Changing Education Paradigms

In my T&L 565 class, The Introduction to Scholarly Inquiry course, we are required to watch this video on how this British gentleman explains very quickly, in an 11 minute colorful and artistic lecture from pictures, about not only the history, but problems that face American schools today. There are so many explanations that it takes a few times of watching the video to get his point. Overall though, I found it really quite interesting and thought provoking. Tell me what you think!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U

To like or not to like, that is the question......

      It's been forever since I've been on here! Tells you how truly busy I've been since I've lasted posted on here. With three jobs and as a part time graduate student, I can never have a really quiet and boring moment.
      Grad school has been interesting. Really it has! Course it won't be the same like BYUI, but it's turning out pretty good so far. To make it easier, I'll break it down by class:

     *T&L 565: This is my Introduction to Scholarly Inquiry Course. Basically this is like a 101 course in college that preps you for what to expect and understand in a Masters Program. My instructor is from Peru and has been teaching at WSU (Pullman and Vancouver) for over 20 years and is the nicest person I have met! (Ok, one of the nicest which also includes you too! :)). One thing that I have liked about her is that she explains that this course is not meant for us to conform to her style and what she expects from us. Instead she said that this course is designed for us and it is our class and for our own benefit. I love hearing that! Our assignments have consisted of what's called "one-pagers" which are one page, APA style papers that are our responses to the articles, videos, blogs and entries that we read and observe that she has posted on WSU's internet website called Angel (like Blackboard). These articles so far have discussed Classroom Action Research and to the benefits to researching in the classroom. Not a whole lot of students are in my classroom, but those who are include full time teachers plus other substitute teachers just like me! Phew, glad I'm not alone on that one. :)

      *Special Education 301: Now this is an interesting course. I'm only saying this due to the fact with how it's conducted and not on what's taught (although that could come into play somehow lol). This class is conducted through teleconference communication, meaning that me and four other women sit in a minitature sized classroom and face this huge tv sorta stand that contains two tv's. There is a camera on top and another tv on a separate stand next to this two tv case. What happens is that the instructor (whose from the TriCities campus) pulls up on one of the two tv case stand and her powerpoints show up on the separate tv on the individual stand. The camera moves around and goes on each of us when we talk to the instructor. There are microphones on the tables that allow us to communicate with the professor (btw: those microphones are so sensitive, that you can drop a pen and the professor in TriCities would hear it. Yeep!). Overall this course includes three locations, Pullman, TriCities, and Vancouver. This is a general Special Education class where we go over the basics of what Special Education is, the disabilities described, the Federal laws mandated, etc. Basically, Special Education is an ENTIRE new language to learn and it will take time to get use to. Ok, my head just hurts thinking about it at the moment, but I know I will grow so much that it will all fit. :) I'll explain later what I've already learned which is a lot, like RTI, LRE, Referrels, IDEA, and so forth. See you're already confused... lol, j/k! :)

       Overall, I really love grad school, but it's getting some use to for two reasons: one, I've been out of school for a while and two, it's not an LDS school so getting use to the real world education will take some time again. Oh well, that's what education is for!

Fast Approaching......

         It feels only like a week has gone by since I opened the unofficial e-mail one evening that me told of my first general acceptance into the graduate education program at WSU Vancouver. And it seems only like yesterday that I got the official letter in the mail that told of my overall acceptance into the graduate studies at Washington State University from the head graduate studies department in Pullman, Washington. And now, within two weeks or so, I will be heading to my first graduate class of my academic and teaching career. Holy cow is all I can say, holy cow. Course, once I start getting use to this new schedule, it may come as second nature to me as all of my previous schooling has been in the past academic years. (And as I had just written that last sentence, this huge spider fell from my ceiling and landed right on the keyboard that I am typing this message on. Yikes!!! :S After 20 minutes of trying to find that creature, it is no where in site. I scared the thing right outta here ;)).
        After that little showcase, you are probably wanting to know what classes I am taking to start this new academic pursuit. Well, I had no idea myself of what I should start out with when I was given the list of courses to take for the degree and endorsement that I was taking. You may think the lower level classes, but since I'm new to graduate studies, I just wouldn't take the chance without getting advice first. So, I went to the gal in the education department that is the academic education advisor to get some insight on what I should take. And from what she told me are the two classes I'll be taking the Spring 2011 semester:

