The PURSUIT
I was a normal guy with a normal plan: seek out new knowledge, acquire new skills, and open up new possibilities.
I have always enjoyed going to school and the experiences, both social and academic, that go along with such an endeavour. Some of my earliest memories are from kindergarten. They include getting in trouble for "not playing fairly" with the wooden trains because I would not give my friend the train I had even though he was not feeling well, and at a later date, being selected to read Suess' Green Eggs and Ham to my entire class.
However, during my K-12 schooling I did not often feel challenged and generally jumped through the required hoops to keep my teachers happy and acquire the grades needed in order to keep my future options open. In doing so I gained new knowledge and skills though not necessarily in areas that I was particularly passionate about.
Coming out of school I had settled on becoming a pediatrician, involved in sports medicine, or a teacher. Though after some discussions with my family doctor, a pediatrician, and a physiotherapist I realized that pediatrics and sports medicine really were not for me. Furthermore, I neglected to take any biology classes in highschool because I had difficulty remember specifics and I was not willing to dedicate the time needed to do so.
I went into university feeling a bit lost and confused on the direction I was going to take in order to achieve my goals. My ability to procrastinate improved immensely during my first semester resulting in grades much lower than I had come accustomed to in high school. On a number of occasions I requested to speak to my professors regarding the sub par grades I was receiving on my assignments in the hopes of gaining some insight into what I was doing wrong and how I could improve. Some took me more seriously than others. One such professor sat me down and asked me what I wanted to get out of my education. We discussed my intentions and from this single conversation I knew the direction my life would take during the next six years.
In the following semester I was able to increase my average GPA by more than ten percent allowing me to then meet the entrance requirements for the University of Victoria where I would spend my next five years.
My second year began the way my first year ended and although my grades were better I struggled to find a discipline that I was completely interested in. As a result during my next three years I took courses in philosophy, sociology, mathematics, physics, earth and environmental sciences, anthropology, economics, english, psychology, and history.
I knew that I wanted to go into education but did not consider looking into the admission requirements of the program, and also the requirements to become a certified teacher, until the end of my third year. Fortunately, by the end of my final year I had enough credits in history and psychology to be able to list these as my first and second disciplines on my Bachelor of Arts degree. This seemed to be enough to meet the requirements of the Bachelor of Education program even though I did not technically have a major or a minor.
The Bachelor of Education program at the University of Victoria was well recognized and sn incredibly competitive discipline. I met the minimum requirements, and so I applied. Not expecting to get in I started to plan a years worth of travel that would likely leave me in a random country having completely depleted my almost nonexistent bank account. To my surprise, and my mother’s relief, I was accepted into the elementary education program for the fall. I was one of only six males in a cohort of fifty-six students; needless to say the small group of six I belonged to did not match up academically on paper compared to the other fifty students.
The following December I was finished, what I thought would be my last stint at formal education, and was desperately looking for work.
Fast forward six years . . .
I had been working as a Learning Leader for three years and no longer felt satisfied with my position and the politics that came with being in such a position. I believed my quality of teaching had decreased as a result of not being intellectually stimulated or challenged professionally. My school board held a session on becoming an assistant principal and principal. I attended and thought, maybe I should consider this progression in my career.
The reason I went into teaching was so that I could make a difference and try to influence change. This was also the reason that I became a Learning Leader and I figured that becoming an administrator would allow me to do this. It is here that I was initially inspired to consider pursuing a master’s degree.
I did some research and looked at various programs offered locally and also remotely through distance and online learning. I wrote down anything that interested me and narrowed it down to my top three. From here I had to take into account a number of things: is this plausible; can I afford this; would I have to take a leave from work; how would this affect my personal / family life; and most importantly, do I really even want to do this?
I sure did.
So, I went back and looked over the programs and universities I was potentially interested in attending. I realized that I did not want to take a leave or give up personal / family time, and that money might end up being an issue. This is where I decided to pursue a Masters of Education degree in Educational Technology and Design (ETAD) from the University of Saskatchewan. The program was well regarded and I recently met someone who just completed the program and had nothing but good things to say about it.
The ETAD program at the University of Saskatchewan would challenge and intellectually stimulate me in an area that I was interested in, and passionate about, while allowing me continue working as a teacher. I would also be able to work on my studies on weekends and evenings and I could pay for it all without having to auction off any my belongings. (I would later learn at the ETAD Summer Institute that the program, as a joke, has coined the phrase, “We are cheap and don’t suck!.” Now, reflecting back on my experience, I would have to agree.)
