Staying a Life-Long Learner

Two and a half years ago, I was in my second year of teaching. I had completed my internship year in a first grade classroom, taught my first year in a second grade classroom, and then moved to a new school to teach first grade. It was also time for me to begin to look into a Masters program. I quickly discovered that I was meant to earn a Master of Arts in Education (MAED) with a concentration in Special Education. In all three of my teaching experience environments, I promptly saw that there were students with disabilities who needed more assistance and I was lacking the knowledge of how to give them that assistance. I also realized that my undergraduate courses did not properly prepare me for dealing with disabilities in my own classroom. I decided that I would find a Masters program that would help me become more aware of common disabilities and how to help my students with them.

 

Looking at my original goals for my MAED program, it is clear that my main goal was to be an advocate for all of my students. I work at a small catholic school with a total staff of eleven. My school does not have any extra resources to help students with disabilities. The teachers and staff often bounce ideas off of each other since we do not have a Resource Room teacher. I found early on that the other teachers were familiar with many common disabilities, but that did not mean that they always knew how to help students with them. Besides being the best advocate for my students that I could be, another goal was to help educate the other teachers at my school so that all students, not just those in my class, would benefit.
 

Over the course of my Masters program, my goals have stayed the same. My main goal is to still be my students’ chief advocate. I look forward to seeing how my students grow and what different ways I can help them where they need extra help, whether it’s behaviorally or academically. I have held strong in my belief that every child deserves to be heard and feel that they matter in the classroom. Every child deserves to be given a superior education, in a way that works for them. I have kept this goal in mind throughout the program.  I have also worked hard to communicate my new knowledge with my colleagues. We spend a great deal of time talking before and after school, in meetings, and at lunch about our students. Often times, the conversations are focused on the students who need more help. I have found myself feeling more comfortable to speak up and offer advice to my colleagues. This has kept me motivated throughout the course of my MAED program.