Wow!
I did it, I really did it. On May 1 I took part in my university’s commencement ceremony. What an emotional and thrilling day! I become the first person in my family to receive a master’s degree. Talk about breaking educational barriers.
The past 15 months have been fun, stressful, thought provoking, exhilarating, and enjoyable. Yes you read that correctly, I completed my Master’s degree coursework in 15 months! 
In addition to staying home and caring for my children, my final semester included working as a Graduate Student Research Assistant, and tutoring. Needless to say I was a bit busy.
Today I was rewarded for all my hard work. I received my transcript in the mail. It was really awesome to see “degree awarded: Master of Arts, Elementary Education, Technology in Education”.
Just knowing that simply two generations ago my grandmother’s career choices were limited to becoming a nun or staying home to raise her children. I have thought a lot about her through this process and I know that she would be so very proud of me. I couldn’t help but thought of other inspirations. I think of the day I attended my husband’s graduation, and how proud of him I was. That day planted to seed in my mind that I should enroll myself in school and there began my scholarly path. I think of the kids that I tutored in the inner city who did not teach me academically but taught me so much about being a kind, thoughtful, and loving human being. They gave me the clarity to see how fortunate I was to have been given my life. A good portion of these children did not know if they would eat once they left school. The time with them became less about math and reading but more about love.
Having studied technology in education, I’m excited to see what our schools will become. Currently in my mind the the possibilities seem endless. What a wonderful way to bridge our global, local, and national differences and unite as one great big learning environment.
The entire experience has been emotional and thought provoking. I’m still riding the high…I love staying home with my kids though I know that when the time comes I will be ready to take this passion and spread my knowledge and enthusiasm.
For the first time in three years I stepped foot into a school today and it felt GREAT.
The reason I was there was to fulfill a requirement for a graduate class. As part of the coursework, we were asked to observe a classmate enact a technology project. I chose to observe a classmate who is teaching a class called Place Out Of Time (POOT).
POOT is an online simulated scenario that is fictional, but there are actual historic events that influence the scenario. Each student plays a historical figure from different time periods. The students must learn to speak (post virtually) as their characters and interact with other historical figures.
It was great to discuss the simulation with the sophomore students and help out where I could. Mostly I observed the students and my classmate’s methods, but was able to work with a few students. It was great to be there and I look forward to many more years that I will spend inside a school.
Have you ever come across something, anything that has made you want to learn more? Perhaps with the recent earthquake off the Northeast coast of Japan you have looked up earthquakes, and tsunamis? Well in my house, the reading and viewing did not stop there. Before I knew it, I was watching and reading everything I could fit into a day about volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, tectonic plates, the “Pacific Ring of Fire”, and the list goes on.
This is how I am when something is interesting to me. The subject becomes an addiction. It is like I cannot stop myself. I realize this might be a little “crazy” (my poor family). I think that as a teacher, tutor, or mentor that most of this stuff will be relevant to someone someday.
Earlier in the week, new “fissure eruptions” were observed in Hawaii near Pu`u `O`o and Napau Crater. Perhaps the “yearning to learn” was amplified this time by the fact that my mom was in Hawaii. The interest in earthquakes and volcanoes was planted. Then the 9.0 magnitude earthquake occurred in Japan, which resulted in a tsunami warning issued for Hawaii.
Regardless of the reason, this is the type of learning that I want to foster in those that I teach. I don’t know exactly when I became this way, but I was obviously given the opportunity to learn and was encouraged to do so. What I do know is that I learned a lot about geology over the past ten days, (oh yeah and nuclear power plants, though that’s something for another day).
Many of us get inspired by people who enter our lives at varying stages. I am fortunate to have had such inspiring people in my life. Some are no longer here though their importance has never diminished.
My French professor in college was Dr. Matthew Hilton-Watson. His life was suddenly cut short about 2 years ago. He was a passionate individual. He was originally from Kentucky and LOVED everything French. He was not prejudice towards French accents. He loved them all. Dr. Matt inspired me to embrace the first language that I had learned as a young child. He did not want me to think that my French-Canadian accent was any less appealing than one from Paris.
During my final semester of undergrad, I needed a French conversation class that wasn’t offered. Dr. Matt (with approval of the foreign language committee) agreed to teach me a unique class. Because I required the credits in conversation French, we needed to converse. I completed the non-conversational components of the class online, but on a bi-weekly basis Dr. Matt met me in a classroom on campus where we would sit and talk about all things French en français.
Now why would he invest so much time with 1 student? That’s because he was passionate about the French program at the university that was seeing Spanish enrollment surpass his beloved adopted language. He was helping a student complete her studies. Most importantly it was his character.
His kindness was emphasized at his memorial service. Student after student discussed the time that Dr. Matt helped them. I quickly realized that he had done for so many others what he had done for me. He made them feel like his most important student.
(photo by UM-Flint)
Anyone who knows me understands that I have plenty to say. Though nothing is more important to me than to talk about individual passion. As an educator, I realize that students are very unlikely to remember what I taught them in 20 years. My hope for them is that they remember how I treated them with understanding and kindness. I aim to foster a safe environment where they can discover their own interests and passion.
