According to Arthur Costa the definition of reflection in the sense of education can be referred to as, “examining one's underlying beliefs about teaching and learning and one's alignment with actual classroom practice before, during and after a course is taught”. As teachers, it is something that we do very frequently and with every lesson, activity, and even interactions we have throughout each day. After 6 years of teaching in 3 different schools and 2 different counties, I can honestly say that after much reflection my goals have changed as a teacher. With the Covid-19 Pandemic, I found myself with more time on my hands and was given an opportunity to get a leg up from everyone else when it came to using technology in the classroom. When I enrolled in Michigan State University and began my masters degree in Educational Technology, I became a student for the first time in 9 years. As a student, I was learning a new way of teaching and being introduced to new resources that would help make my future students more successful. I became a teacher because I didn’t like the way I was taught. As someone who has ADHD, sitting in front of a textbook all day, not moving around and listening to someone else's lecture was not for me and I wanted to change the narrative of Social Studies education. My MAET program has provided me with many resources and opportunities to do that in the classroom using technology. After three years of full-time teaching during a pandemic and many long and sleepless nights, I have officially entered the final semester of my program. As I sit down and complete this assignment, I have realized that my role and goal in teaching have shifted focus from following to more of leading. I have learned and perfected the online teaching mode. As I enter my 9th year teaching, I have taken on the role of Interdisciplinary Team Leader (IDT), the goal is to provide support and help to other teachers who are struggling. I feel that while many people say they gained resources or an understanding of material, the main thing I took away from my MAET program was confidence. With that confidence my goals for the next chapter of my career have changed. I want to share more of my knowledge about the way I teach and how I manage relationships with my students. I have always been a hands-on instructor in the classroom and I want to challenge the other teachers on my team to bring their content to life. While I do that I want to teach others ways in which they can use online resources effectively and monitor student achievement and success. I entered into the profession alone with little confidence and now almost 10 years later I have more confidence in my ability to not only teach my students but to guide and lead other teachers.
References: Costa, A. L., & Kallick, B. (2018). Learning and leading with habits of mind: 16 essential characteristics for success. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.