Anne Warner

Beginnings can be scary, intimidating, and overwhelming. Beginning an educational career in a new state without any family or friends nearby for support was scary. Knowing that after earning my bachelors’ degree I would have my own classroom was intimidating at first. I knew my program at Grand Valley State University had prepared me well, but the uncertainty of knowing if I could do it all on my own left some room for doubt. Then there was the anticipation of fulfilling the requirements of a graduate program while working full time, this was truly overwhelming for me. It is safe to say that although I’m aware teachers are natural born multi-tasker, my faith in my ability to balance both professional and educational responsibilities held me back from jumping into starting graduate school the first few years I was in the classroom.  Thus, I put off graduate school until I could no longer postpone fulfilling educational requirements.

When I first struck out on my own to teach in a new state, in fact a city I had never even heard of until I applied, I learned that I would have to overcome a lot of obstacles. There were a lot of responsibilities that I would have to fulfill on my own; however, I learned the importance of asking for help as to not become overwhelmed and not lose focus on the importance of my students and teaching. A mantra that I often refer back to when I feel I am losing focus is “kid first.” Keeping sight of this idea ensures that I am doing what is best for the students at all times.  Being on my own gave me the opportunity to focus solely on the classroom and developing the best learning environment I could with the resources available to me. The best way to summarize this is that I was able to fill an SUV and truck with teaching materials and clothes and figure the rest out as I went. The first two years were tough for a variety of reasons, but those initial years are what gave me the foundation and awareness that I am a teacher and I was in the right place.

Still aware that I was going to have to take on dual responsibilities of teaching and continuing my education I began to look at options for graduate school. South Carolina had limited opportunities for graduate programs that would meet my needs as a student, especially in the immediate area where I was residing. I began to explore online programs for schools that would keep both my Michigan and South Carolina teaching certificate valid. With encouragement and support from friends, family and colleagues I sought out a program at Michigan State University (MSU) that would continue my development as a teacher, student and person. Fortunately my worries of balancing the classroom and course work had been put to rest when I completed two graduate courses that allowed me to obtain a second endorsement on my teaching certificate. Both courses provided insight on the connections that are made to coursework and the classroom. The crossover between the two was remarkable and I was immediately implementing teaching strategies and using course content to communicate better with students, parents and other teachers.

After I was accepted to the Master’s program at MSU the time came to decide on a specific concentration I would complete for the Master’s of Arts in Education (MAED). MSU offered a selection of concentrations that would allow me to reach any professional goals I established. Settling on a concentration of technology was an easy decision based on my teaching experiences and that my grade level had the opportunity to participate in a one-to-one program with iPads. Personally, I have always looked for creative ways to incorporate technology and increase the engagement of my students, especially with a classroom full of digital learners I felt having this type of concentration would continue to support their needs. I was also looking for ways to develop my ability to be a leader, not in a sense of becoming an administrator, but instead leading fellow teachers, parents, and students in a positive way to achieve their own goals.

In the summer of 2014 I completed the first course in my program. The first day of this course brought on a familiar feeling that I believe teachers and students share. A certain level of nervousness or anticipation about the “first day” is always present, whether it is a new job, class, school etc.  In my first course titled Technology Teaching & Learning Across the Curriculum, CEP 816, I made my debut at MSU. With a little hesitation and reservations in the beginning I quickly found a home with a group of learners not unlike myself.  Reading through the brief bios and introductions it was apparent that I was working with groups of individuals that had a passion for teaching and improving skills to meet the needs of our students. The opportunities for collaboration and problem solving  with educators in similar settings to my own were priceless. Sharing of resources and meaningful discussions centered around teaching with technology was incredible, and immediately I could feel changes to how I viewed my practices and also validation on others.  That academic year was the first time I was able to consistently use Google Apps for Education (GAFE) with students. Students were collaborating on documents together and using the classroom application as a tool for discussion. The engagement of students especially with writing in the content areas began to increase.  Even though we were merely replacing one tool for the other by using Google Docs, the collaborative features and accessibility across multiple devices and locations opened the door to more possibilities. Students immediately took to the comment feature and that they could communicate with me and other teachers in real time.  The practice I had had in this first course provided me with the appropriate training along with district support to use these tools effectively with students.  Immediately I knew I had made a good choice with my MAED program and that I would enter the 2014-15 school year ready to enhance the learning experiences of my students.

