After working in public schools as a special education teacher's aide, I felt more than ready to be a classroom teacher. All I needed was the undergrad degree to be eligible for the position. With the job market in flux, I would end up needing more. I would need my Master's degree. I remember when I first learned about GMU's "Bridge" program. I was excited that I would be able to earn my Master's in a year and a half. Keeping in mind my extremely high level of confidence, I attended an information session and experienced a completely different feeling...fear.
Will I be able to keep up with my school work?
If I can complete the program, will I be able to find a job?
etc., etc., etc.
Now that we are getting close to finishing, most of my fears have subsided. However, if I had the opportunity to choose a different program, I think I would. This has been a wild ride with many pluses. Besides the chance to complete my degree quickly, I have met many wonderful people (classmates and professors alike). But there have been minuses as well. I still question how ready I will be when I start working in my own classroom. I feel comfortable now, but the support system in place makes it extremely difficult to fail. What will happen when the safety cord is cut?
At the beginning of this post, I mentioned my extreme confidence going into the program. Now, my confidence is at an all-time low. If it has done nothing else, this program has shown me how little I knew about being a teacher. I try to look at this as a positive. It could have been disastrous for me to get a classroom without this training, but sometimes the lessons become overwhelming. I'm sure my feelings are not unique. I only hope I am absorbing the multitudes of information being presented, so I can be, at a minimum, a competent first year teacher.
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