I Hold the Key...
I Hold the Key...
A reflection back on what brought me to Michigan State University and the Master of Arts in Education Technology program.
All of my life, I have been talked to about doors. Doors? It sounds silly, and a bit strange I admit, but the significance has a quite bountiful meaning. Life is full of doors. Each door leads to a new place, if only it is opened. The appearance on the outside may or may not reflect the contents of what lies behind the opening. Some doors open and some doors close. Some are even locked and are unopened unless you have a key. Doors can be revolving and even opened for you, but perhaps the most important concept is your approach to each door of opportunity that lies before you. Do you stand awaiting someone to open it for you? Do you approach a locked door without a key only to be denied entry? Do you seek these doors out and face what lies on the other side? In my life, and specifically my educational journey, I have been presented with many doors of opportunity, either ones I have chosen, or that have chosen me. I have asked myself some of the very same questions mentioned above. The key lies in whether or not I accept and conquer what lies behind each door.
In 2012 I landed my first job; a door of opportunity that I was a bit shaky and uneasy walking through. With each step I became more confident. A year later, I opened another door for myself when I began the application process to Michigan State University in hopes of earning a spot in their Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) program. I knew in my heart that I didn’t necessarily have the desire to become an administrator, but wanted my graduate studies to benefit me in a way that was both significant and applicable to my career while also fueling my passions for teaching, learning, children, and technology. I was enthusiastic and motivated like many young teachers and eager to continue my love for learning in the MAET program. I understood the direction that education was going. The students that I would be expected to teach and develop have only known technology in their world. They've not lived a life without it. I needed to do my best to cater to that new way of thinking. I knew that by the end of my graduate school journey that I would be equipped with many tools to effectively engage, motivate, and direct my students in a way that was innovative in relation to the integration of educational technology. This was due in part to the idea that Michigan State University, being an innovator themselves, would provide a program that was cutting edge to teachers seeking such a program. Prior to this journey, I laid out several goals for myself; some that were achieved over the past couple of years, some that have been altered or improved, and some that I still hold for myself to achieve.
At the time that I was starting my graduate school journey, I was teaching middle school, which was out of my certification area. Yet again, though, I was greeted with a door of opportunity that I needed to explore. While I was a bit uneasy and not nearly as confident, that door proved to have a lesson and was the basis of many of my initial goals. I had set several short term goals that all centered around technology integration in my own classroom that directly effected my students and their achievement, as well as my delivery as a facilitator of content and the format of that delivery including technology. My students, who were seventh graders at the time, were reluctant at just about everything, but especially Communication Arts which was my subject area to teach. I hoped that the knowledge I would gain in the MAET program would be just what I needed to equip myself for countering my students’ reluctances.
As I progressed through the program, several other doors opened up for me. I applied for and moved to second grade, which was one of the goals professionally that I set for myself. I wanted to teach in the area of my certification, but also the age group of students that I was comfortable with and most passionate for. While my content changed, my goal of motivating and reaching all learning styles and learners did not. I still sought the tools necessary for me as their teacher to facilitate my students in the direction of high success and achievement. I wanted to use my doors of opportunity and what I learned from each to pass on to them so that their success may present them with some great opportunities of their own. Would they hold the key? Would they seek what was on the other side?
As the program comes to a close, I still hold many of the passions that I started the program with; learning, teaching, children, and technology. I feel as though I have been prepared in a way that helps me mesh all of those passions together. That preparation however, does not close when I complete my Masters degree. Instead, I will have an all-new approach with my degree serving as one of the keys on my growing key ring as I approach new goals and opportunities. Where will the next door lead? Wherever it is, I hold the key and I do so with ambition, confidence, motivation, and eagerness.
As I reflect back to when I began my Masters Program I had several aspirations that I hoped to complete or continue to work toward by the end of this journey. That is still the case today as the program is coming to a close very quickly. I want to be the very best teacher I can be for my students with the help of technology. I want to eventually hold a position as a technology curriculum supervisor to pass on my knowledge to others so that they may succeed and reach even more students in a positive way. I want to provide in-service to teachers either one-on-one or in a whole group setting which I was given the opportunity to do this year. That opportunity would not have even been entertained without the confidence and support of my studies at Michigan State University. I want to teach other teachers who share my very same passions from a platform in higher education. Also, I want to write a book of some sort. With the passing of my grandfather during my graduate school ride, a door was closed, but also can be reopened again. My grandfather always encouraged me to write a book just as he did and now I hope to pursue that avenue as well as I know it will benefit my classroom and students.
"Be an opener of doors." -Ralph Waldo Emerson
