The Last (But Not Final) Chapter
Mary Blanton
The Exposition: A Journey
Link to a Huffington Post editorial: "Why Become a Teacher?"
When I look back on my journey through this master's program, I realize that it didn't start in 2009 when I took my first MAED class. It started in 1998 during my undergraduate education when I changed my major from business administration to English. I went into college never wanting to be a teacher. My grandmother, my mother, and many of my aunts were teachers, and I certainly didn't want to be like my mother. In fact, I wanted to be the complete opposite; I wanted to be the CEO of some company where I could manage people, travel around the world, and make a lot of money. After my first year of college, an accounting class that bored me to tears, and a summer internship at a Fortune 100 company where I sat behind a computer all day, it was clear to me that I no longer had any interest in a career in the business field. I couldn't see myself working eighty hours a week so that some company could prosper financially. I wanted my career to have some purpose. I wanted to become a teacher - the very career of which I had previously wanted no part. In the fall of 1998, I changed my major, and as Robert Frost wrote, "that has made all the difference."
Like many others, my master's journey started out of necessity. I was required by the state to obtain a master's in order to keep my teaching license current. I waited until I couldn't wait any longer, and I applied to Michigan State. My application to this particular program came for a couple of reasons. 1: A fully online program would allow me some flexibility in terms of timing and travel. 2: Because my undergraduate work was done at MSU, I knew the caliber of the program would be impeccable. Choosing my two concentrations in this program was easy for me. Literacy was an important aspect of my teaching already, and as an English teacher, I knew there would be tools and knowledge I would learn that would directly benefit my students. My second concentration, leadership, was also important to me because I had already been in various formal and informal leadership roles, and I had attended enough dysfunctional meetings to know there were better ways of getting work done.
Like many others, my master's journey started out of necessity. I was required by the state to obtain a master's in order to keep my teaching license current. I waited until I couldn't wait any longer, and I applied to Michigan State. My application to this particular program came for a couple of reasons. 1: A fully online program would allow me some flexibility in terms of timing and travel. 2: Because my undergraduate work was done at MSU, I knew the caliber of the program would be impeccable. Choosing my two concentrations in this program was easy for me. Literacy was an important aspect of my teaching already, and as an English teacher, I knew there would be tools and knowledge I would learn that would directly benefit my students. My second concentration, leadership, was also important to me because I had already been in various formal and informal leadership roles, and I had attended enough dysfunctional meetings to know there were better ways of getting work done.
The Plot: Understanding Leadership Structures
Link to a BBC article about King's leadership style.
When I look back on the different classes I took throughout this program, I realize how much I have learned about myself and my profession over the last three years. While literacy is something that has been a focus of my classroom since the beginning of my career as a teacher, understanding leadership structures and and how they can function within a school was new knowledge for me.
My first class in administration was EAD 801: Leadership and Organization Development, which was a survey or introductory course in leadership. While I have always been interested in the inner-workings of school administration, I have never formally learned how and why the structures are set up the way that they are. Throughout this course, there was a focus on different types of leadership, and I was able to directly connect it to myself, my school, and my district. We started the term looking at ourselves as leaders through concept maps, which was a new type of visual element for me, and something I have since taken to my classroom and used with my students. These concept maps serve to summarize large amounts of material and then connect the pieces together, which has been a beneficial tool, particularly for my struggling students.
As we worked our way through various case studies about different situations formal school leaders may find themselves in, I learned the amount of decision-making that goes into even the smallest situations regarding students can be staggering because there are so many variables to consider. I have been able to use this information when I deal with my own students when problems arise. I am able to carefully evaluate situations in a more formal manner before choosing a course of action to take.
In the final paper for EAD 801, we were asked to write about the type of leader we wanted to be. Throughout my years of teaching and in the many leadership positions I've had, I have never considered this question. I had previously had the notion that leadership traits were inherent, though in writing this final paper, I came to realize there are leadership traits that can be learned or enhanced through deliberate actions.
My first class in administration was EAD 801: Leadership and Organization Development, which was a survey or introductory course in leadership. While I have always been interested in the inner-workings of school administration, I have never formally learned how and why the structures are set up the way that they are. Throughout this course, there was a focus on different types of leadership, and I was able to directly connect it to myself, my school, and my district. We started the term looking at ourselves as leaders through concept maps, which was a new type of visual element for me, and something I have since taken to my classroom and used with my students. These concept maps serve to summarize large amounts of material and then connect the pieces together, which has been a beneficial tool, particularly for my struggling students.