-Special Education 301: Education of Exceptional Children
-Teaching & Learning 565: Introduction to Scholarly Inquiry

         When I look at the 565 course, I just get intimidated by the high number of the course, like wow, I won't know what to expect in this class...........like "is it going to be super tough?", "is it worse than I'll imagine it to be?", and better yet "will I even survive in this high level course?" I know that when I look back at this blog post later in time, I know I may laugh at this fear that I'm currently describing, but hey, it's ok to be scared of what lies in the unknown for now. And it's good to remember all the wonderful encouragements that I received over the years in my undergraduate studies, especially from professors telling me how wonderful I'd be if I'd go pursue my Masters. Well, let's hope they're right, which I'm sure they are :).
         To make this new semester an even more of a happy occasion, I am going to go on a little shopping spree for school supplies! :) It's been soooo long since I've done this, but hey, I'm going to enjoy it, but not too much though ;). A trip to Office Depot I go! :)

A couple of days ago, I received my official admission to Washington State University Graduate School. The letter looks all official and stuff. :) I did not know before this that getting into graduate school was a two step process: first you had to be admitted to the program you were interested in, that being for me the M.Ed. Then that department submitted your name to the actual graduate school to be recommended for admission to the graduate school itself. This letter you see above is my admission to the graduate school. :) So, it's official!

