I firmly believe that any successful individual develops, monitors, and revises goals until they are achieved. Just as I teach my students, the monitoring and revising is just as, if not, the most important step of goal setting. When I first began the Master of Arts in Education program with a focus on P-12 Postsecondary Education, I was eager to get started. My first goal was to introduce new ideas, programs, and practices in my district. While this is a very broad goal, I have utilized multiple resources from my courses in just this past year. I have just taken on a new leadership role in our special education department, so I have been able to put the new skills I acquired during my master’s program to good use! I will be leading teacher learning regarding our special education paperwork, so I am using protocols and practices from EAD 824 to guide and frame conversations in a meaningful and productive way.
Another new practice that I am currently implementing in my school is the development of cultural consciousness training. Our school has created a goal to develop our skills at working with our incredibly diverse population. I have been able to bring resources, research, and practical application ideas to my principal to help facilitate discussions of how to implement these practices in our building. To begin our discussions as a building, I actually suggested utilizing a new technology that was widely used in my courses: Flipgrid. One of my goals was to incorporate new technologies in my profession, so this was a great first stepping stone! I had never used this platform before my grad classes and loved the simplicity and ease of access. I thought this would be an excellent, quick, easy to use format for teachers to share their thoughts and ideas in a non-threatening environment. I look to continue to find ways to use this, especially developing different ways to utilize it with lessons for my students.
Finally, my goal was to develop skills and strategies necessary for working in a higher and adult education setting. My courses in adult education provided me with research and practical strategies that I will be able to place in my teaching "toolbox" and use them when I move into that setting. I now understand the difference between andragogy and pedagogy and have gained a deeper understanding of how more life experience affects adults and their learning.
I feel incredibly satisfied with my goals and how far I have come throughout the duration of this program. While I have achieved some specifics of my goals, I will keep the goal of being a life-long learner and continually looking for ways to improve my craft. Since the field of education is continuously changing, I aim to continue learning and developing new skills and strategies for the ever-changing education landscape. I feel that this program has provided me with practical skills and strategies that are deeply rooted in research-based practices.
If you would like to download my goal statement, please click the PDF link below!
Christina Johnson Professional Goal Statement PDF
Christina Johnson Professional Goal Statement PDF