I graduated from MSU with my BA in Secondary Education and was bound and determined that I would NOT pursue a Master's in any area of education. Education courses were so boring, so repetitive. I pursued and completed my MA in English. It was a lot of hard work but I loved it. Then unemployment hit accompanied by bouncing back and forth from job to job, school to school. My MA was worthless. I missed working with kids but started to realize that I may not be able to find a teaching position and gain tenure - especially since I had 8 years of teaching experience and a Master's degree, which meant I was in a much higher pay grade than a first year teacher. I still didn't want to pursue administration or any other area which would require me to sit through course after repetitive course and, in the end, lead to me being consumed with paperwork and no valuable interaction with students.
I have remained in contact with many of my former students. Many are now parents, members of the workforce, college students. Many come to me with their successes and struggles when they just want someone to listen, to empathize, or to congratulate. Examining these relationships definitely influenced my decision to pursue my second MA in Counseling. My oldest daughter is a senior this year. I have always emphasized the importance of academics and over the past few years we have discussed career options, colleges, scholarships, and her grand life plan (yes, at the ripe old age of 16, she knows EVERYTHING). I have come to realize how daunting it is for students to make these decisions even with parents who are educated and who have attended college and who take a vested interest in them. I really hope to be able to help students feel better prepared for making these decisions as a high school or Job Corps counselor.
I feel like I'm just rambling now so I will stop at that.
No comments:
Post a Comment