My Master of Arts in Education program may be coming to an end, but my desire to learn and grow as an educator is stronger than ever. As I wrote in my Goal Reflection Essay, my ultimate goal is to earn a doctorate and become an education professor, but that is not something I want to pursue until I have spent many more years in the middle school math classroom. My short-term goals that I am focused on now are to be an anti-racist educator, become a leader, and improve my classroom management. These goals will help me become a more effective educator, which will ultimately prepare me for success in the future when I decide to pursue a doctorate.

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1. Be an Anti-Racist Educator

 

Being an anti-racist educator is a priority for me, especially in these turbulent times. I work at a school where both teachers and students are predominately white, and I think it’s vitally important to avoid staying in a “bubble” of privilege. I want to acknowledge my bias and start a productive dialogue in my school. I want to learn how to make my teaching more inclusive and how to make my minority students feel seen, heard, and valued. There are a ton of resources available to me, but I plan to start by reading Critical Practices for Anti-Bias Education. This publication contains specific strategies for teachers to implement culturally responsive pedagogy into their everyday lessons. I am hopeful that this text will equip me to be an actively anti-racist educator and promote inclusivity in my classroom.

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2. Improve my Classroom Management

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Improving my classroom management is another goal of mine because effective mathematics instruction cannot occur in a poorly managed classroom. Although my management skills have improved over the years as I have gained more experience, my easygoing personality can sometimes have a negative effect on the way I run my classroom. A lot can be learned through experience, but I want to be more intentional and hold myself accountable for learning about researched-based management practices that I can implement. I plan to read a book called Better Than Carrots or Sticks: Restorative Practices for Positive Classroom Management, which focuses on strategies to help empower students to address and correct their own misbehavior. I am excited to read this book and learn about practical strategies that I can use in the coming school year and beyond.

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3. Develop my Leadership Skills

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Becoming a leader is another goal that I described in detail in my Goal Reflection Essay. What started out as simply a goal to become a leader in my school has turned into a desire to have a bigger impact on the field of education. Although taking on leadership roles in my school has certainly helped me move in the right direction, I would benefit from explicit instruction on how to develop leadership qualities. I was excited to find teacher leadership professional learning courses created by the National Network of State Teachers of the Year that are available online. I am interested in starting with a course called Helping Colleagues Improve Instruction so I can learn how to promote student-centered instruction in my school. They have many other courses available that focus on different aspects of leadership, which I intend to look into as well. Completing these courses will give me the confidence and skills to make an impact on my school, community, and world.

 

 Conclusion

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The three goals that I outlined above will help me gain the knowledge that I need to improve my practice as an educator. It’s important that I become a master teacher before I begin the journey to earn a doctorate and educate the next generation of pre-service teachers. Being intentionally anti-racist will help my teaching be more inclusive, improving my classroom management will help me create a classroom environment based on mutual respect, and becoming a leader will give me opportunities to ignite change in the field of education. It will take significant time and determination to accomplish these goals, but I am eager to build upon my skillset. I don’t think I will ever necessarily perfect any one of these goals in a broad sense, but instead, I will continually strive to improve and grow throughout my career. The resources that I described for each goal are a good starting point, but I will not stop there. I am a lifelong learner and I will keep my foot on the gas, with my thirst for knowledge propelling me forward.