From the Beginning to the End
Jolene Roseth's Synthesis Essay
To reflect on my journey through my masters program would not be complete without first looking at my past and the journey along the way. A decision I made 24 years ago shaped me into who I am today and projected me onto a path of higher learning.
Here’s my beginning…
As a young girl I had hopes and dreams just like any other child. For me, I knew in 7th grade I wanted to be a teacher. My teachers over the course of my grade school, middle and high school years inspired me to do more and become more. They had faith in me and I had role models to look up to. For me, the dream of going to college seemed out of reach. I was the youngest of five children, from a family where there was only enough money to pay the bills and just enough to put food on the table. Higher education was not something my family valued. It was determined there was no money for this pursuit, so it was easier not to talk about it. None of my older siblings went on to college, so for me, I wasn’t expected or pushed to go either. My personal decision and drive to go to college made my family proud, though it also alienated me from them for some time being. They couldn’t understand my drive and my passion to continue learning, and my drive to be a teacher. It was 24 years ago I made the decision to apply for college and work my way through undergraduate school. It has proven to be one of the best decisions for me personally and for me professionally. It catapulted me into higher thinking and opened up choices for me I didn’t previously have.
The path to graduate school…
As my dream of becoming a teacher became true, I continued to learn a great deal from my students, fellow teachers, administrators, and life in general. My first few years of teaching were spent working with students with disabilities. As rewarding as these jobs could be, the days were long and emotionally draining. On many days, I would return home after working with students with emotional disabilities, with bruises and bite marks. I learned resiliency and an understanding of children as individuals that I hadn’t learned sitting in a classroom. It was during these long days I started to toy with the idea of going back to school to get my masters degree. This is when life took over. I married, moved across the country, had children, took time off to raise them, moved back across the country two more times, and then re-entered the field of teaching all within 10 years. My goals of starting graduate school were put on hold for the time being.
My decision to continue learning…
The decision I made four years ago, to pursue my graduate degree, was not an easy decision or one I took lightly. I knew that the path I was about to take would have its many rewards, but without great sacrifices, challenges, and stress. I was now teaching full time, had two active young boys, and a husband who was just starting his trek to obtain tenure at Michigan State University (MSU). I decided I couldn’t wait any longer. I was searching for something “more”. I made the decision, with the support from my family, to pursue my graduate degree in the Master of Arts in Education (MAED) program at MSU. As I was about to begin teaching first grade that same year, I knew that a focus on literacy classes would allow me to enhance my understanding of early literacy learners and provide strategies for students to improve their reading skills. I knew that reading is the essential skill all students need to learn, especially in first grade. It’s the foundational skill that takes you from “learning to read” to “reading to learn”. I knew I would need to advance my skills in reading assessment and the ability to analyze the results in order to improve reading skills. I knew my decision to concentrate on literacy instruction was going to add to and hone the skills I already possessed. MSU has prepared me well! I feel honored to be a Spartan, an educator, and a lover of learning!
As a first grade teacher, my main job is to teach kids to “READ”. The class I found the most helpful, along with resources that I could immediately utilize in my classroom was (TE 842), Elementary Reading Assessment for Instruction. Right from the beginning of this course, my group of peers and myself began analyzing student data to determine the children’s strengths and weaknesses. We identified focus areas and developed a list of strategies for improving these focus areas. As I worked through this course, the instructor had us in groups, in order to work together through the course. I found this very helpful to brainstorm with my peers who were also early elementary educators, which allowed us to quickly focus on early literacy skills. Our culminating project was titled, Analyzing Student Data. We learned about a variety of assessments including the Informal Phonics Inventory (IPI), Fry-Sight Word Inventory, the Elementary Spelling Inventory (ESI), and the Qualitative Reading Inventory-5 (QRI-5). This class taught me how to analyze student responses or results, to formulate goals for instruction, and develop instructional strategies for meeting these goals. I found these skills to be immensely helpful in my classroom as I now had a bigger “tool box” of assessments to use, and newer ways of thinking about goals and strategies. Our last and final project was a book review. I decided to review the book, Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling Instruction. This book provided rationales for using specific activities directed towards specific skill building. The book provided numerous ideas that I could implement immediately in my classroom.
