Teacher and Student
by Amanda Dennison
My view of learning has changed considerably in the past ten years. As a child, I took school for granted because it was mandatory and everyone did it. I enjoyed school for the most part, but I also looked forward to the day I would graduate from university and be finished with my role as a student. However after I graduated, I taught in a school that provided very few opportunities for professional development for its teachers, mostly due to budget. As my colleagues and I strived to find other ways to learn and grow as educators, I began to realize how important life-long learning is and how much I already missed it. At my next job, I was fortunate to experience amazing professional development opportunities that allowed me to grow more in two years than I thought possible. Between collaboration from colleagues, book studies, and renowned consultants who were brought in to work with us, I had the perfect setting to really improve as an educator. This made me eager to learn even more and become a better teacher.
After two years at that school, I had my first child and made the decision to focus on being a mother for a little while, putting my teaching on hold. When my son was only a few months old, I started to feel like my brain was turning into mush from the focus on feeding, changing diapers, and trying to get my little one to sleep. So I began to look into Masters programs. The only problem was that I needed to find a program where I could work from home, since home was in Hong Kong and I had a little baby to look after. I had never taken an online class before, but suddenly it seemed like the perfect solution to my quest for knowledge. Michigan State’s online MAED program seemed to have the flexibility I needed in a program designed for licensed teachers that would allow me to concentrate my studies in literacy, just like I wanted. Though my husband initially thought I was a little crazy for starting my Masters degree after just having a baby, I actually found that it was a wonderful decision. Pursuing this degree has allowed me not only to stay fresh and keep a focus on education during this time in my life, but it has also allowed me to extend my knowledge in so many ways, making me excited to return to teaching when the time comes.
So where will I go from here to continue to be both a teacher and a student for the rest of my life? The online learning experience is different, and it may not be for everyone, but it has been perfect for this stage in my life and will certainly have a place in my future. It is a resource for learning to which I will go much more readily as a result of being in the MAED program. I have grown more comfortable and knowledgeable in the area of technology, and I have expanded my understanding of the resources available to me. Especially once one has a strong base of knowledge, online learning can be an extremely valuable option that is easily accessible and often free of cost.
But the Internet is not enough on its own. As much as professors have tried to incorporate valuable collaboration into this program, I have found that online collaboration is overall no substitute for face-to-face interactions with knowledgeable colleagues, mostly due to accessibility and time limitations. I will continue to surround myself (in person) with other educators who can be valuable resources to me, as well as to whom I can contribute. Conversations with peers can provide support in cases that may be too specific to Google search on the Internet, and local colleagues are able to observe or participate in experiences with me in order to give more relevant advice and feedback.
A final way I will seek to grow as Student and Teacher is through professional development experiences, such as trainings or work with consultants. Ideally I will be employed in settings that are supportive of teachers’ learning and growth by providing valuable opportunities for professional development. However if this is not the case, I will look for my own routes to learning, such as through grants, scholarships, or other free opportunities for professional development.
Most importantly, I want to avoid becoming one of those teachers-- we all know of at least one-- who has taught the same grade level, at the same school, in the exact same way, for the last 25+ years. As valuable as my undergraduate and graduate degrees and teaching experiences have been to this point, I know there is still so much more left for me to learn. To not do so would be doing a disservice to both my students and myself. Thus, I will spend the rest of my life as both Teacher and Student.