*My initial journey to graduate school*

The process to graduate school has certainly been a long road for me in these past two years. Coming out of student teaching in the winter of 2008 was not something that I looked forward to. What I mean by that is that by the time I came out of my undergraduate studies from Brigham Young University-Idaho, which student teaching was the final chapter in to receiving my bachelors, I had recently become aware that the economy was about to tank. How'd I know this? Let me tell you............one morning in Mr. Critchlow's social studies classroom during homeroom hour, the students were watching a news program made especially for students. I was minding my own business, busily preparing for today's lesson when I heard the words: There goes the economy. Yeah, my ears perked up at that phrase and I turn around to see the television screen with soon-to-be president Obama declaring in his address that the economy was about to go down, not just briefly, but in a major way and an end was no where in site at the time. I thought, "this is suppose to be my time to go get a teaching job, why is the economy acting funny now?" Little did I know, it would land me in the position I am at this point.
        After graduation as Cum Laude, I tried my hand in getting a teaching position. Yet little to no avail, I had no success. Many districts wanted a Social Studies teacher with experience and specialization in areas beyond this subject field, which by that they mean endorsements. For those who don't know what that education term means, it is just a program you take at a graduate school to become certified and specialization in a specific area needed in the schools today. Since I had only just completed my bachelors in Social Studies Education Composite, I knew I had no chance against those who did have the endorsements that school principals and district officials were seeking for in the job interviews that I partook in. Since this occasion happened more than once, I knew what step I needed to take next in my educational and professional journey as a teacher......duh duh duh: graduate school.
       For the longest time, I had the hardest time wondering if I should take that route. Is it for me? Am I capable of handling that much work and pressure cause undergrad was hard enough (believe me, Cum Laude did not come for nothing, but off the sweat of my own brow and countless hours with my door shut in my apartment bedroom studying my mind out ;)). However, if I really wanted to become a teacher and qualify for the position I wanted, I knew what step I needed to take to make this a reality.
       I began by talking to as many people as I could about a Masters degree. Ranging from people I knew to people my parents came in contact with, I found a great deal of wealth in those individuals' experiences in graduate school. However, I couldn't get a clear vision about what I was seeking for in graduate studies for some reason, it was so hard to decide since I have no experience in this area! The most helpful advice came from a gal who attended the University of Utah in getting her Masters of Education degree in Special Education and she is currently the Special Education teacher at a local middle school here in town. She was a such a blessing for her wisdom, knowledge and loving personality really gave me the encouragement I needed to make this dream possible. The best advice she gave me was to visit each of the schools I was interested in and to meet with either a counselor or the director of the program in talking with them one-on-one about the program. "Come prepared with questions and what you are seeking out of the program" she told me. And so I did and this is what I came to find:
       -Concordia University: great school I have to admit! Very on top of things and great atmosphere. However, I just felt this program was just to small and too young in what I was seeking for, meaning I just felt it wasn't developed enough to be accredited with school districts outside the NW, which I don't want to limit myself when I seek a teaching position shortly before I get my Masters. One bad note was that they didn't have a Special Education program and learning this, I knew that Concordia was out of the picture. :(
       -George Fox University: This was the school that I had many people recommend to me. I was told it had a great learning atmosphere and it is very accommodating to what you are seeking in graduate studies. I'm like, "Great! That's just what I want!" Yet to my dismay, when I came out of the office of the Masters of Education Director, I felt a little bit discouraged for some odd reason. I can't explain, but I felt it. The director was the nicest lady ever, the program seemed wonderful, but something was missing besides having no Special Education program. Something was missing and I couldn't put my finger on it. I ended up getting stuck in heavy traffic on my way home from the campus visit and that just added to my frustration. Harumphff....I'll have to think about George for a little bit longer.....
        -Pacific University: It took me literally an hour to drive to this school and that was without morning or evening traffic. I could already imagine the possibility of this school ;). I met with a counselor in the graduate education center who began to explain the MAT program to me and though trying not to be rude, I had to kindly tell her I was for the M.Ed program instead. Yeah, I got a puzzled look from her seeing that I wasn't at the typical age for an individual who wanted the degree I sought since mainly veteran teachers are the norms of this program. Anywho, the girl explained the program, seemed great and even had Special Education as an endorsement! I thought, "finally, I found a school that has what I want!" (if you can guess now, I'm seeking a Special Education endorsement). Yet, the last things this girl said turned out to be the deal breakers to this happy thought: she told me I had to take the certification tests for Special Education and Science in order to enter the program. For any educator out there, this was not a smart thing to say due to one reason: if the only way that I can license to teach in those areas is by taking those tests and send them to the state, then why do I  have to take the program if I can already take the tests? Don't I have to take the program first, learn the stuff and then take the tests? Yeah, that didn't fly with me and so Pacific went bye bye.
       -Washington State University Vancouver: Ok, I had no intentions of looking out state due to the high out-of-state tuition rates, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to look. So I took the 30 minute or so drive up north and came across one of the most beautiful campuses I've seen in quite a while (Sorry Harvard :(  ).Walking all the way across the campus with a clear view of Mt. Saint Helens and up 3 flights of stairs, I was quite of breath! But I sat down with the academic director in the education department of the university and let me tell you.....that was the best visit I had with a university director in out of all the universities I had visited so far. She not only told me what I wanted to know, but she gave me benefits for joining the program as well. These advantages included the following: the border bill (since I lived so close to Washington state from Oregon, I qualified for in-state tuition (half the cost of out-of state tuition: $1050 per credit) up to 8 credits), they had a special education endorsement, I could qualify for a special education scholarship, and most of all I just plain felt darn good about the program. Once the visit was over, I walked across that campus with a sense of life: I knew I had just found what I was looking for. Hooray! However, I wanted to visit one more school before I made my final decision....
        -Portland State University: this happens to be the most popular (second to Concordia for local teachers) and the least expensive out of all the institutions I visited. Yet it turned out that their university website, being massively confusing, reflected how their program was as well. Not only did I have look for a parking spot in the middle of downtown Portland, but I had a hard time finding where in the world to go in visiting with the person who would explain the program to me! Never in a million years would I have guessed the location without help and making it on time for my appointment. The program seemed to be decent and I learned that Portland State did have a Special Education program, yet I could not start my studies in that area until I was completely done with my Masters degree. Yeah, that didn't fly with me one bit. Plus, the other questions I had to ask about the program could not be answered by the gal who I was referred to. Turns out I had to talk to 3 different other people to get all the information that I needed to know! Yeah, I knew from that point on that Washington State University Vancouver was going to be the graduate school that I was seeking..........................wow, I did not see that one coming ;)