May 4, 2007
Well, it's finally over. 3 years of night classes, meetings and papers topped with 15 weeks of unpaid student teaching, and I am finally free from the University of Phoenix. A year ago, I thought it was a wasted effort and that I would never achieve the masters degree that at first appeared so easy to reach. I never anticipated how much it would affect my family. We made a lot of sacrifices, and it cost us significantly more than the U of P would tell you when signing up. I could spend hours ranting, but others have pretty well summed it up on this site.
I had to cram a lot of material in the last couple weeks of teaching as the students were preparing for STAR testing, but we saved the last day for fun and celebrations. I picked up several dozen donuts early in the morning, and our master teacher brought apples and orange juice. Guess what the kids liked more?
We played some games, took pictures, and I spoke about my upcoming trip to Africa.
My mom has spent the past 3 years helping set up a new school in Ethiopia and invited me to come make a video documentary about the progress there. I explained to the students that education is a highly-sought privilege in Africa. My mom's school can only enroll about 200 new students each year, but easily more than 2,000 show up to register. If only our American children could understand what a luxury it is for them to have free, convenient, directed education, they might actually respect their teachers and care more about their grades. Think?
I learned a lot during this experience: how essential it is to be prepared, to be constantly observant of the entire class, to discipline effectively, to keep accurate grades, to keep track of policies and agreements, and how to arrange for a healthy work-life balance. It's amazing how much can happen in just 4 months, and I can see how quickly it can become overwhelming for new teachers. I feel more confident and capable, though, in being able to take on teaching as a career if that is what my future holds.
On the other hand, I feel stronger about teaching at a higher level such as ROP or Community Colleges where people choose to be there rather than getting stuck in classes they don't like because it's the law. Perhaps, if I find a position teaching about technology (video/internet), I will find like-minded students who are anxious to learn. So that's all for now. I may decide to continue this blog if and when I continue teaching. Until then, thanks for reading!
-Master Sierra-
