Fast forward to 2012 and I was finally getting the chance to live out my dreams.  After years of babysitting, working in daycares, tutoring, taking classes, and doing all that I could to prepare myself for the world of teaching, it was time.  I had just graduated from Michigan State’s undergraduate program with my teaching degree and it was time to apply all that I had learned to my student teaching experience.  In addition to student teaching full time, I was also enrolled in two masters courses per semester.  Let’s just say that at this point, I was lucky to stay afloat.  I was completely overwhelmed by the coursework.  Although it was helpful in planning my lessons, the majority of my time and energy was thrown back into the classroom in which I was student teaching.  Of course, I benefited from our class discussions and the different best practices that I was applying to my lesson plans, but in reality I was not as passionate about my courses and they often felt like a burden.  I did very well in my courses and finished my student teaching feeling inspired and prepared for the world of teaching.

 

Right out of college, I was hired in Troy School District, which was almost unheard of for a brand new teacher.  This district was amazing with great pay, unlimited resources, a highly effective group of teachers, and the best leaders I had ever known.  I was completely humbled by the opportunity to work among these people and I was determined to develop professionally over the course of the next few years.  However, it was just not the right time to continue my masters degree.  I made the decision to take a break from my courses and concentrate on becoming a great teacher, getting to know the community, and really just learning to be on my own.  I truly think it was the best decision for me to take this time to focus on my classroom and my district at this time.

 

Three years later, I realized that the courses I had taken during my student teaching would expire soon if I did not continue my education.  I have always considered myself to be a lifelong learner, but I had taken a step away from traditional education and done a little of my own inquiry through my teaching.  At this point I felt established in my classroom and community, and that it was the perfect time to challenge myself to pursue my masters degree.  I had recently been given a position as a technology chair for my building, and while I felt like I always was somewhat “techy”, I knew there was always more to learn.  This was the perfect time to apply to the Masters of Arts in Education with a specialization in technology and reading.   Looking back, I know this was the best choice for me because it truly highlighted the skills I was looking to develop as a teacher and I couldn’t imagine getting a better education than the one I did from my alma mater.  My goal when applying to this program was to develop skills that make me a better teacher, but little did I know, the way that I think and practice teaching would change forever.

 

Looking back on my short time in the MAED program, each course has helped to shape who I am in the classroom and as a leader moving forward.  Although some courses were more impactful than others, it is the culmination of these courses that have overall shaped my teaching philosophies.  Three courses in particular stick out in my mind as being courses that immediately transformed the way I teach in a powerful and impactful way.  I feel they have been the “highlight” of my masters program.  

 

I have always been passionate about teaching literacy and I was excited to take my course TE 846: Accommodating Differences in Literacy Learners.  As a teacher who is passionate about literacy, I was very familiar with many different assessments related to reading and writing.  I always thought I was very analytical and used what I learned to help me meet the needs of my students, but this class took differentiation and assessment to drive instruction to a whole new level.  Most of the work was centered around a Literacy Learner Analysis Project in which I worked one-on-one applying assessment analysis skills and differentiation with one of my students.  My professor, Dawnmarie Ezzo, did an amazing job of carefully critiquing each lesson plan I created, pointing out trends in assessments that I may have looked past, and helping me to differentiate based on the very specific needs of my student.  This course opened up my eyes to differentiation and immediately impacted the way I assess my students in literacy, and use these assessments for targeted one-on-one conferring.  Not only did this course help shape the way I teach literacy, but it inspired me to research even more best practices in literacy instruction which has drastically transformed my readers workshop model.   

