Life Long Learning
Learning. It is what the whole world is doing every second of every day. I love learning. I grew up learning about the plants in my backyard, how to play baseball and that putting your hand on a hot stove is not a smart thing to do. I grew up telling my little sister these things so that she would not make the same mistakes I made. I grew up exploring, learning, and loving the world around me.
I loved learning so much that I wanted to teach other people to love learning. When I applied for the Master’s in Education program at Michigan State University, I wanted to learn more about learning. When I applied, I already had almost seven years of learning experience and two years of teaching experience under my belt. I had taught in the inner city of Chicago and overcame cultural barriers and had also worked with the upper class in the suburbs of Washington, DC. These experiences have exposed me to two entirely different communities. Even though these two teaching experiences are complete opposites, I believe that no matter where teachers teach or what demographic people are placed in, education is the most important part of a community.
I wanted to learn about how education affects a community. However, I wanted more than anything to open up the wonderful world of books to the students in both of these communities. Helping people discover that reading and learning is fun! There is a never-ending amount of information in the world and I do not want to stop grasping, searching and sharing it.
Throughout the Master’s program, my goal of effectively teaching others to learn has not changed. I still have that goal in my mind. However, I have grown as an educator and have learned more about the psychology of the learner and I have gained knowledge of the generation of students that I will be teaching. Most importantly, I have realized that technology is going to play a large role in the future of education.
The students I am teaching now and am going to teach are part of a technology driven generation. In order for me to teach these students effectively, I need to change with the times. Technology is being used more and more throughout educational practices. A new goal I have is to be able to grow and adapt with our ever-changing world, so I can accomplish my goal of teaching others a love of learning that lasts a lifetime. I was pleased and surprised with the Master’s program that I chose because it focused so much on technology and taught me how I can use it in my classroom. Technology can better my teaching and the learning experience of students from any culture or community.
Overall, I have kept to my goal of teaching others how to love learning and, in the process, have learned to love learning more deeply. I have learned how to use technology and hope to grow more in my abilities in the future. By obtaining my Master’s Degree, I have renewed my goal, created new ones and realized that these goals are life long goals that will always be met as long as I continue to learn and grow as an educator.
Overall, I have kept to my goal of teaching others how to love learning and, in the process, have learned to love learning more deeply. I have learned how to use technology and hope to grow more in my abilities in the future. By obtaining my Master’s Degree, I have renewed my goal, created new ones and realized that these goals are life long goals that will always be met as long as I continue to learn and grow as an educator.