teaching chemistry and AP Chemistry at Reeths-Puffer High School. At this point, I hardly feel I could walk into a formal leadership role, but with a more veteran science staff that are continually thinking about retirement, I knew I might end up becoming a mentor to someone before too long. This cemented my choice in pursuing educational leadership.
In the meantime however, I also wanted to get a broader perspective in how an organization, like a school, is run. I wanted to know the types of challenges the administrative staff faces if for nothing else, have a greater sense of empathy for them. In our field of education, there seems to be a common attitude between administrators and teaching staff being “us versus them.” I believe this stems mostly from a lack of understanding between the two parties and understanding what the administrator have to face could bridge that gap for me and in turn, I could help bridge that gap for others in order to build a healthier working relationship.
I feel that I want to teach for a bit longer before I enter any formal leadership role such as a department chair or administrator, but there are plenty of opportunities available at our school for teachers to facilitate professional learning community meetings or other professional development sessions. I do enjoy talking about education and hearing others’ thoughts, feelings, and experiences on the matter, so stepping into this type of informal leadership role is a goal of mine in the short term.
After taking the classes I have taken in order to reach the end of this graduate program, I have come to the realization that most people reach when they pursue higher education: there is still a lot for me to learn. My goals have not really changed since entering this educational leadership program, but I believe I will be enjoying my current role a bit longer and I now have a greater appreciation for the leaders our school has now.
The day will come when our current leaders retire and move on. On that day, I am not sure if I will want to move into that role or stay where I am, but if I still believe that teaching is the most important job in the world, I will do what I can to maximize teaching and student learning regardless of my title.