As we worked our way through various case studies about different situations formal school leaders may find themselves in, I learned the amount of decision-making that goes into even the smallest situations regarding students can be staggering because there are so many variables to consider. I have been able to use this information when I deal with my own students when problems arise. I am able to carefully evaluate situations in a more formal manner before choosing a course of action to take.
In the final paper for EAD 801, we were asked to write about the type of leader we wanted to be. Throughout my years of teaching and in the many leadership positions I've had, I have never considered this question. I had previously had the notion that leadership traits were inherent, though in writing this final paper, I came to realize there are leadership traits that can be learned or enhanced through deliberate actions.
The Plot: Solving...or Better Understanding the Racial Achievement Gap
Link to the Harvard Educational Review.
After learning about formal leadership and organizational structures within schools, I took EAD 830: Issues in Urban Education. This course was focused on the racial achievement gap that is so prevalent in American schools, especially the high school where I work. My school is currently about 60% white and 40% Latino and black, roughly 47% of students are on free and reduced lunch, and a disproportionate number of students of color, as opposed to white students, take advanced classes and graduate on time. Our school data shows that it is necessary to make changes in order to ensure all of our student's success, but because we are a school with a vastly different demographic than the rest of the schools in our district, our administration struggles to find solutions to some of the problems. I took EAD 830 in order to learn about the programs other schools have implemented to abate the racial achievement gap. We spent much of the semester looking at various schools around the country where the gap was substantial, and we assessed the work that those schools were doing in order to mitigate the problem.
Like any other major problem in this country, there are so many perspectives and ideas about how to solve problems, and the racial achievement gap is no different. It takes community members, parents, students, teachers, and administrators to work together to promote education and learning in order to increase student achievement across the board, yet there are so many factors that are out of a school district's control that this issue seems as though it will never be solved. We studied a book by Pedro Noguera and Jean Wing, Unfinished Business: Closing the Racial Achievement Gap in Our Schools, which was a view into a high school in Berkeley, California that was trying to eradicate the racial achievement gap they were facing. There were many similarities to the schools in which I have worked before that I wondered why programs similar to the ones in Berkeley weren't being implemented across the nation, and then I realized that many of these programs require resources and commitment from the community. Resources have obviously been sorely lacking from public schools, particularly in the last few years, and as the book points out when they reflect on their success in Berkeley, many of the programs dissipated over time because of a lack of interest and because some of them stopped working well.
Taking this course during our nation's economic downturn was eye-opening. We were able to see the impact that a lack of resources can have on a school district's progress. Figuring out ways to promote student achievement and giving equitable access to programs for all students becomes more and more difficult when state and district education budgets keep getting slashed; however, one of the greatest aspects of education is a resiliency and a steadfastness by those parties involved in order to make sure that students have what they need to achieve in school. Creativity in implementing these programs and seeking out resources becomes imperative.
Like any other major problem in this country, there are so many perspectives and ideas about how to solve problems, and the racial achievement gap is no different. It takes community members, parents, students, teachers, and administrators to work together to promote education and learning in order to increase student achievement across the board, yet there are so many factors that are out of a school district's control that this issue seems as though it will never be solved. We studied a book by Pedro Noguera and Jean Wing, Unfinished Business: Closing the Racial Achievement Gap in Our Schools, which was a view into a high school in Berkeley, California that was trying to eradicate the racial achievement gap they were facing. There were many similarities to the schools in which I have worked before that I wondered why programs similar to the ones in Berkeley weren't being implemented across the nation, and then I realized that many of these programs require resources and commitment from the community. Resources have obviously been sorely lacking from public schools, particularly in the last few years, and as the book points out when they reflect on their success in Berkeley, many of the programs dissipated over time because of a lack of interest and because some of them stopped working well.
Taking this course during our nation's economic downturn was eye-opening. We were able to see the impact that a lack of resources can have on a school district's progress. Figuring out ways to promote student achievement and giving equitable access to programs for all students becomes more and more difficult when state and district education budgets keep getting slashed; however, one of the greatest aspects of education is a resiliency and a steadfastness by those parties involved in order to make sure that students have what they need to achieve in school. Creativity in implementing these programs and seeking out resources becomes imperative.
The Plot: Creating Community
Link to Peter Block's website.
