Career+&+leadership+Goals

I’m actually five years into my third career. I have spent 33years in the U.S. Army and 23 years in law enforcement. After several years of retirement, my wife, who had taught for 35 years, suggested that I might want to work as a substitute teacher. At first my comments were a little negative, but then I said I’d try it. Five years later I’ve become a certified teacher, teaching 5th grade students U.S. History. Much of my life has been in the service of others. Teaching has been one of the best jobs I have ever had. I actually enjoy interacting with the students and view this position as an adventure. I’m presently the social studies department head and one of the teacher facilitators for the district. I feel as if this has been a calling. I strive everyday to give students a positive male role model. This is something I feel many male and female students lack. For me, teaching is not a job but an adventure. My reason for pursuing this degree program started off a little selfish. I always strive “to be the best I can be”. After reading several articles about implementing technology into the classroom, I realized that most teachers had no idea about how to accomplish this other than allowing students to write reports. As I said earlier, my reason for entering this program was a little selfish. I was not looking for a position in technology, but to advance my own learning and possibly share what I have learned with my team and campus. I also see educators who are very uneasy or nervous when it comes to technology and my ultimate goal is to be the bridge that helps them to cross over into the 21st century. While many new technologies have emerged throughout history, so has the cry for educators to find meaningful ways to incorporate these technologies into the classroom (Klopfer, E., Osterweil, J., &Haas, J., 2009).
 * Career and Leadership Goals **