"As Far as I Can Lead"
By Tara Fox
When I first applied to Michigan State’s MAED program, I was a year and
a half out of college and halfway through my second year as a teacher. Initially, I had applied only because I
needed to upgrade my teaching certification, not for any lofty higher
educational pursuit. To be admitted, though,
MSU required a professional goals statement, a requirement that gave me pause as I stopped to think. What did I really want? What was I
really aiming for? Was this whole
education thing a long-term career path after all? And so, in the fall of 2007, I put my pen to
the paper and began to seriously consider my professional goals, submitting my
statement a week later. Reflecting on
those goals was a huge turning point in my role as both a future graduate
student and as an educator.
In my professional goals statement, I first spoke about finding ways to help students better communicate their thoughts and ideas in both verbal and written form, traits that would serve them all their lives. I have been fortunate to take classes in the MAED that fully addressed this concern, as I was especially influenced by the writings of Jeffrey Wilhelm and Kathleen Hinchman. Though I no longer teach English, this is still an enormous priority in my teaching. In addition, another goal of mine has continued to be a prevailing force in my philosophy of education – to truly challenge students in my classroom. I soon realized that teachers can get away with not being their best or simply becoming stagnant as an educator. Worst of all, no one would ever have to find out. Challenging students and preparing effective lessons take a good deal of extra effort and hard work from the teacher in the classroom, as evidenced by studying the philosophies of famed educators like Vivian Paley and Howard Gardner. I knew, then, that in order to teach with integrity, I had better be up to the task. Another important part of my goals statement reflected on the idea of lifelong learning. In my original statement, I noted that “students can only be taught as far as the teacher can lead.” I feel very strongly about this belief, and it is something I have continued to work on, especially through my graduate work. After all, if I’m going to hound on the importance of learning while in the classroom, then I better visibly model that trait in my own life.
Though the above goals have remained firmly fixed in my mind, some have changed as well. At first, my goals centered firmly on authentic adolescent literacy instruction. However, I took a few classes that really exposed me to other interesting aspects of education, particularly a teacher leadership class and a class focused on the curriculum. Around the same time I was taking the leadership class, my school offered me the position of Student Leadership Director, my first introduction into the world of quasi-administrative duties. Though it was difficult and challenging, I loved my new role, with that position taking on an almost symbiotic relationship with certain classes in the MAED program, as what I learned fed into my work as the director and vice versa. Consequently, I am now realizing that while I love the classroom and would not wish to leave it, I am also interested in roles that allow for teacher leadership to flourish, knowing the great potential for positive change in those positions.
Michigan State’s Master of Arts in Education program has been a pivotal part of my growth as an educator. Not only have I grown personally, but I also believe that my students have directly benefited as a result of my learnings throughout the past three years.
In my professional goals statement, I first spoke about finding ways to help students better communicate their thoughts and ideas in both verbal and written form, traits that would serve them all their lives. I have been fortunate to take classes in the MAED that fully addressed this concern, as I was especially influenced by the writings of Jeffrey Wilhelm and Kathleen Hinchman. Though I no longer teach English, this is still an enormous priority in my teaching. In addition, another goal of mine has continued to be a prevailing force in my philosophy of education – to truly challenge students in my classroom. I soon realized that teachers can get away with not being their best or simply becoming stagnant as an educator. Worst of all, no one would ever have to find out. Challenging students and preparing effective lessons take a good deal of extra effort and hard work from the teacher in the classroom, as evidenced by studying the philosophies of famed educators like Vivian Paley and Howard Gardner. I knew, then, that in order to teach with integrity, I had better be up to the task. Another important part of my goals statement reflected on the idea of lifelong learning. In my original statement, I noted that “students can only be taught as far as the teacher can lead.” I feel very strongly about this belief, and it is something I have continued to work on, especially through my graduate work. After all, if I’m going to hound on the importance of learning while in the classroom, then I better visibly model that trait in my own life.
Though the above goals have remained firmly fixed in my mind, some have changed as well. At first, my goals centered firmly on authentic adolescent literacy instruction. However, I took a few classes that really exposed me to other interesting aspects of education, particularly a teacher leadership class and a class focused on the curriculum. Around the same time I was taking the leadership class, my school offered me the position of Student Leadership Director, my first introduction into the world of quasi-administrative duties. Though it was difficult and challenging, I loved my new role, with that position taking on an almost symbiotic relationship with certain classes in the MAED program, as what I learned fed into my work as the director and vice versa. Consequently, I am now realizing that while I love the classroom and would not wish to leave it, I am also interested in roles that allow for teacher leadership to flourish, knowing the great potential for positive change in those positions.
Michigan State’s Master of Arts in Education program has been a pivotal part of my growth as an educator. Not only have I grown personally, but I also believe that my students have directly benefited as a result of my learnings throughout the past three years.