Throughout my time at Walden, I feel I have learned a lot about
myself and my journey as an educator. To begin, I have learned that I have a
great community of support which helped me to become more confident in my
ability to complete this program but also to help me grow as an educator. I
have found that I have established relationships with my colleagues throughout this
program and the benefits of these relationships will be endless. I have learned
that establishing collaborative relationships is crucial to my success, but
also the success of my students.
This program has opened my eyes to anti-bias education. I
have become more aware of times where I may have been biased towards others
based on my beliefs and understandings of others. While I have learned so much
about anti-bias education, I believe my biggest take away is that families and
children should feel comfortable and celebrated in the classroom regardless of
their diversity. Educators need to be inclusive
of all children and their families, while also being aware of their own personal
privileges and bias. I have become more open-minded and have already adapted my
classroom to be more inclusive.
Finally, I have learned the importance of my role as an
educator and how I am an advocate for young learners. I have gained a deeper
understanding of how an educator has the ability to make a difference in a child’s
life. Not only can I impact young learners in the classroom, I can also impact
my state and country. At the end of the program, putting together a Capstone
project helped me to learn that I am capable of implementing new ideas and I do
have the ability to be a leader in the education field.
Throughout this program, I have established a long-term goal
for myself as a professional in the education field. I hope to continue to be
an advocate for young learners by pushing for a more developmentally appropriate
curriculum for early childhood education. I hope to begin with implementing
more opportunities for play within the curriculum for young learners in
elementary school.
Thank you, Dr. Embree, for your support throughout this
course. The constant and consistent support allowed me to work to my full
potential while also pushing me to challenge myself as a learner. Thank you to
my colleagues who have completed this journey with me. I have enjoyed
interacting with each of you every week, sharing ideas, and discussing
different viewpoints. I have valued the time and opportunities I have had in
order to learn from each and every one of you; thank you for helping me to become
a better educator and a stronger professional in the education field. I wish
you all the best in the future and your journey to accomplish your goals and I hope
each of you continues to be advocates for young learners and remember that you
do make a difference in each child’s life you touch!
