When I began my master’s program, my goals were simple enough. I wanted to be able to lead my students more effectively, to have better tools for helping those who were behind in their literacy skills, and to be able to move from provisional certification in teaching to professional. These goals made sense because my degree would be a Masters in the Art of Literacy Instruction and Leadership for Secondary Schools.

     

As I progressed through this program, however, it became clear to me that many of the goals that I gave myself for this program were much more complicated than they originally seemed. There are many reasons that students struggle with literacy and behavior, and not all of them have something to do with ability. Which students did I want to help? All of them? How did I want to help them when they needed such drastically different accommodations or interventions? Part of teaching literacy is being able to differentiate. What did I mean by lead my students more effectively? Did that mean that I should think of myself as a better leader, or that my students would feel more secure in the grade level content I was teaching? What would be the measure of this?  Would moving from my provisional to professional license make a whole lot of difference for me in my district? My pay grade? What was the real reason I wanted to complete a program in a mere year and a half? These were pieces of the puzzle I hadn’t considered in-depth.

     

Now that I have had time to consider my previous goals and work through the courses at Michigan State University, I have come up with more specific, attainable goals for myself. It now seems obvious to me that becoming a better leader in the classroom will happen naturally if I have the academic and empathetic tools to become a resource and guide. Attaining my professional certification is now a real and clear reality, waiting for me just after my diploma, and it isn’t the climactic event I thought it would be, because the knowledge and tools that I have gained in the program were more tangible to me in everyday use than a piece of paper ever could strive to be.

     

In this program specifically, my new goals are to learn more about specific types of learners and how to troubleshoot literacy gaps that my students may have. Insofar as leadership goes, I want to learn how to be a person that can lead professional development in literacy and technology effectively, taking into account my audience and purpose.  These goals may seem utterly changed from my original goals upon entering my program here at Michigan State, but I believe that they keep with the same spirit. I want to become better at my craft. I want to be able to change my specific school in a positive way. I want to be the best English teacher possible to my middle school students.