Personal Journey through Masters of Education Program: Opinion Essay

downloadDownload
  • Words 604
  • Page 1
Download PDF

My expectations from the Masters of Education program could be described as more of a journey through a myriad of emotions: beginning with an open mindset, followed by a sense of angst with the unknown and finally, embracing unexpected revelations. I began this journey filled with motivation and a reignited passion for professional learning, research and new opportunities. These positive emotions almost simultaneously developed into feelings of angst, being overwhelmed and that infamous ‘imposter syndrome’. It seemed the more articles, texts and theories I read, the less I felt I knew. And I came into the program feeling experienced as an educator. This new epiphany opened-up my eyes to the vast amount of knowledge available at my fingertips. Although I began my M.Ed with the hopes of learning strategies and refining my craft to best support learners within the realm of special education (eg., students with differentiating needs and diagnosis), I quickly became enlightened about other areas of education that interested me (eg., policy and organizational change, leadership styles and theories, and mental health in education). These new found interests, combined with the plethora of knowledge I have gathered in the past two years has allowed me to reaffirm, reflect and refine my future aspirations, goals and values. Our values and beliefs ultimately guide our educational philosophy and in a sense, create principles that guide our leadership style. I have a new found understanding of leadership theories within education and numerous research topics, which have impacted my perspective as an educator and leader. Evidently, I would describe my journey over the last two years as one of joy, angst, and finally, triumph.

The Debut

The debuting semester into the M.Ed program was initially filled with excitement but was quickly overshadowed by feelings of insecurity. Insecurities about being unsuccessful, that I was a did not belong, and insecurities that I was in over my head with all of these new theories and terminologies! In the end, my sense of self-efficacy grew, I became more confident, resilient and was able to overcome setbacks. I replaced the feeling of being overwhelmed with feelings of success. This experience has made me realize the importance of keeping my students’ perceptions, beliefs and self-efficacy at the forefront of my teaching philosophy. Stakeholders have an assortment of personal experiences, upbringings and all have unique starting points for learning (Prokopchuk, 2016). Therefore, we must remember that everyone has unique life experiences and values which impact and shape how they solve problems, react to and approach new situations, including how they learn and teach (Prokopchuk, 2016). Although my belief system and values of determination and embracing a growth mind-set can be credited for my perseverance during academic challenges, it was the personal connections I made with the teachers and peers that supported me emotionally during those initial hurdles of self-doubt and insecurities. Developing friendships with my peers quickly developed into a critical friends group (CFG) based on trust and mutual respect where we supported each other through various obstacles (eg., emotional concerns, academic assignments, personal situations). Prokopchuk (2016) suggests that building relationships is essential to move learning forward and have an impact on student achievement. Similarly, Raza and Sikandar (2018) also stress the importance of building relationships in order to support student academic and social achievements. The lifelong friendships I have made during the M.Ed program stress the importance of one’s learning environment and the significant impact of positive, trusting relationships. Education is a social experience: we learn best when we feel comfortable and safe to take risks without fear of embarrassment, yet reap the benefits of being exposed to academic and cognitive challenges

Click to get a unique essay

Our writers can write you a new plagiarism-free essay on any topic

image

We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy.