Intention to Lead, Confident to Succeed
It seems like a lifetime ago I was applying to Michigan State University’s Master of Arts in Education (MAED). A lot has happened in these years in both my personal and professional life. Looking back at my goals written 2 ½ years ago has been interesting; I teach my PE and Health students to ensure they revisit their goals, make them specific, realistic and recordable, so taking my own advice, I plan to reflect by reviewing these goals.
Firstly, I aimed to develop my understanding of the American philosophy and concepts behind its educational system. As a Scottish teacher working at an American School, I looked to improve my professional understanding of where I work, and gain an insight into a potentially different cultural perspective towards education. My next goal concerned the Sports and Coaching concentration. I hoped to become more knowledgeable of key issues involved in organizing and implementing afterschool sports. I intended to improve my ability to manage teams, expand my coaching strategies and develop leadership qualities within the athletics program. Lastly, I wanted to enhance the use of technology within my classroom. The goal was to broaden my horizons and ultimately enrich student learning using technology.
Aside from completing my Masters, my current goals are:
I believe my goals have changed considerably since I have become PS-12 Coordinator (PE and Health) within the school. This has meant the way in which I viewed my initial goals has changed. Unfortunately, I am less involved within the athletics program, and I did not find the courses within the Sports and Coaching concentration to be as enjoyable as others. They were in large interesting, but I was unable to find meaningful links specific to the original associated goal. In addition, I found I have changed my perspective of my role within the school since beginning the Masters program; instead of looking at implementing technology for my own intentions, I have developed an understanding of how as a leader I can support tech integration on a broader scale. I am now very interested in technology. I changed my planning for my last module to a course that is more specific to my new goals than the original ones stated in paragraph one. A main reason my goals have changed is because the Masters courses have given me confidence to take the next step in my career. The task of looking back to my initial goals has been positive and worthwhile to reflect on this journey, allowing me to focus on what I intend to do next.
Firstly, I aimed to develop my understanding of the American philosophy and concepts behind its educational system. As a Scottish teacher working at an American School, I looked to improve my professional understanding of where I work, and gain an insight into a potentially different cultural perspective towards education. My next goal concerned the Sports and Coaching concentration. I hoped to become more knowledgeable of key issues involved in organizing and implementing afterschool sports. I intended to improve my ability to manage teams, expand my coaching strategies and develop leadership qualities within the athletics program. Lastly, I wanted to enhance the use of technology within my classroom. The goal was to broaden my horizons and ultimately enrich student learning using technology.
Aside from completing my Masters, my current goals are:
- To develop assessment procedures and resources for use within Physical Education, and support colleagues in the department to implement standard based assessment.
- To become more confident within my position of PS-12 coordinator and understand how I can meet the needs of the department and ultimately support student learning. I am currently starting a Middle Leadership certificate that covers a number of aspects of education including curricular design, assessment and professional learning.
I believe my goals have changed considerably since I have become PS-12 Coordinator (PE and Health) within the school. This has meant the way in which I viewed my initial goals has changed. Unfortunately, I am less involved within the athletics program, and I did not find the courses within the Sports and Coaching concentration to be as enjoyable as others. They were in large interesting, but I was unable to find meaningful links specific to the original associated goal. In addition, I found I have changed my perspective of my role within the school since beginning the Masters program; instead of looking at implementing technology for my own intentions, I have developed an understanding of how as a leader I can support tech integration on a broader scale. I am now very interested in technology. I changed my planning for my last module to a course that is more specific to my new goals than the original ones stated in paragraph one. A main reason my goals have changed is because the Masters courses have given me confidence to take the next step in my career. The task of looking back to my initial goals has been positive and worthwhile to reflect on this journey, allowing me to focus on what I intend to do next.