Why did you want to work in education? What inspired you?

Growing up I always wanted to be a superhero, nurse, or doctor. I believed all of these careers, real or fictitious, lend themselves to helping others. I was a child who struggled through school, almost failing fifth grade. I went through middle school and most of my high school years not understanding why I struggled so much. How was I supposed to achieve my great heights if I could not even be an average student? Finally, in my junior year of high school, my trigonometry teacher showed me how to be successful not only in school but in life. From that point on I knew that teachers could do the same thing a doctor, nurse, or even a superhero could do. Save lives! After my junior year, I knew exactly what I wanted to be: a teacher.

Why did you choose Thomas University for your M.Ed. curriculum and instruction degree?

As my second year of teaching started, I knew that I wanted to enter into my graduate degree. The question I asked myself was where to go? There was a local college that everyone attended and said was easy, but was that what I wanted? Easy? This college also required me to take an entrance test that was expensive, so I started looking elsewhere. Thomas University contacted my school board and had a meeting for candidates looking to start a graduate program. I decided to attend. The first thing that grabbed my attention was the programs they offered. Even though I taught elementary at the time I am also certified in other areas from middle to high school. Thomas University is one of the rare colleges that offers curriculum and instruction master’s degrees. Not only did they offer the degree I was looking for, but the program was also completely online. This was very beneficial for my family and me.

What skills did you gain or sharpen through your program at Thomas University, and how do you use them today?

Thomas University educated me so much during my graduate program. One class that made me grow as a teacher was my assessment class. This was one of the first classes in my program. I always knew how important assessment data was in education, but I never knew that there were so many fun ways for students to take assessments and make data easy to gather for me as a teacher.

Something new that I learned from my time at Thomas University is how to purposefully use technology in the classroom. I designed my own website and learned how to use technology for a flipped classroom.

How has your master’s degree impacted you in terms of your current position or a position you’d like to attain in the future?

In my current position as a fifth grade ELA and social studies teacher, my knowledge that I gained from Thomas University has improved my teaching skills. I have been able to display the importance of technology in the classroom. I use laptops every day with my students using the skills that I learned from Thomas University to advance my students’ skills and knowledge of the state’s standards and life. I hope the knowledge that I gained from my graduate program at Thomas University helps me grow as a teacher and one day become an instructional coach, so I can pass on my knowledge to others.

What was a challenge you faced during your curriculum and instruction program, and who or what helped you overcome it?

I was hoping to start and complete my graduate degree before I had any children. Well, that did not happen. To all future moms and dads or current moms and dads with the question of can I complete a graduate program while being/becoming a parent, YES YOU CAN! This was an unexpected twist to what my husband and I were expecting. I was presented with difficult assignments on top of lesson plans but never wavered. My workload from school was not unbearable. Most assignments that were given pertained to the related tasks I was already doing inside the classroom.

The teachers that I had were accommodating with the birth of my child and were extremely helpful in rearranging my due dates. Most assignments I had to turn in before my baby came, but it wasn’t as difficult as I was anticipating. So, if you are trying to blame your family or your future family for furthering your education, DON’T. I can promise that the TU family cares about you as a student. They try to work with you and accommodate situations that you might not anticipate.

What was the biggest takeaway from your curriculum and instruction program?

There are so many takeaways from Thomas University that I can take out into my life. I know now that I can do anything if I put my mind to it. I know how to be a better teacher. I know what it means to be a good leader and role model to others. I also know that one day I can apply ALL of my knowledge and be the best instructional leader and/or administrator I can be. The confidence that I have discovered in myself would not be possible if it wasn’t for the staff and teachers at Thomas University.

What would you tell prospective students considering the M.Ed. curriculum and instruction degree program at Thomas University?

If you are considering Thomas University, I would highly encourage that you make that jump. The knowledge you will receive will outweigh any cost you might think of. It was not by far the easiest, but it was the most knowledgeable program that I have ever been through. You will push yourself to heights that you might not imagine, and you will learn so much about yourself as a teacher and a person. In the words of Edmond Mbiaka, “Greatness is what happens when you aren’t afraid to relentlessly push yourself to tear down all your walls of limitations.”

