Teachers are students, too.
I believe the best teachers are students at heart.
I often tell people the teacher I am now is nothing compared to the teacher I’ll be ten years from now. In fact, I don’t want to be the same teacher in ten years, not because I’m disappointed with my teaching, but because I’m forever a student. Every day I learn new techniques and tools from colleagues, students, and other networks. New knowledge and experience should change my teaching, or else I’m missing the point. Just as I expect my students to grow, so also I expect myself to grow.
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GOALS
I began my master’s program with two goals in mind:
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Learn about integrating technology as a resource to design engaging, personalized lessons. Technology offers countless opportunities for increasing student engagement, providing individualized learning experiences, and creating autonomy in the classroom. Through my master’s program, I sought to try new technologies and learn how to choose the best tech tools for each learning experience.
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Take on leadership roles to help fellow educators improve our practice. I have received endless help from my colleagues, and I want to give back to them. By continuing my education, I can bring unique experience and knowledge to my school through leadership opportunities.
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REFLECTION
Two years later, I can say that I have met these goals with satisfaction, but I still hold the same goals moving forward.
How is that possible?
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Considering technology, I feel equipped to design lessons with purposeful technology components, which is a significant improvement in my teaching. At the same time, my former mindset held that I could somehow master technology by finding the best programs and using them perfectly. But now I see that this goal should not be about completion but about openness: open to seeking new technologies, taking risks when designing lessons, and evaluating each decision. My technology goal remains moving forward, as I continue experimenting with new technologies and adapting my teaching to students’ needs.
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Considering leadership, I have taken leadership roles in my school’s mental health program and school improvement team that allow me to apply my learning. At the same time, I still want to lead more. I have continued working with my colleagues to develop our curriculum in more relevant, innovative ways. Likewise, I have developed training for teachers from my research on teacher burnout, which I hope will provide more holistic care for my colleagues. My vision for leadership has grown from my learning, and I will continue seeking opportunities to give back to teachers.
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So I carry my same goals moving forward because, at heart, I am a learner: a learner of the teaching profession, a learner of Language Arts, a learner of French, a learner of technology, a learner of culture, a learner of student stories, and a learner of myself. I will never stop growing as a teacher because my students and colleagues deserve the best possible version of me, and the best teachers are students at heart.
