As I begin to think about my future as a learner, and where I am planning my life to go from this point professionally I am apprehensive, but also exhilarated. Over the past year I have been able to reflect a great deal on my career and where I see it going. I love teaching and it is a career I can see myself staying in for the rest of my career, however I am not closing my mind to other opportunities. I do know that I am looking to diversifying my experience, I have been in Detroit Public Schools for the past four years and I am ready to see a new district. I completed my student teaching in DPS as well so I believe I have a lot to gain from really experiencing a different setting, one that would come with different challenges, and opportunities. 

Teaching is my passion and what I am meant to do. When I first began teaching at my current school I wasn’t sure what they would have me teach but I was given forensic science and environmental science, I was terrified at first because I felt as though I didn’t know much about either subject as chemistry had been my major and the course that I student taught in. I surprised myself with my ability to learn and grow along with the students, and I have loved every minute of my experience teaching both of these subjects! One thing that I really want to continue to learn about in the future regardless of what I end up teaching or where I end up working is these subjects. I find myself deepening my quest for knowledge in both of these areas as I teach longer. I considered getting a masters degree in either of these areas before I embarked on my masters degree in education, both are still an option as I move forward, but even if I decide not to get my masters in either I know that I will continue to look for classes I can take in the area of environmental science and forensic science, or any other volunteer opportunity to deepen my knowledge in these areas. 

I have surprised myself in the many areas I have grown in and fostered an interest in over the past 4 years, one of which is educational technology. I have been asked to do several technology readiness trainings through my job and I have taken several technology centered courses in the past two years. I have always been fascinated with technology but also slightly intimidated by it, however throughout the past few year I have realized its limitless potential as it relates to teaching. I very much want to continue my education on integrating more technology into my day to day instruction. I have flipped the classroom, and had students turn things in electronically but I want to learn how to do more. I am very interested in exploring the free and cheap technological resources available for educators in order to make my life easier, and offer more enriching experiences for my students. One resource I have been recently exploring and plan to investigate further is the wealth of technological resources offered by Microsoft, I am fascinated by all the options that are available to allow students to have their own interactive notebook available for me to see and work collaboratively with them as well as many other options. Overall I am just looking forward to learning more about how to make technology work for me as an educator and give my students a more seamless and limitless platform. 

My third and final goal I want to address in my future learning is one that surprises me even as I am writing it down, I want to learn more about curriculum and standards design. One of the largest things I have seen teachers stress and complain about are the ever changing standards and methods we are held accountable for. Often times educators as a whole feel as though we are not a part of the standards design and the legislation that we are being held responsible for. I would love to one day be a part of the design process for standards and standards based tests that our children are being held responsible for. I have been asked to examine so many standards and laws over the past several years I want to continue building my knowledge on how these things are written and created. my goal is to one day help create these standards in such a way that teacher can understand the logic behind the standards and understand how to enact them in a practical way, as opposed to simply seeing that these standards and ‘best practices’ would work in an ‘ideal learning scenario’. 

I believe that all people should always be on a journey to quest for knowledge, and should be ever changing. This is more true for someone who is in the education field than anywhere else. Just because my journey to earn my masters degree is coming to a close it does not mean that I will stop yearning to learn more, to explore more, and to shape my goals and dreams. I am looking forward to exploring the many doors that have been opened by this journey, and to see where my new goals will lead me.