A Springboard: Future Goals Essay
Completing my Master’s degree through the Michigan State Master of Arts in Education (MAED) program is not an ending to my learning, or a “check” on my goal list. Rather, it is a springboard to gain experience, continue learning and identify new goals. For the future, I would like to expand my experience in the classroom, increase my use of technology in my curriculum, and pursue a second master’s degree.
First, I want to gain and expand my experience teaching in the classroom. Although I bring valuable experiences and lessons from my time in the Army, and I have in many ways increased and broadened my experience in less formal avenues, I have not formally taught since completing my student teaching and undergraduate degree in education. I have had the opportunity to tutor students, to teach Sunday school, to volunteer in multiple classrooms, and to plan and execute many projects and lessons with my own children. Yet, I look forward to being in the classroom setting again. Ideally, I aspire to teach science or math at the middle school level, but I am open to any experiences. Gaining practice at any grade level or in any subject matter would be valuable to me. Upon completion of the MAED program, I will regain my teaching certificate in the state of Michigan. As a military spouse, the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC) Interstate Agreement allows me to teach in additional states.
Click here to explore the United States Department of Labor’s website that shows the military spouse interstate license recognition program by map. Click here to explore the NASDTEC Interstate Agreement in more detail. These programs will help me to gain teaching experience wherever we may move.
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Second, I want to continue to share my passion for science, or any subject matter, through the use of technology. Although I am not “anti-technology”, I do tend to have a “leery” attitude toward it. For example, I prefer to have paper copies of my course readings and a tangible copy of my planner. I may even admit to still being quite fond of the old-fashioned overhead projectors. Since my main objective is to get students as excited about science as I am, and to counter the bad reputation that science often has, I feel that embracing and integrating technology will help enhance my efforts to meet this goal. Technology could help students become interested in and make real connections with science topics. Although science and technology are often linked using the “STEM” acronym, I think that the use of technology needs to be planned and intentional in order for it to be impactful to students.
Click here to read a blog titled, “New Technology in the Classroom: Empowering Students and Teachers”. I chose this blog because it sheds integrating technology into the classroom in a positive light. It also provides me with great examples of how to balance using technology in new ways that enhance learning, rather than just replacing traditional resources.
Third, I want to continue my education. As with most educators, I identify myself as a lifelong learner. I am passionate about continued education, and I am also genuinely interested in learning and improving myself. There are so many fascinating things to learn about! In the future, I would be interested in pursuing one of two paths, contingent on the classroom experience that I obtain. One path would be to pursue a degree in environmental engineering or sciences. This would help connect the work experience that I had as an engineer in the Army. An environmental science degree would also be quite valuable in the classroom or in the civil service realm. A second potential path is to pursue a degree in educational leadership. This would also combine the leadership experience that I had in the Army with the future experiences I will have in schools.
Click here to view a site ran by United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This site has an extensive compilation of environmental-focused lesson plans for various grades and topics. These lesson plans serve as useful resources in the future, and provide a great example of how education and environmental sciences go hand-in-hand.
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Using the goals of expanding my experience in the classroom, increasing my use of technology in my curriculum, and pursuing a second master’s degree as a springboard, I am excited to “dive” back into the education field and classroom!