提升教育

凯伦冷却 ' 06, 20 MAEd, ’24 MSEd knew that Mount Mercy大学’s master courses were the next step needed towards a bright future.

Going into education was not always Karen’s plan. 在高中时, her math teacher suggested she do a teaching job shadow because she was already a math tutor at the time.

Although Karen did a job shadow with a flower shop and veterinary clinic, the elementary teacher’s job caught her eye. Karen loved helping out in classrooms so much that she would go to field days in elementary schools even when her classes did not require them.

Karen chose to pursue her undergraduate degree at Mount Mercy because she appreciated the smaller community.

After her graduation, Karen knew she wanted to take the next step in her education.

“I was ready for additional learning,”凯伦说。. “I knew I wanted to get to the next level, so I needed to get my master's.”

Karen returned to pursue her 教育学硕士. She chose Mount Mercy because she loved her professors, 想看看熟悉的面孔, 她已经准备好发展自己的事业了.

“I chose the effective teaching emphasis because I thought I might want to be in administration someday,”凯伦说。. “I felt it was the next stepping stone in my level of education.”

Karen’s classes have allowed her to reach more students by structuring the lesson plans in a way that assists struggling students. She could also stay more focused on the standards and purpose of what she was teaching.

“A lot of what I learned in class I could apply right away,”凯伦说。. “It has allowed me to take the kids to a deeper level.”

Although these classes were online, Karen still felt close to the people in her class. Meeting online allowed her to attend class wherever needed. This flexibility made it easier to balance school and life with coaching and her three children’s events.

“I still had a connection with my classmates,”凯伦说。. “I didn’t feel like I was just sitting there watching the computer and getting information.”

To this day, Karen still keeps in contact with classmates from all three programs. She enjoys meeting up, checking in, and bouncing ideas off one another.

After talking with her administration, 团队, 和其他地区人员, Karen felt that it would be beneficial to receive her 教育学理学硕士. This program would allow her to get her principal endorsement, which would help with her goal of being in administration.

“I have been very involved with district work and have worked with our administrators closely, 所以我觉得这是我的下一步,”凯伦说。.

Going to Mount Mercy for the third time was an easy decision for Karen because she appreciated the education programs' setup. It made her teaching position and education feel seamlessly combined.

“I didn’t feel like I was taking a class just to check a box,”凯伦说。. “I felt that I could apply what I was learning in class right away.”

Karen has integrated things she learned during her courses into her classroom at Harding Middle School, 比如Flipgrid, 逆向设计, 文化学习.

“I was able to learn things at night and apply it to class the next day.”

Some advice Karen has for current education students is to make connections with classmates. There were times after she graduated with her undergraduate degree when she needed someone to talk to who could relate to being a first-year teacher.

整体, Karen wants students to know that even though they may feel like some classes are unnecessary, there are things you can apply from every course along the way.

在未来, 作为管理员, Karen hopes to be able to provide a support system that builds camaraderie and high levels of learning.

“I hope to build a positive culture with teachers,”凯伦说。. “I want to create a cohesive culture that brings us all together instead of it being administration versus the teachers.”

Going through two master's and an undergraduate program was a huge stepping stone in Karen's career because it provided many opportunities for her bright future.