Becoming A Better Me Professionally and Personally

 

As I am finishing up my Masters in Education, it is time to start thinking about the bigger picture. Now is the time that I start to think to myself, “What do I do with all this knowledge and work that I have put into my dream profession”?  I started to think about how to start the next chapter in my life. Do I change schools? Do I continue on with my education to become an administrator? Do I move from where I live to experience other teaching opportunities elsewhere? Gosh there are so many questions to answer. So many unknowns. In the end, I know that once I find my place in the right school, the right position, and in the right environment, I know that all those choices I had to make lead me right where I needed to be.  As the quest begins to figure out what to do after receiving my Masters, I have decided that the future goals discussed below will get me to where I want to be professionally in the next few years.

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One goal that I have decided to make for my future as I continue on my professional teaching journey is to move to a different state. I have never lived too far from family and friends and have even moved back home after undergrad at Michigan State University just so I wouldn’t be alone. Although not having to pay rent saved me a lot of money, it is time to move on. Therefore, I have decided to uproot myself from Detroit, MI and move to Austin, TX this fall. I am nervous, yet excited for this new opportunity to see how education is different down South. I am interested to see how the curriculum, instruction, and assessments differ from what I was used to in MI. This change will allow me to grow in areas of my profession that could benefit me for the better. Sticking with the same old routine is boring. I’m ready to get out of my comfort zone and see what Texas Education is all about. Changing states also meant that I had to leave my current job as the Lead Kindergarten Teacher where I was employed. I love teaching Kindergarten!!! I loved all the hugs, the excitement, the joy, and the laughter that all my students brought me throughout the years. Changing states also meant that I wasn’t guaranteed to get another Kindergarten teaching position. I have to be willing to change homes, change schools, change grade levels, and change curriculums all at once. I am more than ready to make the necessary changes it will take to reach my goal of becoming a better me.

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Another future goal of mine as an educator ties in with the first one. Since I am moving to Texas in only a matter of weeks, I would like to take up Spanish classes. There are a lot of Spanish speaking families in not only Texas, but other states as well. As a teacher, I would like to be available to make sure ALL my students can learn in an environment where other languages and cultures are appreciated and welcomed. Learning Spanish can open a lot of doors for me. I will be about to communicate with Spanish speaking students and their families. I will be able to teach dual language classes. I could become highly qualified to teach ELL (English Language Learner) courses to not only children, but adults as well. I would be more marketable professionally with having more than the English language to offer. Maybe I could start a Spanish club after school for others that want to learn. Or provide extra tutoring for my ELL students that may be having trouble understanding me during different subject lessons in school. I could even use what I learned in learning the language to travel to Spanish speaking countries and be able to navigate myself around comfortably. Learning Spanish will be a big plus in my career. Once I settle into my new apartment and secure a teaching job, I will enroll in Spanish courses at either Austin Community College or at Live the Language in Austin.

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My third goal is to become a Highly Qualified Teacher in multiple core subjects!!! I actually just started seeing the term, “highly qualified”, when reading other resumes of colleagues and while filling out teacher job applications for the Texas Educational System this summer. According to the Texas Educational Agency (TEA) website the term “highly qualified” means that a teacher must:

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• Hold a least a bachelor’s Degree;

• Be fully certified to teach in Texas; and

• Demonstrate competency in their core academic subject area.

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I am still learning all the teacher professional terms that Texas uses and have no clue how to even become “highly qualified”, but I know that’s what I want to be marketable as because as a teacher, you want to show everyone that you actually can teach everything required by the state in order for  your students to learn.

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The last goal that I would like to share is that I want to become an administrator. Just when I thought I was done with school…I decided that I wanted to go back again. I will at give myself at least a one year break since I haven’t had a break as of yet, just to see what life is like without those 11:59 pm deadlines. Once my break is over, I will enroll back into Michigan State University  (MSU) where I have been since undergrad and start the required courses to become an administrator. The requirements for an administration degree at MSU can be found here. I can see myself being a Dean of Students or even a Principal. I feel in my heart that my role is greater than just a teacher. I love teaching. It’s my first love!!! I also see myself expanding my role as an educator in changing the minds of young students to make better choices and offer them the guidance they need in order to succeed in not only school, but life!!! As a Dean of Students, I can guide students to change their behaviors for the better. I could increase the moral of the school and students by motivating everyone to create a loving, nurturing, accepting, and safe environment where people are free to be themselves and free to learn, give opinions and ideas without being shut down, and also being a supportive community. I could also do those same things on a bigger scale becoming a principal. As a Principal, I could make those goals reach to the families and the community around the school. I might even be able to start my own school somewhere down the road. Who knows how great and how far I could go.

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In conclusion, I can’t wait to begin down the road of improving myself professionally. I am nervous, excited, scared as all get out, but also ready to plunge myself and devote myself to becoming a better teacher, a better professional, and a better me. I will be sure to update my professional portfolio to keep all my viewers updated on how I achieved each goal and where I ended up.

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