 

I have always been passionate about meaningful technology integration in my classroom.  My district was lucky enough to get a set of ten iPad minis in each classroom of first grade students after a bond passed, and it was my goal to get these in the hands of my students as tools to enhance their learning (not as a simple substitution for books or pencil and paper).  Most of what I learned about meaningful technology integration up to this point had been word of mouth, my own research, or what I had learned at our technology professional development offered in my district.  When I was enrolled in CEP 816- Technology, Teaching and Learning Across the Curriculum, I was thrilled with the pace that we were exposed to new media technology and tools.  Each week our lectures included really interesting research articles about how the ever-changing world of technology was affecting our students, as well as some of my favorite TED talks to date.  We were also exposed to different technology tools and were given the chance to actually play with them and use them, which is my favorite way to learn.  This happened week after week, until eventually I had such a variety of tools to help enhance instruction and engagement in a 21st century classroom.  Immediately, I was taking ideas from this course to share with my teaching partners and creating engaging lessons for my students that integrated these new tools.  I specifically remember one of my students saying to me, “Wow, Ms. Pertler!  You sure are finding a lot of new cool things for us to do with the iPads.”  Perhaps the most beneficial aspect of this course were the projects in which I was asked to transform a lesson or unit of study and integrate new media technology and tools into these lessons in meaningful ways.  Not only did this directly impact my students, but I was sharing these new resources I had created with my colleagues and friends.  Because of their positive feedback and the effect that I saw it have on student engagement, student thinking, and innovation for my students I decided to take on even more lessons to transform.  This course not only taught me some really interesting tools, but it reminded me of the power to innovate and get creative with the way that I engage my students with curriculum.  One of my favorite takeaways was that in the world of technology  it is not about the tool-- it is the learning and critical thinking that takes place as a result.  This is something that has stuck with me ever since, and is something I also emphasize when teaching teacher about a new technology tool.

 

My most unexpected turn in this program was when I began seeing myself not only as a teacher, but as a leader.  My position as a technology chairperson opened the doors to this for me, but as time went on I became increasingly more inspired to take on leadership roles.  It is hard to pinpoint at which point this truly happened, but one day I no longer wanted to just impact the students in my classroom--I wanted to impact students in many classrooms by sharing my knowledge with other teachers.  My principal had always told me that I had natural leadership abilities and that it was “in my blood” (my grandfather was a principal for over 30 years), but at some point in my time in the MAED program I decided I wanted to learn more about what it would be like to be a leader outside of the classroom.  I decided to enroll in CEP 816- Technology & Leadership, which made the most sense given my current role.   Although this course is not over, and it has not impacted my classroom as directly, it has certainly shaped my goals for the future.  I loved the work we did in this course about taking a community through a change process and how to do so in a way that is effective and motivating.  We also learned about creating a vision and implementing that vision in a strategic way.  We went through scenarios in which we had to make decisions, acting as a leader and take charge of how we would handle the situation.  I became thirsty for more knowledge on how to be an effective leader.  I began following inspirational leaders in the world of education on Twitter.  I started signing up for professional development sessions in my district and taking on as many leadership opportunities as possible within my building and district.  More than anything, this course lit a fire in me.  I was inspired.  I knew that because of this, my learning journey was far from over at the end of this masters program.  My goals for the future became more evolved and I was prepared to continue my education to meet these goals one day.

 

This MAED program was also entirely online which was the best learning platform for me at this point in my life.  At first, I was hesitant because I am such a “people person” and I truly enjoy conversation with my peers as a way to learn and grow as an educator.  I worried that I would lose connection with the professor and become a number.  However, I learned very quickly that this was not the case.  Between Zoom meetings (online video chat) with my professors and peers, discussion posts, and personal feedback I felt like I still had my own network of professionals to collaborate with and grow with.  I actually felt like my education was more differentiated than a traditional college course because I was able to apply what I was learning to my own classroom and receive specific feedback from peers and professors that helped me to grow professionally and develop my pedagogy.  Working full time and taking masters courses was no easy feat, but the online aspect allowed me to fit my work in when it was best for me.  This helped me to prioritize, manage my time, and thrive in my courses.  

 

I would like to conclude by saying that this Capstone course, ED 870- Capstone Seminar, has been truly exemplary.  It has forced me to truly reflect on what I have learned, where my goals started in this program, and how they have changed and evolved over time.  I have become humbly grateful for yet another outstanding experience at Michigan State University that has shaped the teacher I am today.  This may be the end of my masters program, but as a lifelong learner, this is only just one milestone along the way.