My
EDUC 805 class was a voyage of discovery and self-discovery for me.
Although
I will not miss getting home at 10:30-11:00 each Tuesday evening, I
will miss the class. I
have decided to view this as the beginning of a journey, not the end of
one small trip. I
will have classes with the same classmates and I will undoubtedly have
some of our presenters for my instructors. Still,
it is time to stop and reflect on the lessons and the personal growth
over this first semester as a doctoral student.
I
recently read my first reflection for this class and I remembered all
the questions I had and all the uncertainty I was feeling about a gamut
of things. Some
of them caused me to smile because I had worried over nothing.
Some
of them are still concerns for me. But,
as I read through all of my reflections, I could see the progress I was
making, even though it was not apparent to me at the time I was writing
them. Each
week, I was seeing more of the whole picture, seeing the connections
between seemingly disparate parts of the CoP, seeing the interweaving
of the tapestry of the education CoP. It
seems much clearer now. I
chide myself with wondering I did not see this back in January.
These
days my head is full of thoughts about what I am going to learn in the
Summer semester and how I can apply the knowledge which I have garnered
here in my future learning.
I
have no joy about this class ending because I have learned so much and
have made good friends with several of my classmates. I
greatly enjoyed the collegial atmosphere and the generosity of the
speakers with their time, their information and their advice.
But,
more importantly for me, I can see how much I have learned and how I
can now see much better how all the seemingly disparate parts of a CoP
are inextricably entwined, mutually supportive, and mutually dependent.
It is
so much more than a big group of people with a common interest in
education. I
am anxious to be more active member and to start contributing.
In
truth, this all still has an ethereal glow to it. I still
think that I am going to wake up and realize that this has all been a
lovely, ambitious dream. I am starting to grasp that this is
really happening, that I really am part of this vital and vibrant
community and that I have taken the first steps in my life’s
big, big adventure. And, I have landed at the best place
possible for me to pursue my dreams of improving mathematics
education. I am part of a CoP which will help me and guide me
and the community to which I will contribute. I really am an
emerging scholar. What could be better!