Final Reflection

When I first went into this class, I thought I had made my decision with my major and I found that I was still unsure even after being admitted to the Education Program. I wasn’t sure I had made the right choice. This class helped me think of all the possibilities and consider other options that might fit my interests. Also through this class and my Introduction to Education class, I found that I really enjoy the idea of teaching and I feel that with time, I can grow into the role of a teacher.
Also through this class, I found that maybe there are other options I can pursue if I find somewhere down the road that teaching isn’t for me or that teaching elementary school kids isn’t for me. I found that I could go to school to be a librarian or maybe a school counselor. I could even go and get a Master’s or PhD and teach college classes. So I feel much better knowing that there are other options I can choose if this one I have chosen doesn’t work out for one reason or another.
I really found the Informational Interview, Job Shadowing and Networking to be extremely helpful to me. I really think the Informational Interview and Job Shadowing go hand in hand. I talked to the same person when I job shadowing and I found so much insight from her. She gave me such good advice and guidance to help me know what was coming in the program and what it really took to be a teacher when you are just starting out after college. Networking was also very helpful, because I have a hard time with networking. I don’t like asking people for jobs and using them just for my careers sake. But I found if I talk to family members or friends, then it is much easier to network and get the information I need, rather than speaking to a complete stranger who doesn’t even know me or my circumstances.
My plans for the future are to finish the Education Program and while in my last year of school, I will be doing an internship or student teaching. My hope is to get hired at the school I student taught at or interned at. If not, then I will build my network and start using it to look for jobs. I will also gather the necessary materials for a classroom of my own and consider looking into Master’s degree programs for a couple years down the road when I get more established as a teacher. I also want to move out of my parent’s house and start my own life as an independent adult and I hope by the time I finish my schooling, I will have the tools and the confidence to start shaping a life that is completely my own.