Becoming a teacher has always been a goal of mine. I can vividly remember playing school for hours, after putting in a full day at the elementary school down the road. I remember begging family members to step into my “classroom” and transform into a student, for even just fifteen minutes. For Christmas, I recall my list begin filled with things that I could use in my imaginary classroom. Once I made my childhood goal a reality and I was living my dream of a real-life classroom teacher, I wanted more for my students. I quickly realized that my passion within teaching was literacy and it was here that I could give my students more.

 

When I began the Master of Arts in Education (MAED) program at Michigan State five years ago my goals were solely focused on my students, their growth, and their success when it came to literacy. While in the program, my original goals were to learn new and exciting ways to engage my students in reading and writing and hopefully help them develop a greater love for both, much like the one that I had developed when I was younger.

 

Now that I am in my final semester of the program, looking back at these goals has made me realize how they have changed slightly. I now want the same thing for myself as I do my students' growth and success. While the growth and success that I want for my students may look different than what I picture it looking for myself, nonetheless, it is still just as important. Continuing my education these last five years has shown me that as an educator, in order for my students to grow and be successful, I need to do the same! The courses that I’ve taken throughout this program have provided me with many resources and ideas that I have already been able to successfully put into place in my classroom. Many of these resources and ideas include bringing in various technology pieces, most of which I would have never been introduced to if it weren't for my master's program. And within the past five years, I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing non-readers become readers, and students who were barley able to complete a written sentence on their own write a paragraph that stayed on topic. 

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Overall, I could say that I have met my original goals that I had set at the beginning of this journey, but I’m come to realize that the goals I want for my students and myself are never truly “met”. There are always going to be new and exciting ways to teach and learn literature, which in turn, aids in the development of cultivating a love of reading and writing. As an educator, I will continue to learn and provide my students with innovative ways to understand and appreciate literature.