Stepping into the classroom as a first-time teacher can be daunting. Adding the pressure of graduate coursework can make it even more so, but that小蝌蚪APP檚 exactly the task Alexandria Feaster and Kristi Benetti undertook.
Immediately following their respective college graduations 小蝌蚪APP Feaster from LA Tech, Benetti from the 小蝌蚪APP 小蝌蚪APP the emerging teachers enrolled in UL Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 .
小蝌蚪APP淚 knew from family being in education that I didn小蝌蚪APP檛 want to be in the classroom all my life,小蝌蚪APP says Feaster. 小蝌蚪APP淚 wanted to get another degree so that I could one day do something to help teachers but not in an administrative role.小蝌蚪APP
Benetti had similar inclinations and says she didn小蝌蚪APP檛 want to lose momentum by taking time away from her education.
小蝌蚪APP淚 wanted to go back to school as soon as I could because I thought if I didn小蝌蚪APP檛, it would never get done,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淚 saw my alma mater was offering a program entirely online. That was very appealing because I had a young child, and I had a lot to do.小蝌蚪APP
She was drawn to the program for its flexibility, and says she found it was exactly what she wanted.
小蝌蚪APP(The courses) reached me on such a personal level because that小蝌蚪APP檚 how I want to be as a teacher, to be a mentor to others and to my students,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淚 was like, 小蝌蚪APP榳ow, this is what I小蝌蚪APP檓 meant to do. I小蝌蚪APP檓 definitely in the right place.小蝌蚪APP櫺◎蝌紸PP
Benetti says she was able to take what she was learning in the online graduate program and immediately apply it to her classroom in New Iberia, where she小蝌蚪APP檚 taught the last four years.
小蝌蚪APP淚t made me research the problems I was having in my classroom,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淚 was already required to have these projects done and these papers written so when a problem came up in my classroom, I used that to devise a solution.小蝌蚪APP
Feaster has taught elementary classes in Homer, Louisiana, for the last two years. She has also chaired a faculty committee, served as a leadership team member, sponsors the high school cheer squad, and has been a teacher leader.
With her extra responsibilities, Feaster says she had to to stay on top of her online graduate courses.
小蝌蚪APP淭hings get crazy during the week, but I would make time one day a week to look at everything that小蝌蚪APP檚 due and try to make a plan,小蝌蚪APP she says.
She said she小蝌蚪APP檇 block out time based on what was due that week, how much time she小蝌蚪APP檇 need to get started and how much time she might need through the weekend to complete assignments or participate in discussion boards.
Benetti said time management was something she had to quickly learn working full time while attending school online.
小蝌蚪APP淚 had to really plan a schedule. Scheduling and time management was something I had to learn because I didn小蝌蚪APP檛 have to know how to do that during my bachelor小蝌蚪APP檚 program. I didn小蝌蚪APP檛 have a full time job, I didn小蝌蚪APP檛 have lessons to plan or papers to grade,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淚 had to look for help.小蝌蚪APP
In addition to careful planning, Benetti joined and adopted principles from the 40-Hour Teacher Workweek.
Feaster says UL Lafayette professors also helped students keep a balance by accommodating their professional lives.
小蝌蚪APP淚 had a lot going on these past two years, but as long as I was open with communication, they were always good about responding and were very accommodating. Most of them had been teachers so they understood where I was coming from,小蝌蚪APP Feaster says. 小蝌蚪APP淚t was always a team effort. You didn小蝌蚪APP檛 feel alone.小蝌蚪APP
Benetti says her experience with online faculty mirrored her experience as an on-campus UL Lafayette student.
小蝌蚪APP淚t wasn小蝌蚪APP檛 much different from scheduling a meeting and going to their office to talk to them in person,小蝌蚪APP Benetti says. 小蝌蚪APP淭hey were only ever an email away. They were very responsive with feedback and any questions I had.小蝌蚪APP
She says she also found support from her peers.
小蝌蚪APP淚 met with a couple of my colleagues I hadn小蝌蚪APP檛 worked with before beginning the program to collaborate for the sake of the course, which is what we need as teachers: like-minded individuals we can sound off with from time to time and work to solve problems,小蝌蚪APP Benetti says.
Upon graduation from the M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction, Instructional Specialist program, Feaster says she小蝌蚪APP檒l begin taking steps to earn a specialist degree.
小蝌蚪APP淚小蝌蚪APP檓 trying to get it all out of the way,小蝌蚪APP she says.
Benetti is taking on a different type of challenge, moving to a charter school in Franklin to teach English language arts, run the school小蝌蚪APP檚 STEAM lab, and serve as technology coach.
小蝌蚪APP淚t小蝌蚪APP檚 going to give me some additional experience, and I小蝌蚪APP檓 hoping that can lead to some instructional coaching and mentoring,小蝌蚪APP she says.
Along the way, she intends to earn additional credentials to achieve her long-term goal of starting an independent education consulting firm.
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