Prior to beginning my master’s, many of my instructional decisions were fueled by instinct. I could engage students with my energy and creativity, but I quickly learned that enthusiasm alone was not enough to ensure meaningful learning. After graduating with my bachelor’s in elementary education, I felt unsure of my next step. I didn’t move immediately into full-time teaching; instead, I worked as a research assistant at the University of Michigan on education research projects. While this experience deepened my curiosity about how students learn, it also highlighted how much I did not yet know about intentional instructional decision-making. I realized I was relying on what felt right, not necessarily on what research indicated was most effective. My master’s program disrupted that pattern.
I began my master’s program in September 2024 while I worked as a research assistant on 3 projects pertaining to discussion, equity, and curriculum reform at the University of Michigan. Unlike my peers, I did not jump right into a teaching role after graduation and certification; this caused me to grow unsure of my abilities I had spent so long refining during my student teaching and other teaching internships.
One class stands out to me in that first semester of my program. In TE 855, Teaching School Mathematics, I studied methods, materials, and activities essential to teaching mathematics, with an emphasis on conceptual understanding and adapting instruction for diverse learners. After a brief summer between wrapping up my undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan, I was driven and excited to continue my studies at the graduate level. This course profoundly shifted how I view and teach mathematics and I am so grateful it was one of the first courses I took.
Right off the bat, I began to see math not as an isolated subject, but as a flexible, interdisciplinary space where meaningful connections could be made. Finding purpose of and practical application for the mathematics being done in schools became a new goal of mine, and through the course of this class I discovered how mathematics can serve as a powerful lens for exploring real-world issues and fostering critical thinking. This approach reinforced my belief that meaningful learning occurs when content is connected to authentic, relevant contexts.
I knew I wanted to try and complete my master’s degree in just about a year, which meant taking close to 10 credits a semester- something which my advisor urged me to rethink. Despite this warning, my confidence and excitement surged. I had wrapped up a very successful fall semester and was ready for the next challenge. As 2024 came to a close, I felt inspired by the new year and decided to return to working in a school full-time and spend less of a focus on my research work. It was at this point when I found the spark I needed to give me the confidence to begin applying to teaching jobs in my area. I soon became a building sub at Cranbrook Schools- Brookside Lower School. Until then, most of my classroom experience had been in upper elementary, but my time at Brookside, combined with my graduate coursework, unexpectedly revealed a new interest in teaching first and second grades. This timing felt perfect- a course I had opted into taking as I pursued a graduate certificate in Educational Psychology was CEP 801- Psychological Development: Learner Differences and Similarities.
CEP 801 was undoubtedly the most challenging course of my program. The reading load was heavy, and the content pushed me far outside the comfort of instructional strategies and lesson planning. I studied how a student’s development can be shaped by a range of factors, such as prenatal influences, the effects of substances in utero, learning disabilities, family and environmental contexts, identity and sexuality development, and the complex cognitive and emotional needs students bring into a classroom. Unlike other courses where classroom application felt immediate and visible, CEP 801 required me to grapple with ideas that were sometimes abstract; I couldn’t always observe contents covered or test applicable ideas in the classroom. But that challenge reshaped the way I understand the students in front of me. Instead of viewing behavior or academic struggles at face value, I began to see each learner as a product of experiences, contexts, and developmental pathways that extend far beyond the walls of the classroom.
In ED 870/CEP 807, my final capstone course, instead of learning new information, I spent my time curating evidence of who I have been becoming as a teacher. In the semester of Fall 2025, I balanced wrapping up my master’s program, moving to a new state, and beginning a new position all at the same time. While during this time I’ve often felt overwhelmed, analyzing my past work in ED 870 has been invaluable in reminding myself my successes and how far I’ve come. I could see my progress, whether it be across just one course or just in the ways I would do things differently if given the chance. I learned how to communicate my teaching philosophy to an audience, which ultimately landed me a job at a school whose community I was really eager to be a part of. I pushed myself to not only share my “best work”, but also work that told the story of who I was becoming.
This class may be the end of my program, but I am finishing strongly with a portfolio that encapsulates who I am as a person and as an educator. I have genuinely enjoyed the process that making such a portfolio and website entails. Finding a website hosting service, designing my pages, gathering artifacts, and reflecting on my work has been such a gratifying process for me.