Every Time I Learn Something New... There is Something More I Want to Know! Future as a Learner by Ashley Mellor
Each time that I have ended a part of my formal education I graduated feeling a sense of accomplishment and desire to learn more. When I graduated high school I knew that I had accomplished a great deal, but knew that learning about being an educator was my new task. As I graduated from Michigan State with my Bachelors, I had learned a lot about teaching, but knew that in my internship I would learn how to put those things into practice. Upon completing my internship I had gained a lot of skills from first hand teaching experiences and my next learning challenge would be to do it on my own in my own classroom. In my first year of teaching I learned a tremendous amount about teaching, working with parents, the dynamics of a school, but I knew I had more to learn. This brought me to my courses in my master's program. With all of these experiences each time I completed a stage of learning there was something else I wanted to learn and to know. As my knowledge improved in one area I looked at other areas of my teaching that I could improve.
I know through these experiences that although my program is ending my learning is not. I always strive to improve myself as a teacher and although completing my master's program taught me a tremendous amount about teaching literacy, working with special education students, working with students with challenging behaviors, and my own personal philosophy of teaching. As the realization that I am almost done sets in, I worry because I know I still want to know so much more. This program opened my eyes into the things that I can learn now that my desire to learn has evolved from what is teaching, to how to teach, to how to teach certain students. Now, I still want to learn more. My desire for information and chances to learn was only increased through these courses.
I know my formal learning journey has ended, but for myself my learning has only just begun. I look forward to the opportunities for professional development offered by my school district. Through a combination of online learning experiences and other courses that they approve for their teachings to increase their skills, I know I will find opportunities to continue my learning in this way. I also know that through the use of the internet and the different learning opportunities it offers through online modules, pod casts, and different teacher to teacher sharing forums, that I will be seeking out ways to answer questions I have through that medium. The different online learning experiences I have had through taking online courses thus far have prepared me for exploring these different mediums on my own for future learning.
When I began taking online courses I was concerned with the idea of learning feeling so far removed from people. As a learner I thought that I liked to be face to face with people learning things all together. Through this online program I learned that I like to learn at my own pace as well. I still like being able to have discussions with others because I think talking can help to increase what you truly learn, but even online there is a lot of discussion. Discussion boards were a good way to talk with others on your own time and not with a certain face to face meeting. I have learned the value of this type of interaction.
As my journey in education continues I want to learn more about differentiating instruction for all types of learners. I want to know more about techniques for teaching students who struggle with reading and writing. I want to learn more about observing student behaviors and finding out what their communication attempt it. I want to know how to teach these things to these students not so much what to teach. With technology becoming so important in our lives I want to learn more about good ways to incorporate that into the lives of first graders in an authentic way for them. I want to help students see that opportunities available to them through technology and all the things they can do other then play games. My courses gave me the tip of the ice berg in all of these areas but now it is time for myself as a learner to dig deeper and to learn more.
Using my past to project my future, I know that I will never stop my desire to improve as an educator. With each new thing I learn there is something new that I want to learn about. Learning something new inspires wanting to know more about that idea or others. My future as a learner will be never ending. As I continue as an educator I will continue to learn from myself, my students, technology, and other learned opportunities. As I continue as an educator I know that my learning will never be complete. To learn something new, inspires the desire to know more, and indeed this will be the underlying idea behind my future as a learner.