Teresa Thompson

               As I look back at my work during my Master’s courses, all I can think about is how much more there is for me to learn. Learning more about education has opened the door to how many philosophies, strategies, and best practices there truly are! Also, I like to push myself to learn and grow as an educator as much as I like to push my students. I believe I am a role model for my students; therefore, I am also striving to show them what it means to be a lifelong learner. I have set high, yet attainable goals for myself that I strive to reach in the near future.

 

                                                                 First of all, I aim to become a certified Special Education teacher. I                                                                            have a passion for learning more about students with special needs.                                                                                  I feel as though each student with special needs is unique and different. The                                                                    more that I can uncover each student's perspective by educating myself, the                                                                  better I can teach each individual. I have worked with students who are                                                                            autistic, emotionally impaired, oppositional defiant, cognitively impaired, and                                                                speech impaired all within the same school year. Special education students                                                                  have definitely challenged me and I feel that I require more information as a             general education teacher to teach them to my potential. The more I learn about these students, the more I am propelled to cater my instruction towards them and better prepare myself in the future. I believe everyone is capable of learning, but a teacher must be able to find out how to reach every student. I can see the potential and willingness to learn in each and every student which is why I strongly desire to become certified in Special Education.

 

                 The second goal I have set for myself is that I would like to incorporate more technology into my classroom. The Master of Arts in Education program that I pursued through Michigan State is an entirely online degree program. This program has introduced me to multiple technological resources in which I have access. It has also given me the information, methods, and inspiration in using

them in my own classroom. I have witnessed firsthand the benefits

and engagement of learning through technology, and feel that I can

easily apply my newly found knowledge to my teaching. The

program has shown me that the best way to learn new technologies

is to delve into using them. I plan to allow my students more access

to technology and encourage them to try out new technologies. I

would also love to model these technologies to my students and

communicate with parents ways in which students can be involved with them at home. I believe that applying technology to a first grade classroom and helping my students use technology to learn different content will open the doors to how fun discovering the outside world can be!

 

                                Additionally, I would like to learn more about the world through travel. I want to                                                  explore new cultures, see new places, and meet new people. It is important for me to learn                                        about the world around me and become more experienced in others' viewpoints, lifestyles,                                      and cultures. I have traveled to Ireland, Italy, England, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and France. Seeing                                  and experiencing these places has helped shape the person I am today and has given me                                          more information to share with my students. I was fortunate to get the opportunity to study                                    abroad in Ireland. This experience has been, by far, one I will never forget and I cherish it dearly. In terms of my travel in the future, I want to visit Greece, Spain, and all fifty states. I want to create more opportunities for myself to learn about the world through travel.

 

              My fourth and final goal is to learn to become a leader of my peers. As a teacher,

I know how to lead and direct a group of students; however, I would like to apply my

leadership skills to other aspects of my life. I think to become a great leader, one has to

be able to become vulnerable to one's audience. An effective leader also needs to care,

have empathy, and have passion about leading his or her group to success. I feel that I

can do this by establishing better relationships within the work place and building upon

those relationships throughout my career. It will also require me to further develop my

relationships with teachers, paraprofessionals, members of the leadership team, and even

school stakeholders. In order to become a leader, I need to also become more active in the

school community. I hope to sign up for more committees and become more involved and invested in the success of my school in the future.

 

             I have a plethora of goals set for myself and my future and I am excited to continue working at achieving them. As I reflect back on my past as an undergraduate student, graduate student, and teacher the last four years, I feel as though I am in a place where I can effectively choose and work on attainable goals that will provide me a future in education that I am passionate about. I believe that there is always more for me to learn and I can always make myself a better person and teacher. I truly believe that a teacher is never done learning!