Mission... Evolved? 

A reflection on goals

Nearly two years ago, as I began wrapping up my fifth year of teaching and feeling as passionate about teaching as I was on day one, I began applying to graduate school at Michigan State University. When asked what I would like to accomplish during and after my time in my program, I identified three main goals. First, I wanted to share my learning and new knowledge with my peers. Second, I hoped to directly apply my coursework to my own classroom and students. Finally, on a more personal level, I wanted my sons to watch me graduate with a master’s degree and value perseverance and lifelong learning. 

Today, as I reflect on the two years, eight courses, and countless hours of collaboration and study I can see how my goals guided my experience. While my understanding of education technology has evolved, the heart of my goals remain consistent with the meaning behind them growing more complex and purposeful over time. 

When I embarked on this journey, my primary goal was to take what I learned about educational technology and bring it back to my school and district. At the time, I imagined that would involve sharing new apps to share at professional development, or demonstrating new ways to use our Chromebooks with first grade students. While the goal had good intentions, it lacked depth. As I progressed through my coursework, I realized that sharing my education should be more meaningful than simply introducing new tools.

My goal shifted from helping teachers put students on technology to helping them empower students - and themselves- to create with technology. I now hope to support my school and district from using technology passively with students to using it as a platform for creation, innovation, and authentic learning.  In particular, I want to share programming and computational thinking skills that allow students to be producers of knowledge rather than consumers of content. 

A second goal - applying my course work directly to my teaching - progressed even more than I originally imagined. Throughout my programming courses specifically, I began to imagine what coding with 1st graders would look like. Early in the program, it seemed unrealistic to teach coding and programming to first grade students. However, as I learned about and created with tools like Micro:Bit and Scratch Jr. - all accessible to young learners - I began to see exciting possibilities. I developed lessons that integrated coding with reading, writing, math, and STEAM standards. 

My latest goal is creating an early finisher option where students can text that they have already written or stories that they love. This idea comes directly from the challenges I persevered through during my coursework, and reflects how my original goal took a new and innovative shape. 

My program is coming to a close and while some goals have gone through more iterations than others, there is one that has stayed consistent: My sons will watch their mother graduate with a master’s degree and know that they, too, are capable of hard things.

Looking Towards My Future

I often reiterate to my seven-year-old students that I am passionate about creating lifelong learners. I share with my students information I’ve collected from the conferences I attend, the books I read, and the podcasts I listen to in an effort to model what lifelong learning can look like beyond the classroom. Learning is not something that ends once a benchmark is met - a phonic skill, a project, a diploma; rather, it is a continuous process of reflection, questioning, and growth. As I approach the completion of my master’s degree, I recognize that there are still many areas of knowledge and skill that I would like to develop further. In the future, I will continue to challenge myself as both an educator and learner by actively pursuing three goals.

Goal 1: Broaden instructional coaching skills

 I am passionate about learning labs, sometimes referred to as instructional rounds, and I value opportunities to collaborate with instructional coaches and peers. However, many educators experience anxiety or hesitation when their teaching is observed by others. This stigma limits the opportunity for productive professional dialogue that helps teachers grow. I want to learn how to observe instruction and provide actionable, meaningful feedback that supports teacher development while maintaining a supportive and collaborative environment. Developing these skills requires learning how to ask reflective questions, analyze instructional practices objectively, and communicate feedback in ways that encourage growth rather than judgment.

To strengthen my knowledge and abilities in this area, I plan to participate in learning labs in dual capacities: as both the host teacher and the observing colleague. By welcoming others into my classroom and also visiting the classrooms of peers, I can better understand what makes observation experiences productive and supportive. Observing from both perspectives will help me learn how to create conditions where teachers feel safe being vulnerable about their practice. Additionally, I hope to pursue professional learning that prepares educators to facilitate coaching conversations. Resources such as the book Instructional Coaching: A Partnership Approach to Improving Instruction by Jim Knight offer frameworks for building coaching relationships based on collaboration and partnership rather than evaluation. Engaging with these resources will help me learn strategies for guiding reflective conversations and supporting instructional improvement.

Goal 2: Strengthen my ability to make data-informed decisions about instruction 

Teachers collect large amounts of information about student learning every day, but transforming that information into meaningful instructional decisions requires specific knowledge and analytical skills. I want to deepen my understanding of how to interpret assessment data, identify patterns in student performance, and use that information to guide lesson planning and instructional adjustments. Learning to ask the right questions of data is essential for ensuring that instructional decisions are grounded in evidence rather than assumptions.

To develop these skills, I will continue studying frameworks that help educators systematically examine student learning data. Another way I plan to strengthen my data-informed decision making is through participation in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). Within PLC meetings, educators collaboratively analyze student work, review assessment data, and plan instructional responses based on patterns they observe. Practicing these skills in collaborative settings will help me learn how data can support reflective teaching practices and continuous improvement.

Goal 3: Expand my knowledge of equitable teaching practices. 

Classrooms are increasingly diverse spaces where students bring a wide range of cultural backgrounds, language, and needs. Ensuring that all students have meaningful opportunities to participate and succeed requires intentional instructional design and a commitment to equity. I want to learn more about strategies that promote inclusive learning environments and ensure that all students—especially multilingual learners and students receiving special education services—have access to meaningful learning opportunities.

Developing this knowledge requires studying research-based frameworks that support inclusive teaching. One such framework is Universal Design for Learning, which emphasizes designing lessons that provide multiple ways for students to access information and demonstrate understanding. Organizations such as CAST provide resources and professional learning opportunities that help educators implement these practices in their classrooms. Additionally, Zaretta Hammond, author of Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain shares how teachers can create learning environments that recognize and value students’ cultural identities while supporting rigorous academic learning on multiple different podcasts.

Completing my master’s degree represents an important milestone in my professional journey, but it is not the end of my learning. Continuing to develop instructional coaching skills, strengthening my ability to analyze and respond to data, and expanding my understanding of equitable teaching practices will help me grow as an educator and collaborator. By intentionally pursuing these learning goals and engaging with professional resources, I hope to continue modeling the mindset of a lifelong learner for my students and the broader educational community.

This post was edited with the help of ChatGPT.