In April
2009 I applied for the Master’s of Arts in Education at Michigan State
University. At the time I
was finishing my second year teaching. The majority of my teaching assignments
were “at risk” students and Class within a Class (Special Education intetegrated into General Education). I was completely frustrated and
felt I was ill prepared for the students’ needs. They needed far more than a
curriculum taught to them. My mentors and building leaders were not as helpful
as I would have liked; I remember feeling like they had given up trying new
strategies. And I felt completely isolated from other English teachers as well
as a support system. My teacher certification program prepared me for planning
a curriculum and classroom management, but I found myself stuggling to adapt to the
community. I knew I could do a better job teaching if I had more education.
I applied for the Master’s of Education with concentrations in Special Education and Literacy. The courses offered in both concentrations seemed perfectly suited for my needs. They were designed to address the needs of a variety of learners all in the same classroom. The courses were designed for the special education situations I found every day and for the motivation issues common for every student.
Now I am in my fourth year of teaching, the majority of my teaching assignments now are upper level classes like English III and AP Literature, but I still find in the students the limited knowledge, limited skills and limited motivation necessary for success. The courses at Michigan State have strengthened my strategies, my confidence, and my ability to talk with students and structure lessons. I have created my most thoughtful lessons for my students. Incorporating more technology has engaged more students with the literature I teach.
Our high school has gone to Small Learning Communities. The goal of this change was to help us get to know our students better so that we could adapt and make changes necessary for the students. We are in our second year of Small Learning Communities and I have noticed changes. Students are being recognized in-house for good grades, good behavior, good attendance, taking the ACT, and lots of other behaviors. We also call in students for extra attention and incentive/motivation. I get to know more students from this, and we get to know each student individually.
The Small Learning Communities with the relationship piece and my course work dealing with different learners have strengthened my teaching ability and my confidence. No longer am I the frustrated, insecure second year teacher. I have impressed students, teachers, administrators, and myself with my deeper thinking about lesson planning, and students’ issues. I probably would have struggled to reach students on my own, but continuing my education at MSU allowed me to explore course that were designed for my needs. My education has made me a better teacher.
I applied for the Master’s of Education with concentrations in Special Education and Literacy. The courses offered in both concentrations seemed perfectly suited for my needs. They were designed to address the needs of a variety of learners all in the same classroom. The courses were designed for the special education situations I found every day and for the motivation issues common for every student.
Now I am in my fourth year of teaching, the majority of my teaching assignments now are upper level classes like English III and AP Literature, but I still find in the students the limited knowledge, limited skills and limited motivation necessary for success. The courses at Michigan State have strengthened my strategies, my confidence, and my ability to talk with students and structure lessons. I have created my most thoughtful lessons for my students. Incorporating more technology has engaged more students with the literature I teach.
Our high school has gone to Small Learning Communities. The goal of this change was to help us get to know our students better so that we could adapt and make changes necessary for the students. We are in our second year of Small Learning Communities and I have noticed changes. Students are being recognized in-house for good grades, good behavior, good attendance, taking the ACT, and lots of other behaviors. We also call in students for extra attention and incentive/motivation. I get to know more students from this, and we get to know each student individually.
The Small Learning Communities with the relationship piece and my course work dealing with different learners have strengthened my teaching ability and my confidence. No longer am I the frustrated, insecure second year teacher. I have impressed students, teachers, administrators, and myself with my deeper thinking about lesson planning, and students’ issues. I probably would have struggled to reach students on my own, but continuing my education at MSU allowed me to explore course that were designed for my needs. My education has made me a better teacher.