Continuing to Learn and Grow by Jenny Luyckx
One of my main goals as a teacher is to instill a love of learning in students. It is my hope that they will grow up into adults who continue to seek out learning opportunities and will carry with them the curiosity and enthusiasm for learning that young children have. Soon I will be receiving my master’s degree in education, but instead of seeing this as an end to my education; I consider this to be the beginning of my journey as a lifelong learner.
But what is a lifelong learner? To me, it is much more than just taking a class here or there to meet the necessary requirements for a teaching certificate. It is much more than receiving a degree. To be a lifelong learner means that you are constantly wondering about and questioning things. It means that you do not just find the answers to your questions but that you apply them as well and then still continue to wonder and question whether or not you have found the correct answer. It means taking risks, trying new things, and expanding your abilities. It means taking every opportunity available to you and using it as a learning experience.
Although my structured learning will soon come to an end, I know that this is not the end to my education. I consider the ways that I can continue to learn on my own. I am certain that in addition to attending educational seminars and workshops, and completing courses required for my teaching certificate, I will also continue to seek out learning opportunities in the future which will help me to grow as a teacher, a mother, and as an individual.
As a teacher, I learn everyday from the students in my classroom. Children look at and form an opinion about things with such openness and honesty. It is through the experiences in my classroom and with my students that I have developed the ability to put my prior thoughts aside and view things the same way they do. I feel that this has allowed me to teach and reach all of the students in my classroom because I am better to understand how they “see” things. Because teachers are faced with new students that also have a variety of needs, I will make it my goal to become a professional on that topic in order to best help that student and future students with similar needs.
Having completed the master’s program completely online has opened my eyes to the possibilities that are available for learning. Before beginning this program, I was skeptical about the quality of education that I would receive online and chose the online master’s program because I am a single mother and felt that it was a better match for my family than the traditional university setting. From day one I was very impressed with the high quality, challenging, online program that MSU offers. In addition to the thorough instruction which I received, the program also offers the chance to work in pairs and small groups, as well as chat one-on-one or with a small group through ANGEL. This program also utilized a number of technology resources such as wiki and IRIS to enhance communication and learning.
My own learning experience through this program reflects where education is headed for students. Technology is becoming more and more available for classroom use and it is up to us, as teachers, to inspire students to learn when they are provided with technology. The courses I have taken have taught me that even things like YouTube and Facebook can be motivational tools for learning if utilized in appropriate and creative ways by teachers. Because technology is constantly changing, it is almost impossible to keep up to date with everything that is available. My goal is to do my best to stay as current as possible with new technology, and to find and learn to use the types that will be most beneficial and motivational for each group of students that are in my classroom
As a mother, I am constantly learning on a daily basis just by watching, listening, talking, and interacting with my three sons. I take the time to listen to them read and read to them. Being a mom is my first, hardest, and most rewarding “job”. I feel that it is the job that I want to be the most successful at. I know that I am doing the best I can by how happy my boys are and by the way they interact with one another and others, show respect, talk, listen, help, and want to be successful in their own achievements. As I always tell them, you are never too old to learn, and that is why it is important for them to see me continue to grow and learn along with them.
My oldest son was diagnosed with PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder) when he was in the fourth grade. Since his diagnosis I have educated myself so that I am better able to understand what he has and what I can do as a parent to understand him and help him be successful. Although every day is a learning experience and a challenge, I want to make sure that I am doing the best for him and to let him know how proud I am of the progress he has made. I still have a lot to learn about PDD-NOS and I know that this will be a lifelong learning process for me, as well as him. It is because of him that I want to learn about other types of special needs and have considered furthering my education so that I can work with children in special education.
As an individual, I really have no idea where the future will take me. I know for now, I would love to read more; not just read the required material for my master’s program. I would love to just “stop and smell the roses” instead of having so many deadlines hanging over my head. I would love to get back into scrapbooking and complete the scrapbooks I have started for my boys. I know that I will eventually take classes towards a special education endorsement, but when that time will be, only God knows. I guess you could say I am leaving it all in His hands.
One thing I am certain that I will continue to be a lifelong learner. I will continue to wonder and question things and search for the perfect answer. I am sure my interests and goals will change as time goes but one thing that will never change is my desire to learn and better myself. As I have said before, my time at MSU was just a stop along the way……