So there I was in the fall of 2012, beginning my pursuit of a master’s degree at the University of Saskatchewan with the hopes of opening up new possibilities.
However, during my K-12 schooling I did not often feel challenged and generally jumped through the required hoops to keep my teachers happy and acquire the grades needed in order to keep my future options open. In doing so I gained new knowledge and skills though not necessarily in areas that I was particularly passionate about.
Coming out of school I had settled on becoming a pediatrician, involved in sports medicine, or a teacher. Though after some discussions with my family doctor, a pediatrician, and a physiotherapist I realized that pediatrics and sports medicine really were not for me. Furthermore, I neglected to take any biology classes in highschool because I had difficulty remember specifics and I was not willing to dedicate the time needed to do so.
I went into university feeling a bit lost and confused on the direction I was going to take in order to achieve my goals. My ability to procrastinate improved immensely during my first semester resulting in grades much lower than I had come accustomed to in high school. On a number of occasions I requested to speak to my professors regarding the sub par grades I was receiving on my assignments in the hopes of gaining some insight into what I was doing wrong and how I could improve. Some took me more seriously than others. One such professor sat me down and asked me what I wanted to get out of my education. We discussed my intentions and from this single conversation I knew the direction my life would take during the next six years.
In the following semester I was able to increase my average GPA by more than ten percent allowing me to then meet the entrance requirements for the University of Victoria where I would spend my next five years.
My second year began the way my first year ended and although my grades were better I struggled to find a discipline that I was completely interested in. As a result during my next three years I took courses in philosophy, sociology, mathematics, physics, earth and environmental sciences, anthropology, economics, english, psychology, and history.
I knew that I wanted to go into education but did not consider looking into the admission requirements of the program, and also the requirements to become a certified teacher, until the end of my third year. Fortunately, by the end of my final year I had enough credits in history and psychology to be able to list these as my first and second disciplines on my Bachelor of Arts degree. This seemed to be enough to meet the requirements of the Bachelor of Education program even though I did not technically have a major or a minor.
The Bachelor of Education program at the University of Victoria was well recognized and sn incredibly competitive discipline. I met the minimum requirements, and so I applied. Not expecting to get in I started to plan a years worth of travel that would likely leave me in a random country having completely depleted my almost nonexistent bank account. To my surprise, and my mother’s relief, I was accepted into the elementary education program for the fall. I was one of only six males in a cohort of fifty-six students; needless to say the small group of six I belonged to did not match up academically on paper compared to the other fifty students.
The following December I was finished, what I thought would be my last stint at formal education, and was desperately looking for work.
Fast forward six years . . .
I had been working as a Learning Leader for three years and no longer felt satisfied with my position and the politics that came with being in such a position. I believed my quality of teaching had decreased as a result of not being intellectually stimulated or challenged professionally. My school board held a session on becoming an assistant principal and principal. I attended and thought, maybe I should consider this progression in my career.
The reason I went into teaching was so that I could make a difference and try to influence change. This was also the reason that I became a Learning Leader and I figured that becoming an administrator would allow me to do this. It is here that I was initially inspired to consider pursuing a master’s degree.
I did some research and looked at various programs offered locally and also remotely through distance and online learning. I wrote down anything that interested me and narrowed it down to my top three. From here I had to take into account a number of things: is this plausible; can I afford this; would I have to take a leave from work; how would this affect my personal / family life; and most importantly, do I really even want to do this?
I sure did.
So, I went back and looked over the programs and universities I was potentially interested in attending. I realized that I did not want to take a leave or give up personal / family time, and that money might end up being an issue. This is where I decided to pursue a Masters of Education degree in Educational Technology and Design (ETAD) from the University of Saskatchewan. The program was well regarded and I recently met someone who just completed the program and had nothing but good things to say about it.
The ETAD program at the University of Saskatchewan would challenge and intellectually stimulate me in an area that I was interested in, and passionate about, while allowing me continue working as a teacher. I would also be able to work on my studies on weekends and evenings and I could pay for it all without having to auction off any my belongings. (I would later learn at the ETAD Summer Institute that the program, as a joke, has coined the phrase, “We are cheap and don’t suck!.” Now, reflecting back on my experience, I would have to agree.)
So there I was in the fall of 2012, beginning my pursuit of a master’s degree at the University of Saskatchewan with the hopes of opening up new possibilities.
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go. You'll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut.”
― Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!