Of all of the classes I took throughout this masters program, probably the one from which I took away the most practical and applicable knowledge was EAD 825: Shared Leadership in Schools. Because this course relied heavily on group work and projects, there was an authenticity to our learning of shared leadership principles. Our groups also spoke with one another through Skype and other online communication technology, which made our "distance learning" not so distant. I got to know my group members in this class better than any of the other classes I took, and we were able to work through situations and ideas better because we understood each others' strengths and weaknesses.
Our final project in this class was to create a real situation within our school and use some of the shared leadership ideas we had learned. Fortunately, I am a proficiency coordinator in my district, and we had an upcoming meeting where I could develop a facilitation plan for our group. This particular group had been dealing with a certain issue for over a year, and while it was a small issue, it was a road block to complete the work we needed to get done. I decided to use a protocol we had learned during the course, and surprisingly, it worked. By the end of our day-long meeting, we were able to move past our obstacle. I was impressed with how well the implementation of a simple protocol could be in changing the dynamic of a leadership team.
The two books we read, Community: The Structure of Belonging by Peter Block and Cultivating Leadership in Schools by Gordon Donaldson, are books that I will keep on my bookshelf at home for many years. Block's Community didn't just focus on leadership within schools or education. It looked at many different types of communities and what it takes for them to work successfully and efficiently. I notice some of the small complexities of functioning communities that Peter Block mentions, not only throughout my school, but also in the neighborhood where I live.
Our final project in this class was to create a real situation within our school and use some of the shared leadership ideas we had learned. Fortunately, I am a proficiency coordinator in my district, and we had an upcoming meeting where I could develop a facilitation plan for our group. This particular group had been dealing with a certain issue for over a year, and while it was a small issue, it was a road block to complete the work we needed to get done. I decided to use a protocol we had learned during the course, and surprisingly, it worked. By the end of our day-long meeting, we were able to move past our obstacle. I was impressed with how well the implementation of a simple protocol could be in changing the dynamic of a leadership team.
The two books we read, Community: The Structure of Belonging by Peter Block and Cultivating Leadership in Schools by Gordon Donaldson, are books that I will keep on my bookshelf at home for many years. Block's Community didn't just focus on leadership within schools or education. It looked at many different types of communities and what it takes for them to work successfully and efficiently. I notice some of the small complexities of functioning communities that Peter Block mentions, not only throughout my school, but also in the neighborhood where I live.
The Denouement: A Look Back
Link to MSU's College of Education website.
Looking back on my three years as a student in the Michigan State University MAED program, every class I took afforded me the opportunity to focus my learning on increasing student achievement, which undoubtedly is (or should be) at the core of public education. Completing this master's program has given me more insight and knowledge about education, and it has also helped me realize that my journey in this profession is far from over. There has never been a time in the ten years since I have started this career that I have ever wished to do anything other than teach and work with students.
Earning a master’s degree while working full-time and handling all of life's other responsibilities has undoubtedly been challenging at times, yet the lessons I have learned are priceless. It is easy to look at achieving this degree as a task done by completing the work, reading the material, and submitting to due dates. In doing so, one can miss the experience and walk away with a degree and little else for such an influential career. When I reflect on the platform I have been given to come alongside teenagers and have the opportunity to positively influence their lives in hopes of having some small part in developing their character and knowledge, I can’t help but think every student that comes through my door will also benefit from what I have learned over that last three years. Unfortunately over time, many teachers tend to get stuck in a rut regarding their teaching style, their perspective, and their passion. This MAED program has been a refreshing and encouraging tool that will forever be used to spur me onto becoming the best teacher I can be.
(March 5, 2012)
Earning a master’s degree while working full-time and handling all of life's other responsibilities has undoubtedly been challenging at times, yet the lessons I have learned are priceless. It is easy to look at achieving this degree as a task done by completing the work, reading the material, and submitting to due dates. In doing so, one can miss the experience and walk away with a degree and little else for such an influential career. When I reflect on the platform I have been given to come alongside teenagers and have the opportunity to positively influence their lives in hopes of having some small part in developing their character and knowledge, I can’t help but think every student that comes through my door will also benefit from what I have learned over that last three years. Unfortunately over time, many teachers tend to get stuck in a rut regarding their teaching style, their perspective, and their passion. This MAED program has been a refreshing and encouraging tool that will forever be used to spur me onto becoming the best teacher I can be.
(March 5, 2012)