"Master Dea"

Please allow me to toot my own horn for a moment. Last week I officially graduated with my Master's Degree! It was a long time coming (in a matter of speaking). The program was only two years. I began fall of 2006 and took two classes per semester while teaching full time. Summer of 2007 I took three classes and in July this year was my final class! I say it was a long time coming because my parents always know better than me :) They first encouraged me to go back to school in 2003. But I always wait until I'm good and ready to follow their counsel. It took three years before I felt the desire to go back to school. I never expected to go beyond a Bachelor's Degree to be honest. Now I'm leaving the door open to the possibility of a PhD in the future...not anytime soon mind you. I'm enjoying having time for taking classes through my school district and community education courses instead.

I love the feeling of having accomplished a graduate degree with a 4.0 GPA. There were times I wanted to do just enough to get by :) But I guess my desire for better-than-average continued to push me to do better than that. I may not have done my very best in high school or in my undergrad program, but I've now proved to myself (and my family) that I can achieve perfect grades while having a life :)

Next on the agenda...obtaining added certification to my qualifications in education. I have a K-8 certificate with an ESL endorsement and a reading endorsement. This fall I'm enrolled in a class to prepare me for a middle school math test. In January I am registered to take two tests, a middle school math test and the secondary education test. Passing them both will allow me to teach math at the junior high level if I so choose in the future. Who knows? It could happen...