INTRODUCTION

Working in the field of Education is a journey; one that is continuously full of new experiences and ongoing opportunities to learn. As educators, we can anticipate that certain elements will be present at the start of every school year – there will be classrooms full of students, a curriculum to work through, families of various backgrounds impacting our day-to-day work, tests, projects, student conflicts – but the specifics can never fully be known ahead of time. There can be changes to the curriculum, a new student unlike any we have encountered before, a breakthrough theory that we need to adopt to better support the work we do, policy changes out of our control, or even a global pandemic that turns everything we thought we knew on its head. As such, we are never truly masters of our craft.

This is not at all unlike a hike. We can anticipate that we will come across trees, rivers, hills, cliffs, and valleys – but the specifics of what is around each bend can never be known for sure. Will we encounter a clear trail, a fallen tree, a muddy path, or a gorgeous view? Sometimes the walk is clear and relaxed, but other times it is messy and difficult. When we come across roadblocks, we have a few choices:

1. We can turn back and retread familiar territory.

2. We can sit, feel content with how far we have come, and stay in that particular spot forever. Or,

3. We can tackle the challenge, work through the problem, and continue along the trek.

There’s nothing wrong with occasionally choosing one of the first two options, but it is choosing to solve problems and wrestle with challenges that leads to the growth needed to become a better educator.

When I began working on my Master of Education in the fall of 2020, I had already walked a ten-year journey in Education. This meant that the path around the bend included a lot of familiarity, such as an understanding of various teaching pedagogies, forms of differentiated assessment, how to work with various students and parents, etc. However, I could not have anticipated that I would find myself reconsidering what curriculum is or should be, reflecting on what it means to be an educational leader, or using learning-focused conversations to support the capacity building of my colleagues. The predominant focus of my program has been on educational leadership and how to further develop my skills as a leader in the schools I work in. This journey has been a rewarding and eye-opening experience. Throughout this portfolio, I have anchored each course with a photo that I have taken on numerous hikes through my life. These moments represent the growth along the way; the unknown sights that led to new learning on my Master of Education journey.