"We must walk consciously only part way toward our goal and then leap in the dark to our success.”
-Henry David Thoreau
The Graduate Student: An Unexpected Journey
Image courtesy of Pelfusion.com
By: Jaimee Gillon
On a frigid day in February 2011, I composed a set of professional goals as a prerequisite to entering MSU’s Master of Arts in Education program. This goal-creating process went like any other; with a little music and a lot of coffee, I wistfully documented the skills I wished to acquire to become the best secondary English teacher I could be. At this point, I was happily employed and pursuing the career of my dreams. I submitted these goals, confident that my professional life was moving in a positive direction…the universe, however, had other things in mind.
A week after I was accepted into MSU’s MAED program with a primary concentration in literacy, I was pulled aside by my teary-eyed principal and told that I was being “let go” due to budget cuts. With a heavy heart, I realized those painstakingly perfected goals went right out the window. Two years and two career changes later, I look upon those goals with a whole set of new experiences and wisdom behind me.
I’m surprised to say that despite my career and primary concentration change, some of those original goals remained consistent and have been accomplished. Several of my original goals spoke to developing my ability to nourish student literacy. Even though I’ve migrated into adult education and am now a world language instructor, literacy is still something I’m immensely passionate about. My coursework in the MSU MAED program has truly opened my eyes to the awe-inspiring power of literacy. I’ve become aware of how to diagnosis issues, administer treatments, and assess progress in both adolescents and adults. I’ve also come to realize how instructors in subject matters other than English can support literacy. Perhaps the most important change, however, has been that I have truly come to embrace my role as an instructor of digital literacy.
In further evaluation of my original goals, I’ve made the realization that my goals were narrow-minded, focusing solely on adolescent education. With the help of my year in instructional design and a host of MSU adult-education courses, I’ve come to realize that my target audience is no longer restricted to adolescents. I now possess the confidence and tact to craft curriculum for audiences of a diverse nature, especially that of adult learners. I’m proud to say that my skills are so much more versatile today than they were two years ago. Understanding adult learners has not only made me a better student, but also a better instructor of adolescents because I know the challenges they’ll face in the adult world. Additionally, new and exciting opportunities await me in the instructional design and post-secondary fields.
Although it was not an easy transition, my concentration change, venture into the world of adult education, and ultimate end as a secondary French teacher has provided me with an abundance of insight, skills, capabilities, and confidence. I’ve not only met, but exceeded my original goals and can’t wait to formulate new ones as I meet the challenges that lie ahead with the confidence that only an education from MSU can bring. I understand my passions, my abilities, and my teaching persona in a way that never would have been possible when crafting my goals two years ago on a cold winter day.
On a frigid day in February 2011, I composed a set of professional goals as a prerequisite to entering MSU’s Master of Arts in Education program. This goal-creating process went like any other; with a little music and a lot of coffee, I wistfully documented the skills I wished to acquire to become the best secondary English teacher I could be. At this point, I was happily employed and pursuing the career of my dreams. I submitted these goals, confident that my professional life was moving in a positive direction…the universe, however, had other things in mind.
A week after I was accepted into MSU’s MAED program with a primary concentration in literacy, I was pulled aside by my teary-eyed principal and told that I was being “let go” due to budget cuts. With a heavy heart, I realized those painstakingly perfected goals went right out the window. Two years and two career changes later, I look upon those goals with a whole set of new experiences and wisdom behind me.
I’m surprised to say that despite my career and primary concentration change, some of those original goals remained consistent and have been accomplished. Several of my original goals spoke to developing my ability to nourish student literacy. Even though I’ve migrated into adult education and am now a world language instructor, literacy is still something I’m immensely passionate about. My coursework in the MSU MAED program has truly opened my eyes to the awe-inspiring power of literacy. I’ve become aware of how to diagnosis issues, administer treatments, and assess progress in both adolescents and adults. I’ve also come to realize how instructors in subject matters other than English can support literacy. Perhaps the most important change, however, has been that I have truly come to embrace my role as an instructor of digital literacy.
In further evaluation of my original goals, I’ve made the realization that my goals were narrow-minded, focusing solely on adolescent education. With the help of my year in instructional design and a host of MSU adult-education courses, I’ve come to realize that my target audience is no longer restricted to adolescents. I now possess the confidence and tact to craft curriculum for audiences of a diverse nature, especially that of adult learners. I’m proud to say that my skills are so much more versatile today than they were two years ago. Understanding adult learners has not only made me a better student, but also a better instructor of adolescents because I know the challenges they’ll face in the adult world. Additionally, new and exciting opportunities await me in the instructional design and post-secondary fields.
Although it was not an easy transition, my concentration change, venture into the world of adult education, and ultimate end as a secondary French teacher has provided me with an abundance of insight, skills, capabilities, and confidence. I’ve not only met, but exceeded my original goals and can’t wait to formulate new ones as I meet the challenges that lie ahead with the confidence that only an education from MSU can bring. I understand my passions, my abilities, and my teaching persona in a way that never would have been possible when crafting my goals two years ago on a cold winter day.
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