"It's on the strength of observation and reflection that one finds a way. So we must dig and delve unceasingly"
- Claude Monet
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As stated in my Teaching Philosophy, having a growth mindset is something that I value deeply. For myself, this means that no matter where I am at in my professional life, I am always searching for new ways to grow and reflect. I was recently organizing my Google Drive and came across the original goal essay that I wrote for admission to Michigan State University's (MSU) Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) program. According to the version history of this document, I had originally written it on February 8th, 2022. Over a year later, in the midst of completing my final two courses to earn my master's degree, I am curious to explore the ways in which my goals have changed, or not changed, over the course of my learning. Keep reading to view my original goals quoted directly from my admissions essay and explore with me the ways I have (or have not) changed in the course of a little over a year.
Goal: "I believe that taking risks and stepping out of your comfort zone is one of the most important aspects of being a teacher, and I feel that this program will provide me with an exceptional learning opportunity to do just that."
Before even reading my admissions essay, I realized that when I had applied to the MSU MAET program in February of 2022, I really had no idea what to expect. I could have never imagined that by June 25th, 2022, I would be hopping on a flight from Grand Rapids, Michigan to Dublin, Ireland, completing
my first ever international flight all by myself. At the time of writing my admissions essay, my friend that I met during my student teaching year, Jess, texted me telling me she was applying to the MAET Overseas Cohort program in Galway, Ireland in addition to applying for her master's degree. Almost immediately, I texted back that I was most likely not interested. We went back in forth for a few minutes discussing what this would look like for her, and within 10 minutes, I sent the following text message, "The only thing keeping me from going would be fear and that shouldn't be enough."
Due to the Coronavirus and concerns about Ukraine, the Ireland trip was not set in stone by MSU until the middle of March. On March 18th, 2022, we received an email from MSU letting us know that we had the green light to make our summer in Galway, Ireland a reality. Fast forward a few months, and I had landed in Dublin, Ireland and boarded a bus to travel the 3 hours to Galway, Ireland, the city that would become my home for the next 4 weeks. Through this experience, I not only grew as an educator, but I also made lifelong friends, a few of which will be attending my wedding in 2024. Although this was a goal that I had in the year of 2022 when first creating my admissions essay, the goal of taking risks and stepping out of my comfort zone has become a goal that I value even more due to this experience in Galway, Ireland.
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