reflective essay
_____________________________________________________________________
Feeling Left in the Dust: Why I Began the MAET Program
by Mary Anna Thornton
When I applied to the MAET program, my goals as I expressed them in my November 9, 2008 “Personal Goal Statement for Admissions” were to:
1) “Update my knowledge of educational theory and practice.”
2) “Learn how to improve education through the application of innovative technology.”
3) “Update my knowledge of educational technology so that I can carry out my current job more effectively.”
4) “Recharge my interest in the field of education.”
5) Acquire a formal degree in education, which I saw as a “gap in my resume.”
6) “Learn enough to be part of the current revolution in education through innovative technology.”
After many years holding a full-time administrative position while teaching high school classes part-time and parenting three sons, with little free time to explore new technology, I felt that the technology revolution had left me far behind. I wanted to catch up, and I needed new intellectual stimulation to make me feel excited again about education.
The MAET experience has been wonderfully renewing for me, has helped me to reach my goals and go beyond them, and has been a welcome refuge during many difficult and unexpected incidents, both professional and personal, of the past three years. With the economic crisis, my school’s program was downsized drastically. We had to cut 2/3 of our staff, including my husband. We were sued by parents, who were outraged that we cut our services and altered our program. We were sued by a competing school, who accused us of failing to meet the legal stipulations of our endowment. My youngest son (then nine) began to grow freakishly quickly and was diagnosed with a brain mass; my middle son (then seventeen) collapsed on the kitchen floor one morning and was diagnosed with a heart defect. During these distressing events, the MAET program was a consistently positive and rewarding element of my life.
As my master’s program comes to a close in the summer of 2011, most of these issues are also resolving: my children’s health is stable; the new school program is thriving; and we’ve won all of the lawsuits, decisively. The MAET program has helped me to make many strides in my professional life: I’ve started a popular school blog for parents, a school Twitter account, student e-portfolios, and teacher websites. I’ve also become an adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and will teach a hybrid course this fall to graduate students. I feel I’ve met all of the goals I set out to meet. Rather than feeling left behind by the technology revolution, I now feel like I’m riding the wave.
Feeling Left in the Dust: Why I Began the MAET Program
by Mary Anna Thornton
When I applied to the MAET program, my goals as I expressed them in my November 9, 2008 “Personal Goal Statement for Admissions” were to:
1) “Update my knowledge of educational theory and practice.”
2) “Learn how to improve education through the application of innovative technology.”
3) “Update my knowledge of educational technology so that I can carry out my current job more effectively.”
4) “Recharge my interest in the field of education.”
5) Acquire a formal degree in education, which I saw as a “gap in my resume.”
6) “Learn enough to be part of the current revolution in education through innovative technology.”
After many years holding a full-time administrative position while teaching high school classes part-time and parenting three sons, with little free time to explore new technology, I felt that the technology revolution had left me far behind. I wanted to catch up, and I needed new intellectual stimulation to make me feel excited again about education.
The MAET experience has been wonderfully renewing for me, has helped me to reach my goals and go beyond them, and has been a welcome refuge during many difficult and unexpected incidents, both professional and personal, of the past three years. With the economic crisis, my school’s program was downsized drastically. We had to cut 2/3 of our staff, including my husband. We were sued by parents, who were outraged that we cut our services and altered our program. We were sued by a competing school, who accused us of failing to meet the legal stipulations of our endowment. My youngest son (then nine) began to grow freakishly quickly and was diagnosed with a brain mass; my middle son (then seventeen) collapsed on the kitchen floor one morning and was diagnosed with a heart defect. During these distressing events, the MAET program was a consistently positive and rewarding element of my life.
As my master’s program comes to a close in the summer of 2011, most of these issues are also resolving: my children’s health is stable; the new school program is thriving; and we’ve won all of the lawsuits, decisively. The MAET program has helped me to make many strides in my professional life: I’ve started a popular school blog for parents, a school Twitter account, student e-portfolios, and teacher websites. I’ve also become an adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and will teach a hybrid course this fall to graduate students. I feel I’ve met all of the goals I set out to meet. Rather than feeling left behind by the technology revolution, I now feel like I’m riding the wave.