Future Learning

What Does the Future Hold?

Introduction

First, an excerpt from my Personal Theory of Learning:

"Learning is the most addictive thing we do. From the moment we are born our brains are hardwired to process the stimuli around us, discern patterns and try to make sense of our world. When we finally understand something and correctly apply our new understanding of our world, our brain craves to do that same thing again."

My coach once told me improvement is simple: be better today than you were yesterday. That simple phrase has been a driving force for me and a motto for my education and professional career. For that statement to be true I have to learn at least one new thing a day. If I do that then I will in fact be a life long learner, which is something I set as a goal for myself and my students as well. After this became harder after I graduated college and stopped attending classes. It was then I set the goal of getting a masters degree from Michigan State University. Now that I am nearing the completion of that goal, I need to set new goals. My choice from here will impact my career. What is my next step? Do I want to get my Ph.D so I am not taking them lightly, I just want to be better today than I was yesterday.

The First Goal:

I want to obtain a Media Specialist Licensure. I am currently working as my school’s Media and Digital learning specialist. MN requires one licensed individual for the district, to technically I am covered by one of my counterparts at a different school within my district. However, for both personal reasons (being great at what I do) and professional reasons, (eventually will be required by my administration) I want to get this licensure. I really enjoy the work that I do and I think it is a great fit for me and my skill set. The choice comes down to two universities within my state (St. Cloud State University and Minnesota State University Mankato) that have the licensure program I desire and my choice is going to come down to who gives me the most credit for the work I have done in my masters.

The Second Goal:

I want to continue moving up the pay scale in my district as well. This will require me to continue to get graduate credits. So the big question looming over me right now is do I want to get my Ph.D? Depending on the day of the week you ask me my answer may change. I do not want to be a principal or superintendent, so I would not get my Ph. D for administration purposes. I would be getting my Ph.D to possibly teach at a university. I do love the impact I can have on kids with the student and could not imagine not working with kids. Then I think about the impact I could have by training teachers (or as I like to phrase it: teaching teachers how to teach). In a way their impact becomes my impact. Fortunately for me I do not have to make this decision today. I need to get the licensure mentioned in the paragraph above, and My wife would like to get her nursing master or nurse practitioner's degree before I would start to work towards my Ph.D. As far as what I want to get my Ph.D in, I am leaning towards educational technology or information media sciences.

The Third Goal:

I want to continue to be a leader in my school and education in general (the link will bring you to the League of Extraordinary Teachers Facebook Page) . I want to be apart of the positive happenings in education. I want to be clear with my next statement: I want to focus on leadership, not administration. I do not want to evaluate my colleagues, I just want to offer help and be an example for them. I need to continue to learn how to work within the system to bring about positive change. One of the ways I do this is to expand my professional learning network by attending TIES and other conference, participating in EdChats on twitter and just listen to others stories.

Conclusion:

I am very proud of the work I have done in the Masters in Arts. I have seen growth out of in the work I have done and professionally as well. I want to continue to grow and learn. The might include getting my licensures, obtaining a Ph.D, and involving myself more in school leadership. The future though, as it has always been, is unknown and my plan will certainly have to adapt as I move forward. However as long as I am better today than I was yesterday, I can say I am a lifelong learner, and that is truly my goal.


Future Learning Goals Essay