Just like with most everything else, when something is coming to an end, you tend to take a step back to reflect. While I did not think this school year would end, we’re only two months away from the last day of school. While my students never thought high school would end, my seniors now are on the brink of graduation! So, as this semester comes to a close, I am taking a step back and looking at all that has happened over the last semester.
Though I have had exposure to the area of Connected Learning, this semester, I was encouraged to take a step further by looking at Equity in Education, while also taking a look into my journey that has enabled me to be where I currently am.
I started my journey by pursuing a degree in English and secondary education. After graduating from college and after moving back home, it was difficult finding a job as a secondary English teacher. Thus began my two-year stint as a pre-school teacher. While I enjoyed being a pre-school teacher, I felt as though I was not complete. At this point, I made the decision to go back to school to pursue a Master’s of Science degree in Special Education. Unfortunately, this conflicted with my work schedule, forcing me to switch jobs. This actually ended up being a blessing in disguise, as I was able to find a job as an Instructional Assistant in an 11th grade Learning Support classroom. Not only was I able to complete my program and attain my degree, but I also was able to garner an insane amount of experience that helped lead me to my current position. Presently, I am working as an Autistic Support teacher at the high school level, while working to attain a Master’s of Education degree with endorsements in Autism and Connected Learning. While my last graduate program helped me in terms of getting a job, this particular program is helping me to be better with my job. Slowly, but surely, I’ve been making small moves. These small moves include incorporating project-based learning and technology-based lessons into my units. The eventual goal, though, is to create a full curriculum with lessons that utilized connected learning ideologies. Not only will this make the curriculum more fun, but I really do believe the students will get more out of the lessons.
With that said, let’s actually take a minute to talk about my students. My students are limited in certain skill sets that tend to come more easily to some of their typically developing peers, thereby creating an unequal playing field. As a result, education is not so equitable for my kiddos, as well as for other students in a variety of differing situations. This semester really forced me to think about equity in education, which then enabled me to realize how inequitable education is for so many students.
Thus, we come to my goal. My goal is to do my best to make my students’ education as equitable as I possibly can by enabling them with as many resources as I have up my sleeve to increase their chances of success both in and out of the classroom. My goal is to do this by working toward incorporating more connected learning ideologies into my curriculum, while also consulting with other classroom teachers to help them do this as well.
It’s funny how life takes us on journeys we neither dreamed of nor thought possible. So now, it’s my turn to help my students begin journeys that they too neither dreamed of nor though possible!
