Professional Goals

Background

I graduated from Central Michigan University in 2012 with my eyes set on southwest Florida. I had just finished a unique student teaching experience in a migrant farm town in Immokalee, Florida and accepted my first teaching position there. This was the first time I had lived more than a car ride away from where I grew up, and I was intrigued by the new people and cultures I was experiencing as a result.

The disparities I saw sparked my interest in urban education, and a year later I moved back north to New York City to teach middle school math in Harlem. I learned so much during the three years I spent here. Still, I missed teaching in an elementary classroom. I took another leap and moved to Chicago to accept a third-grade position there. During this time, I realized wanted to further expand my pedagogy and Michigan State’s Master of Arts in Education program would enable me to do this.

The Then: Initial Goals

My initial goals upon entering the Master of Arts in Education (MAED) program were to:

STRENGTHEN MY KNOWLEDGE OF BEST PRACTICES OF MATH AND SCIENCE INSTRUCTION ACROSS GRADES K-8

My interest for mathematics education grew to a passion when I began teaching middle school math. My hope was to strengthen my knowledge across STEM education fields to better enrich my students.

COLLABORATE WITH LIKED-MINDED INDIVIDUALS TO IMPROVE MY CRAFT AND LEARN MORE ABOUT WHERE I WANT TO GROW MY CAREER

I always had an interest in one day becoming an administrator, and the MAED program allows you to create a planned program based on your interests after choosing your concentration. This flexibility would give me the opportunity to gain insight into different paths I would be able to take within education.

The Now: Reflecting on Goals

I entered the MAED program looking to gain clarity as to what direction I wanted my professional career to go in. When I began this program in 2017, I was unsure of what I wanted to teach and where I wanted to be professionally. The goals I set for myself still ring true. My passion for mathematics has expanded beyond math, and I have been able to incorporate other STEM fields into my daily instruction. For example, TE 831 is one course that provided me with new resources, such as Padlet, that I use on a weekly basis.

Collaborating through an online platform with students across the country provides new perspective and ideas that have strengthened all aspects of my classroom. The collaboration has exceeded my expectations and the ideas I have gotten have strengthened my lens in the classroom.

Flexibility with this program was very important to me, as I wanted the freedom to take courses that would help me to determine if educational leadership was a next step. Courses like EAD 863 (Training and Professional Development) provided me with deeper insight into an aspect of leadership that I have always been interested in. This, along with other experiences during the MAED program, have helped me determine next steps in my professional career, and I look forward to pursuing a second master’s degree in educational leadership to one day be able to support teachers.