Post-secondary Credentials

      Universities and community colleges award degrees on varying levels. These degrees are often based on the field of work a student decides to pursue and what qualifications those professions demand.

      For more specialized, intricate professions, several years of advanced schooling and on-the-job training are required. Medical professionals such as surgeons or dermatologists will be expected to earn a PhD before they can begin a serious degree path. The PhD, or doctorate degree is the most difficult and time consuming degree one can acquire. Those who have earned it are considered experts in their field and have several years of specialized training. The average student takes 8.2 years to slog through a PhD program and is 33 years old before earning that top diploma. The next degree in the hierarchal structure is the masters degree, usually earned by those who want to push themselves in their career and have high ambitions. Students that pursue this graduate degree can expect to dedicate about 2 years of graduate school in addition to their previous post-secondary education- so half the time of a doctoral degree. Next, a bachelor's degree will qualify a student to work in entry-level or managerial positions, depending on the field. This degree is usually required for admittance into a graduate degree program and will often take four years to complete. Associate level degrees are 2 year programs that provide the necessary training to prepare students for entry-level positions. Finally, but not necessarily the least rewarding, a certification is a credential that you earn to show that you have specific skills or knowledge. They are usually tied to an occupation, technology, or industry. Certifications are usually offered by a professional organization or a company that specializes in a particular field or technology. Passing a certification test can take anywhere from weeks to years, depending on the field.

      My dream career would probably to become a surgeon in the Texas area. I would need a professional degree through a PhD and several hours of clinical training. Baylor University right here in Texas is an excellent school for medical endeavors so that is likely where I would attend to receive my credentials.

Below is a screenshot of a comprehensive graph that outlines so differences in the aforementioned degrees.

Issues in Education

My results from the recent education survey indicate that for the most part, educators in North Texas have strong opinions on the scope of our education and they all expressed at least a basic understanding of the current plans in national education. I was fortunate enough to survey a pool of educators who were "in the loop" on the current political climate of education. They were knowledgable enough to have their own opinions on changes that could and should be made in education and they each had their own compelling arguments. In order to make sure this insight remains common place among educators and voters alike, it is important for us as citizens to be comfortable with daily discourse. No change will ever come if we all agree with a broken system. Accepting failure and rejecting innovation is a philosophy that is sure to keep humanity stagnant and waste our precious few years we have here. We should embrace discussing issues with one another for a number of reasons. It has always been therapeutic to discuss an ailment and get your concerns off your chest. More than just relieving oneself however, open discussion encourages other view points to collide and grow.

My Multiple Intelligences

After a fun activity in Mrs. Kallas' class I was prompted to investigate my personal learning strengths. As no surprise to myself, my three strongest multiple intelligences are Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, and Music learning. Considering my personal preferences and attitude toward life, these intelligences are highly indicative of the way I like to learn and behave. I am heavily involved in music in all of its regards. As a musician I take practicing and learning music very seriously. At the same time, it is an immensely enjoyable and rewarding experience to perform music that I have invested a significant amount of time in. In both listening to and playing music, I become in touch with my inner passion and soul. This connection I have with music helps me to recognize melodies, musical ideas, and pick up on key cadences in people's voices. Often times, thinking of someone's words or a lesson plan as a song or musical cadence, I am able to clearly remember the information and context it was presented in. This is a very useful tool for learning new things or people.

As previously stated, my musical strengths help me to appreciate and recognizes cadences and subtleties in people's voices. This communication fun and fascinating for me. I lean heavy into the interpersonal learning because I place so much value in someones' inflection and presentation of their words. Social communication is one of the most fascinating parts of daily life for me and working with others by enjoying their personalities helps me not only learn more about them (another passion of mine), but I certainly learn the information better through collaboration.

Intrapersonally, I consider myself very thoughtful and calculated. I like to consider my words carefully before speaking or making a decision. Over time this consideration has become faster and I am able to greater speak my mind and discover my own interests at much more quickly. Therefore, a learning environment in which I have the capacity to think independently and weigh decisions on a personal scale would certainly help me make decisions I can be confident in. Although I love working with a group and getting stuff done "as a team" the benefits of solitary meditation can bring a sharper focus to a project and allow my to analyze my own input on the matter. I discover more about myself and can then be of greater use to the group.

Hemisphericity

The left and logical side of the brain is my stronger asset.

Some Characteristics

1. I am intuitive
2. I am fluent in using words
3. I am musically motivated
4. I base decisions on objective facts rather than feelings
5. My thoughts consist of words and phrases

Some Questions

1. Should we skip lines?
2. Does this look right?
3. Will this be on the test?
4. How many pages do you want?
5. What comes first? Second?

It's All About Me- How I Best Learn!

In response to Mrs. Kallas' blog prompt I have found that my strongest style of learning is auditory.

Auditory Learning is clearly the strongest category and that is certainly consistent with my daily life. As an aspiring musician, I find myself practicing and listening to music every single day. Not only does my musical inclination promote an auditory lifestyle but I also have a strong preference of verbal communication with other people.  I pay close attention to exactly what people say and how they deliver it. As a result, I end up remembering people's phrases, jokes and pick up subtle details in their inflection that can give away their thoughts on a subject. The nuances of verbal communication has always been something that fascinates me and I can appreciate when it is well controlled. I am more easily able to remember someone's phrases and the way they said it which is why a lecture or a class discussion of notes is my preference in learning. Even when I'm reading information or trying to memorize vocabulary, I will audibly recite key details from the definition or the passage so that I can personalize it and remember the detail for later.

My Biggest Challenges as a Teacher

After viewing Beyond the Blackboard, it became profoundly more apparent that teaches face a great number of diverse problems. The challenges Mrs. Bess overcame in the movie prompted me to consider challenges that I might face myself someday. A significant deterrent that I can imagine would be instructing a class of students who have no motivation for school or respect for me as their teacher. Clearly, a number of problems manifest from such a lack of motivation. When students have no desire to be receptive learners, the process of teaching is inhibited immediately. Regardless of how capable the student is or what means they have to achieve success, their actual learning is stifled by their