I'm Done! Well No, Not Really

Well I'm finally finished my Diploma in Learning and Teaching with Technology. Reflecting back on where I began in this journey to where I am now, I am amazed. I began quite apprehensively in learning how to use technology to support my teaching. At first I was overwhelmed and wasn't clear on the big picture. Over the course of the program I was introduced to very relevant learning experiences that reminded me just how consumed I had become in keeping up with the daily responsibilities of teaching that I became stagnant. Of course there are the small sparks of excitement from learning something new at a professional development workshop. But over all I think there is a tendency to be so focussed on trying to get through the curriculum and paper work that we become too far removed from the changes and growth that are occurring in education everyday. I applaud those educators that have kept that momentum up of learning, doing, and changing. I remember when I first finished university. I was bright, eager, idealistic, and felt so in touch with innovative ideas and pedagogy. Over the course of my career and raising a family, I had lost touch with that energy that evolves from learning and sharing with others.
The program threw me back into the act of being a life long learner. Not just the passive learning that comes from workshops or lectures but getting right into the research of best teaching practices, involvement with professional learning communities, and getting in touch with what students of the 21 century need from the education system today. There were times I was frustrated not only at the work load of the program but by my own feelings of wanting to do more in my classroom. I have a vision of how I want my classroom to run but it is a slow process with bumps and detours along the way. I have a direction and more knowledge to shift my practice and to grow as an educator. I really feel that going back to school has rejuvenated me and has given me back a little of who I was so many years ago. I'm still bright and eager, perhaps less idealistic, but certainly more realistic and yet still up to the challenge of preparing my students the best that I can for their future. I will continue to challenge my thinking and reflect on what and why I do the things I do in my classroom. So yes I'm done the program, but have I finished learning and shifting my practice to my satisfactory? Not at all.