Graduate School Anyone?

[cinderly]

I'm working toward my Masters of Arts in Teaching at one of the University of Alaska system schools. I chose this program because I am attempting to change fields from environmental remediation (tech editor/tech support) to education in order to pursue my long-held dream of teaching in a public school setting. This program is distance-based and leads to institutional recommendation for State of Alaska certification as a K-8 generalist. (I'll be seeking to add single-subject 6-8 endorsements through Praxis exams. Joy.)

The personal benefit of this program is that I get to expand the best six hours of my week (reading program volunteer) into a full-time job while continuing to work full-time for the next six to twelve months and moving into substitute teaching once I hit the more time-intensive methods courses. The professional benefit is that not only will I be qualified to teach, I can seek employment as a teacher prior to the completion of the program and look forward to a pay hike on completion of the degree.

Beyond the MAT and initial certification, I'm evaluating my options. There are a number of intriguing MS, MEd, EdS, and EdD programs in literacy education (my proposed field of specialization), brain-based learning research, and communications disorders, all of which coincide with my research interests. I'd also like to earn my reading and mathematics specialist certificates within my first five years as a classroom teacher because I hope to create an interdisciplinary classroom with those fundamentals as cornerstones, perhaps with a Paideia-flavored instructional approach.

The big reason I chose UAS over UAA (which is local) was the ability to continue working and the ability to earn certification for K-8 instead of K-6. UAS edged out a similar program at a local private university because I am not interested in paying triple the tuition costs for a slightly more prestigious name.