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Class Times and Locations

The most pressing concern for teachers considering graduate school is scheduling. It may seem nearly impossible to have an interactive, fulfilling graduate experience while teaching full-time, but TU makes this possible. Students meet with their professors and classmates biweekly on a specified day in the evening. They know the dates and times for each meeting before the class begins, which makes scheduling meetings, childcare, and any other professional or other personal needs a breeze.

Not only are the meeting days and times convenient, but the locations are selected with teachers’ schedules in mind. TU offers cohorts in many counties around the state of Georgia, and these cohorts meet at convenient locations such as local schools. Furthermore, for many classes, cohort members can meet from the comfort of their own homes by using video conferencing technology.

Online Learning

As digital learning is increasingly prevalent, TU uses technology to make graduate learning more efficient for the working learner. The fact that students create and submit exclusively digital assignments means that learning can literally happen anywhere. As a graduate student, I was able to type assignments at home, at the beach, and anywhere in between. When I was on the go and needed to check grades or assignments quickly, I used the learning platform app to do so on my smartphone. Online learning makes the classroom available at all times, allowing teacher-learners to maximize work time.

Career Enhancing Work

TU is committed to building better teacher leaders through relevant coursework. The readings, assignments, and assessments all work toward the optimal goal of each graduate student leading students and fellow teachers toward success. During my time as a TU student, I used the skills that I learned in my classes to become a more effective teacher leader for my school and district. My TU assignments had a purpose that extended to my daily work as a teacher. I improved my classroom instruction, and I now lead training for teachers in my district because of my work as a graduate student.

TU’s division of education graduate programs are designed specifically for educators who are working in schools every day. Classes accommodate teacher schedules, and the classroom is literally available always. The convenience for teachers even extends beyond busy schedules, and allows for improvement of practice and completion coursework simultaneously. TU understands the unique and ever-increasing hats that teachers wear, and they built a program with them in mind.

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Innovative Ideas

During my first class at  Thomas University, our professor told us that she aimed to make her class useful in our careers. She wanted to provide us with valuable strategies that we could take back to our classrooms. This rang true throughout all of my classes at  Thomas University: All of our professors were educational leaders in some capacity. Being leaders, they were dedicated to engaging, effective instruction, and they had a wealth of observations to draw upon in addition to their own classroom experience. They modeled technology and protocols that I was able to use in my classroom immediately. Furthermore, they provided a wealth of knowledge about engaging adult learners. This was a skill that I had very little practice with, and  Thomas University gave me the adult learning strategies I needed to be effective in my professional learning community.

Community of Teachers

The cohort model was my favorite part of the  Thomas University experience. When I started my graduate school journey, I had no idea that my cohort members would become a wealth of resources and information. We were teachers who taught varying levels and subjects. From the seasoned teachers whose experience I gained from, to the new teachers whose fresh ideas and mastery of technology I learned from, every member of my cohort contributed to making me a better teacher. Even beyond graduation, I am able to lean on my cohort members when situations arise that fall within their respective areas of expertise. Furthermore, our classes provided several opportunities for us to showcase instructional strategies and activities. Observing my cohort members in action provided effective strategies that I could take back to the classroom.

Leadership

At  Thomas University, I didn’t just learn what teacher leadership is – I became a teacher leader. My coursework challenged me to identify issues affecting  my school, and use proven inquiry models to determine solutions. While at  Thomas University, I ceased to ponder what I would do as an administrator or district leader, and I realized the potential of what I can do right now as a teacher. It was this very thinking that lead me to apply to my district’s Teacher Leader Academy, where I worked with other teachers to affect change at every level. Through this experience, I began having regular conversations with district leadership about teacher and student needs, and I also lead other teachers in my district by facilitating professional development training. All of this was a result of my  Thomas University coursework and professors inspiring and challenging me to become a teacher leader.

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