The Road Ahead
By Kerry Shelton
As I am nearing the completion of my master’s degree at Michigan State University I am looking toward my future as a life-long learner. When I began the master’s program I would often tell my family that I had a long road ahead of me to complete the program. Having three children and being new to teaching while pursuing a master’s degree initially felt like I was speeding down an expressway with no exit in site. However, as I adjusted to going back to school I quickly rekindled my passion for learning. The exits became more visible as I learned to organize, prioritize and multi-task this newly acquired endeavor. As a result, completing my master’s degree will not represent a stop sign in the road, just a brief pause. I plan to continue down the road of education throughout my career.
On the road ahead I plan to take many side roads to yield a wealth of continued education. One road I plan to explore is continuing my formal education by pursuing a special education endorsement with a focus on Autism. Autism Spectrum Disorder is a something that I experience each year in my classroom. I am fascinated by these children and the wide array of characteristics presented by this disorder.
Another road that I will travel down is a road that I have been down many times, even as I pursued my master’s degree. Down this road I will continue to learn from my colleagues, my students and the parents of my students. Collaborating with my colleagues is one of my favorite and easily accessible ways to educate myself. Although, my students are in kindergarten I continue to learn new things from them. Each year students enter my classroom with various experiences and educational needs. After they teach me what I need to know about them, I continue down the road of learning once again to apply the strategies and skills necessary to help each one of them reach their fullest potential. The parents of the students in my class also serve as a great learning resource. By communicating with them and listening to their expectations for their child’s education I am able to learn the ways in which I can provide a strong educational connection between home and school.
The ever changing road of online learning will be another route I will take on the road of continued education. This is a road that did not exist just a few years ago. It is a road that is constantly being maintained, changed and becoming increasingly popular with educators. I have experienced a few traffic jams along the way with technology while traveling down this road. Even so it continues to be a road that I absolutely love and am constantly amazed by.
In the four years that I have been in the Master’s of Education program at Michigan State University, online learning and technology has evolved in so many ways. When I was accepted into the program I was excited about the flexibility I would have in scheduling my learning. Being able to work on coursework any time of day or night was a definite selling point for someone with a family and a full time teaching position. The one thing I did not consider when I chose to go down this road was how much I would learn about technology. I have learned to create my own website, create a wiki space and Skype just to name a few. Since technology is
continuously evolving I realize there is a lot that I can still learn in this area. Continuing to stay up to date with technology is extremely important as a life-long learner. The evolution of online learning has definitely put learning at the fingertips of educators. Never before has it been so easy to find information, locate ideas for a lesson or look for ideas on how to deal with various situations that may be presented in the classroom.
Thank you for traveling down the road of learning with me for a brief
time. Maybe one day I will meet up with you traveling along the same road- A
road filled with adventure, excitement and questioning. A road that merges
together the highway of life with learning.
On the road ahead I plan to take many side roads to yield a wealth of continued education. One road I plan to explore is continuing my formal education by pursuing a special education endorsement with a focus on Autism. Autism Spectrum Disorder is a something that I experience each year in my classroom. I am fascinated by these children and the wide array of characteristics presented by this disorder.
Another road that I will travel down is a road that I have been down many times, even as I pursued my master’s degree. Down this road I will continue to learn from my colleagues, my students and the parents of my students. Collaborating with my colleagues is one of my favorite and easily accessible ways to educate myself. Although, my students are in kindergarten I continue to learn new things from them. Each year students enter my classroom with various experiences and educational needs. After they teach me what I need to know about them, I continue down the road of learning once again to apply the strategies and skills necessary to help each one of them reach their fullest potential. The parents of the students in my class also serve as a great learning resource. By communicating with them and listening to their expectations for their child’s education I am able to learn the ways in which I can provide a strong educational connection between home and school.
The ever changing road of online learning will be another route I will take on the road of continued education. This is a road that did not exist just a few years ago. It is a road that is constantly being maintained, changed and becoming increasingly popular with educators. I have experienced a few traffic jams along the way with technology while traveling down this road. Even so it continues to be a road that I absolutely love and am constantly amazed by.
In the four years that I have been in the Master’s of Education program at Michigan State University, online learning and technology has evolved in so many ways. When I was accepted into the program I was excited about the flexibility I would have in scheduling my learning. Being able to work on coursework any time of day or night was a definite selling point for someone with a family and a full time teaching position. The one thing I did not consider when I chose to go down this road was how much I would learn about technology. I have learned to create my own website, create a wiki space and Skype just to name a few. Since technology is
continuously evolving I realize there is a lot that I can still learn in this area. Continuing to stay up to date with technology is extremely important as a life-long learner. The evolution of online learning has definitely put learning at the fingertips of educators. Never before has it been so easy to find information, locate ideas for a lesson or look for ideas on how to deal with various situations that may be presented in the classroom.
Thank you for traveling down the road of learning with me for a brief
time. Maybe one day I will meet up with you traveling along the same road- A
road filled with adventure, excitement and questioning. A road that merges
together the highway of life with learning.