There is so much more to being a teacher than just teaching the core academic pieces. Behavior and behavior management is an essential component to a healthy learning atmosphere. I knew this class would be important, because behavior is forever evolving and changing, and new strategies can always be learned and developed. One class that I felt significantly improved my ability to manage student behavior was Classroom Management in Inclusive Classrooms, (CEP 841). The professor brought so much energy, knowledge, humor and care into this class. The class and professor made me want to be a better student and teacher. He was very communicative, understanding, and thoughtful in his reflections. I felt safe in that class and in return I took challenges and received positive feedback. Not only was he an excellent instructor, one I valued for his expertise and delivery of instruction, I also learned a great deal about managing student behavior. The key idea I learned was that if I wanted to be an effective teacher I would need to be knowledgeable, caring, loving, yet firm and a create a classroom where all feel ownership for their success. After completing this course my goal for my classroom was to manage it in such a way that the students took ownership and were able to show an increase in self-control as we worked in large groups, small groups, and individual activities. I would teach positive behaviors and routines at the beginning of the year, based on the Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) ideas, continue to model, reinforce, and re-teach as needed.
There was one particular class that provided me with knowledge and skills that I could implement for the 21st century learner. This class was Teaching Subject Matter with Technology, (TE 831). My technological abilities were really stretched in this class. I went from having rudimentary Microsoft Word skills and a beginners level PowerPoint abilities, to being able to use iMovies to make a Vodcast, Glogging, and uploading video’s to Vimeo. These were all new skills to me and the learning curve was steep. I also learned a great deal about various other tech tools that teachers and others use to help students learn. The most helpful project for my teaching was creating the Re-Purposed Lesson Plan. This project required me to use the skills learned in this class and redesign a lesson to incorporate technology. This class was helpful on so many levels. Personally, I developed a greater appreciation for technology and what it can offer. Professionally, it helped me reflect on which technologies were currently being used in my classroom, and to consider which new technologies I could incorporate into my teaching. This class introduced me to new programs and websites. My confidence grew with each new skill learned, and with each new website that was introduced. I could then transfer this newfound confidence into my classroom. We live in a “digital nation” where children today do not know a world when computers and other technology did not exist. This is their world. As an educator, this class has helped me move into a time where technology needs to be used more often, but with a purpose. I want my students to use technology creatively. To use technology creatively is to imagine, create, and share one’s ideas and knowledge for both entertainment and information sharing.
The end…
I now come to the end of my graduate school learning. The road to get here has been long and difficult. Right away I needed to decide whether I could be successful from an online learning program. There were no online classes when I completed my undergraduate degree, so this new format was foreign to me. I realized right from the start that some online classes were going to be better than others. My first online class I took was challenging. Having no previous online experience this class was going to set the bar and the one I would compare all other classes to. Unfortunately, my first experience was poor as there was no professor presence in the class. We were able to ask questions through email, but otherwise there was no feedback from my professor for any of the work that I completed. In fact, I never received any feedback even on my final project. This was very disappointing and I began to wonder if all my classes were going to be this format. I soon learned with my next class, that there was so much more to online learning than my first experience had offered. There was greater guidance from the professor, organized groups that were monitored, clear expectations and guidelines, and feedback that was helpful to my future learning. With an online masters class, I realized there were going to be some good classes, some great classes, and those that were not so great. Even though this was online, I also knew that this could happen in face-to-face classes as well. The classes that positively stood out were those where the professor was highly involved and organized. I’ve become very thankful over the course of four years, that I was able to obtain my masters degree online. Given my personal circumstances, having a family and full-time job, my higher degree was only possible because of MSU’s online program.
Graduate school has opened my eyes to new possibilities and has given me the confidence to explore new ideas. Working with my peers in small groups for many of my classes, helped me to express my thoughts and share my own experiences and expertise. I’ve come to realize that I am a strong person, a person who is not afraid to take challenges, both academically and in my teaching as well. I’ve come along way from not knowing if I’d even go to undergraduate school, to finishing my master’s degree. I am proud of who I am, the profession I teach, and the lessons I can teach my own children. Perseverance, faith in myself, and confidence that I can accomplish my goals has pushed me to continue learning. I cannot think of any better institution, than MSU, to learn, study, and gain knowledge that makes me a better person and teacher. Education is a difficult job, but a profession where the results come with great rewards.