Coming to the end of this Master’s process, I honestly have mixed emotions. While I am certainly relieved to be finishing, there is also a level of uncertainty of what will come next for me, in both academic and elementary school settings.
I originally set out at the beginning of my teaching career with the intention of being a “great role model” for young male students, without fully grasping all the different interpretations, or subjectivity, of the title. Initially, I had seemingly grandiose ideas surrounding effective leadership for the young male learners I worked with, and often found myself unintentionally forcing predetermined ideals upon individuals who were either unwilling or unable to grasp the concepts that I was hoping to pass on.
Curricular content, discussion, and classroom experiences within this program have helped to greater develop my understanding surrounding the why and how of connecting, instructing, and leading far more students than I ever envisioned, and I believe I am a better teacher for it. At Godson Elementary, there is a saying of “meeting students where they’re at,” and within that to celebrate individual students’ differing definitions of success. This has been a growing process for myself, and will continue to be so, as these (individual successes) often do not meet many pre-determined societal norms that define what success means, regardless if they are in the best interests of individual students. This herein is where I believe positive relationships, true mentorship, and the most impactful influence of educators actually occurs; not in letter grades, summative learning reports, or standardized assessments, but in the growth and development of students that does not show up in structured appraisals of academic achievement.
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) has always been an important building block of my professional practice and will continue to be in the foreseeable future. Before, as an intermediate classroom teacher, I was able to manage my own class of students, but often did not connect with the larger school population as a whole. With the combination of a new learning support role however, paired with a growing understanding and knowledge(s) surrounding student development and what individual student success may look like for students with a wide range of neurodiversities and exceptionalities, I believe that I can have a more substantial and long-lasting imprint in the experiences of the students that I work with everyday.
Ultimately, the tenets of being more and doing more, will continue to permeate through my approach and beliefs regarding education, and will hopefully help my long-term objectives of “having more” influence, affect and impact in the lives of my students.
Where does my path lead from here?
Finally, I would be remiss to not thank those who have been my biggest supporters throughout this demanding, yet highly rewarding experience. To my eclectic, sarcastic, yet terrifically supportive group of friends: thank you for the consistent, yet needed levity. To my colleagues: thank you for your kindness, patience and willingness to listen to all of my scholastic neuroses with a level of grace that will not be forgotten. And most importantly to Ewan, Lleyton, Regan and Kelly: thank you for enduring my ability to be present less, while you’ve allowed me to try to become more.Â
