Answering the "What ifs..."
Katie Kappler
One of my closest friends and I often play the “What if…” game. “What if you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would you choose?” “What if you had to voluntarily cut off one of your limbs, which would you sacrifice?” And while this game could go on forever with seemingly meaningless responses, one “What if…” question always sticks in my mind. “What if you won a million dollars in the lottery, would you keep on teaching?” The answer to this hypothetical query is far more complicated than those that have come before. And really, would I?
When I first began the MAET program two years ago, my answer would have been, “Absolutely!” My focus at the start of this journey was solely focused on my students, their success, and their growth. When applying for the program, I clearly stated my desire to find new ways to combine technology with ever-important literacy skills in order to make reading and writing more engaging to my students. Additionally, “There has to be a way to bring the world to my middle schoolers,” I thought. Technology was the stepping stones to these goals, and the opening into which I could mesh my students’ everyday lives with the hours spent inside classroom walls. In many ways, this is still my vision. However, I’m not sure this is a goal that ever gets checked off the list; what if I never fully meet this challenge?
On a more personal level, I saw myself advancing my knowledge of new, innovative technologies and sharing this knowledge with my colleagues and my expanding personal learning network. In my mind, I wanted to develop myself as a leader that would eventually have the experience and insight to teach other teachers and others vested in the world of education. I even thought I’d like to be a professor at a university. In small ways, I have begun this work. I do want to teach other teachers, but as of now it’s just those close contacts in my own school. Once in a while I’ll show a friend, who is also a teacher, a new tool that can be adapted to their classroom. I post ideas on Twitter. Ideally though, I thought I’d be further along in this process. What if I don’t achieve these lofty goals?
Overall, the most central goal was to keep learning. Isn’t that what being an educator is all about? This is a goal I feel I have kept most true to. It was a goal at the beginning of my journey to obtaining a master’s degree, and if anything, it is a renewed goal now more than ever. I saw myself continuing on with my education and earning a doctorate degree. What if I accomplished that feat?
As innocent and simple as a “What if…” question can be, the answers are no longer so carefree and meaningless. Looking back, the answers were simple. But now, I have more “What ifs…” than ever.
When I first began the MAET program two years ago, my answer would have been, “Absolutely!” My focus at the start of this journey was solely focused on my students, their success, and their growth. When applying for the program, I clearly stated my desire to find new ways to combine technology with ever-important literacy skills in order to make reading and writing more engaging to my students. Additionally, “There has to be a way to bring the world to my middle schoolers,” I thought. Technology was the stepping stones to these goals, and the opening into which I could mesh my students’ everyday lives with the hours spent inside classroom walls. In many ways, this is still my vision. However, I’m not sure this is a goal that ever gets checked off the list; what if I never fully meet this challenge?
On a more personal level, I saw myself advancing my knowledge of new, innovative technologies and sharing this knowledge with my colleagues and my expanding personal learning network. In my mind, I wanted to develop myself as a leader that would eventually have the experience and insight to teach other teachers and others vested in the world of education. I even thought I’d like to be a professor at a university. In small ways, I have begun this work. I do want to teach other teachers, but as of now it’s just those close contacts in my own school. Once in a while I’ll show a friend, who is also a teacher, a new tool that can be adapted to their classroom. I post ideas on Twitter. Ideally though, I thought I’d be further along in this process. What if I don’t achieve these lofty goals?
Overall, the most central goal was to keep learning. Isn’t that what being an educator is all about? This is a goal I feel I have kept most true to. It was a goal at the beginning of my journey to obtaining a master’s degree, and if anything, it is a renewed goal now more than ever. I saw myself continuing on with my education and earning a doctorate degree. What if I accomplished that feat?
As innocent and simple as a “What if…” question can be, the answers are no longer so carefree and meaningless. Looking back, the answers were simple. But now, I have more “What ifs…” than ever.