Each subsequent semester provided me with opportunities to try new teaching strategies and further develop my philosophy for education. I found that I developed more of a voice as a staff member and also a student. My confidence as an educator continued to grow as I was able to communicate and contribute cutting edge concepts that had been introduced to me through coursework. Diving into the Next Generation Science Standards and developing specific lessons and units based on these standards gives me a head start in the planning and revamping of my content in the course  Inquiry and the Nature of Science, TE 861. Having the opportunity to familiarize myself and determine which of these new standards already correlate with current lessons I teach was not unlike professional development sessions I had participated in with the adoption of the Common Core State Standards.  This course also made me take pause to the teaching strategies I use in daily science instruction. Through the use of talk moves and probing questions I was able to deepen student understanding of the content and also guide them in their understanding of the nature of science. Using new teaching strategies, such as interviews, that I compare to conferencing in reading, writing and even math I am able to assess student understanding using a different diagnostic tool. Even though I was concerned about time constraints of interviewing all the students I was surprised to find how it wasn’t as time consuming as I initially anticipated. This was a valuable learning opportunity for me. This teaching strategy  provided me with  more insight into my students thought process, more so than what can be determined from assessing a written document. I understood the power of questioning and probing to dig deeper into student understanding and help them to communicate their understanding better as well.

The most impactful course I have taken to date has been CEP 815, Technology and Leadership. Prior to taking this course my understanding of roles, responsibilities and characteristics of administrative positions compared to other leadership positions was one in the same. At the completion of this course  my view of what exceptional leaders do had changed. I was clearly able to distinguish between the two and understand that administrators can be leaders and people in leadership positions don’t always have to be part of an administrative team. Defining characteristics of leaders are what distinguish leaders from those that merely possess the title of an administrator. Individuals who have inherently developed leadership qualities understand the needs and wants for the collective group and also understand that these groups may often be comprised of a diverse population and the needs may vary.  Articulating a clear focus and vision is part of the role of being a leader. Motivation and support are among the key values that a good leader possesses. With these realizations I determined that I can be a leader and should be a leader to those wanting to revise their daily instruction with mathematics and also technology integration. This course also provided me with an appropriate rearview mirror to reflect on how I was as a team leader for my grade level. I found areas that needed vast improvement if I wanted to consider taking on that type of responsibility again. Communication and clarity of the technology I use and how these tools  contribute to student achievement will continue to be developed. Communicating this to colleagues and also my students can unify us in achieving our similar goals. Additionally, the grade level/content areas team will find a common time to establish goals and develop a professional learning community (PLC) to achieve these common goals.

This year, I have discussed with teammates goals in terms of technology integration that they are hoping to achieve. We are looking to establish a resource library that will help with student achievement. My plan is to build upon the resource library I have already started. The tools we choose to integrate will not have minimal disruption to the direct instructional time.  

I’ve been told by peers that I would make a great leader and should consider my options as to what type of formal leadership roles I would take on. Currently I am content with leading peers and colleagues to achieve educational goals that are similar to my own, such as implementing guided math fluently into daily instruction. CEP 815 provided insight on how to approach writing a clear and concise vision for this type of goal. Other courses for my MAED provided me with resources and tools that can be integrated into instruction to support student learning.  For example CEP 805, Learning Math with Technology,  focused on  learning math with technology.

As my MAED program comes to a close with the Capstone Seminar course, I am putting all of the pieces together of this journey. With my digital portfolio and all of its components I am able to highlight who I am as an educator and what is important to me. Reflective practices become second nature to teachers as we evaluate lessons, activities, and units we developed. The depth of reflection that was necessary to create my portfolio was profound. In over six years of teaching the relationships I have cultivated, the inspiration and knowledge I have been provided has been overwhelming. Even though my purpose is to lead students and help them to achieve their potential, I find that the students help me to reach mine as well. Each learning opportunity is approached with the mindset of how this will impact my students in a positive manner. Reducing the amount of teacher talk within a given class, and incorporating more student choice of activities are transformations I’ve made. Using assessment data and integrating getting creative with the types of assessments I use to increase student engagement are areas that I have shown growth.  I understand the limitations I have as a teacher and still maintain who I am as a person. As always I am reassured that I am doing exactly as I should and that at the specific place and time I couldn’t imagine being anything other than a teacher.

While completing the Capstone Seminar, I have been able to look back as well as forward.As I said that beginnings can be scary, endings can be, as well. That all-too-familiar feeling of “what will happen next”, “where I go from here”, or “what do I want to do next” brings back the initial feelings we get at the beginning of a new challenge or endeavor. Those feelings do not last as I establish my next personal and professional goals and know that I do have the support of family, friends and even my students that we will continue to learn together.