Reflecting and Learning and Growth, Oh My!

This blog was begun as a means to record my journey through this Master's of Educational Leadership. Originally intended only as a medium for my Portfolio, it evolved as I became more comfortable with sharing my thoughts among a wider audience.

My CityU ID

Scrolling back to my initial posts, one can see how my understanding of blogging has changed. The format of my posts - initially there was no format! - has become easier to read and more focused. This was largely due to my husband, skilled at marketing, and much more aware of various social media formats. Technological growth can be seen in my dabbling with Twitter (I opened an account in January, 2017), and in my slow exploration of its possibilities. Other technological advances - personally speaking - included becoming comfortable sharing collaborative documents (both in Google and Office 365), functionally using OneNote, and learning to move (relatively) seamlessly between Google and Word formats.

While all of this technological learning has been beneficial in many ways, it is but the tip of the iceberg when I consider my learning and growth throughout the program. Each post of this blog has been a way to record my thoughts, opinions, and impressions as we moved through the various courses.

It was never a challenge to find something that resonated with me during each class, and I enjoyed using the blogging format to outline my thoughts and reflections on various topics. I'm thankful that I had the foresight to recognize that I would likely forget pertinent information as new classes were begun, and so kept this blog up to date. During each class I would make notes as to possible blog post ideas, and then would flesh out those ideas during the following week. My mind was generally jelly by the end of each Saturday's class, so this reflection afterward was an excellent way to both review the material and make connections to my worldview. Occasionally, as I became more confident in my posts, I would share the link for the blog on Twitter if I felt that the content would be interesting to a wider audience. Just the process of opening up my thoughts that way helped me to grow as a leader, and I plan to continue blogging once I become an administrator.

I'm thrilled to have this compilation of my thoughts as I progressed through this Master's program. Looking back reminds me how far I've come in my recognition of how I can work within my own strengths and "stretches" to be the kind of leader who inspires greatness in whichever school community I find myself. It is a tremendous challenge, but one that invigorates me and encourages me to always strive to be the best I can be. Onward!