As I am approaching the end of my master’s program at Michigan State University, I have taken some time to time to reflect upon goals that I had previously set for myself at the very beginning. It is interesting to see how those goals have grown and changed over the course of the MAED program (Master of Arts in Education).

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Original Goals

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          One of my original goals upon entering the MAED program was to continuously learn and stay up-to-date with the latest information and techniques in the education world. As an educator, I believe it is important to seek out opportunities that will help me continue to learn about the latest trends and best practices in education and how I can implement new teaching techniques to benefit my students. Throughout the MAED program, I was given many such opportunities included in my coursework, research projects, accompanying texts, and collaborative work with other educators. Throughout my time thus far as an elementary school teacher, I have sought out opportunities to continuously learn through professional development presentations. As an educator, I will continue to aim toward this goal because I believe that instructional practices are continuously changing and there is always room for growth and improvement.

 

          Another goal I had originally when starting out in the MAED program was to expand upon my previously gained knowledge from my undergraduate degree. When I completed MSU’s Teacher Preparation Program, my teaching major was Language Arts. When enhancing my education through my master’s program, I stayed on a similar path by choosing the Literacy Education Concentration. As a first grade teacher, I knew that literacy would be a major focus of my classroom and that I would be utilizing information and teaching practices that my master’s course would help me obtain. Although the MAED program is coming to an end for me, I will continue to aim toward this goal. Literacy plays a large role in education and I will always strive to build upon my previous knowledge and continuously learn additional ways to help my students succeed in this area. I plan to work toward this goal by seeking out professional development opportunities, the latest published texts, and other resources which focus on the best practices in today’s literacy education.

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Continued Goals

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            As a lifelong learner and educator, I believe my work toward these goals may never be completely finished because there is always room to learn, grow, and improve. I plan to continually reflect upon my personal teaching practices to help students meet success to the best of my ability. I will also continue to seek out opportunities to understand how to implement best practices in literacy. I feel that the knowledge I have gained during both degree programs has provided me with a knowledge and understanding of literacy instruction that will help to build the foundation of my future career as a reading specialist. I look forward to continuously striving toward my learning and teaching goals.

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