Keeping on the Path, Even if the Destination is Unknown

MATC Synthesis Paper

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the

Master of Arts Degree in Teaching and Curriculum

Department of Teacher Education
Michigan State University

Stephanie Hendrickson (Krive)

A34764761
April 17, 2016
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Introduction
My teaching story is not unique because I knew when I was young I wanted to work with
children. Nor is it because I had a good experience during my student teaching and ultimately found a
job and classroom of my own. While both are true, they are not particularly unique to me. My story is
special because it has been filled with a series of unexpected turns and events that have led me to this
very moment in my career. Following my student teaching at the second grade level, I took a chance
and moved to France in order to spend a year teaching English there. While this was an amazing
adventure, it felt strange at the time since many of my friends were scrambling through applications
and interviews looking for their first teaching positions back in the States. When I moved home the
next summer, I landed my first teaching job in Traverse City, MI, teaching French and ESL at the
middle school level. While I adored the content area, I did not always love the attitude that pairs with
that particular age level. I was excited and scared, and knew I still had a lot to learn.
I started in the MATC program during my third year at East Middle School. That same year,
things in my personal life changed for the better, and so a change was brewing with my career. At the
end of that school year, I packed up and headed downstate in search of a new teaching position, luckily
finding one in the Lansing School District. My fourth year of teaching, and second year of the MATC
program, was spent with a sixth grade class of English Language Learners (ELLs). I was excited to get
a chance to use my ESL certification even more, but wasnt thrilled about the similar age level of
students. Even so, I poured my heart into those students, loving the amazing opportunity to celebrate so
many cultures and languages in one classroom. And now here I am, in my fifth year of teaching, once
again with a new grade level (fourth) and so much more to learn. While I am happier as a teacher than I
have ever been, things are still often challenging and always rushed.
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I look at the pace at which I have taken my courses in the MATC program as a genuine gift. I
cannot seem to adequately express how grateful I am to have continued my teaching education while
teaching. So much of what you learn during your undergraduate teacher preparation is vital and will
become applicable, but learning on a deeper level at the same time as seeing it firsthand in your
classroom everyday is so incredibly valuable.

My Refusal to be the Statistic

When I chose to begin my MATC journey, I had taught in a public school for two years and I
was beginning to question my abilities as a teacher. I felt pretty confident with the curriculum by that
point, but the sheer exhaustion that comes with this line of work was really starting to get to me. On top
of that, I had always dreamed of working with younger students and that seemed worlds away from
where I was. My self-confidence had been shaken time and time again by my mediocre skills in
assessment-writing, management, and working with ELLs. My ability to withstand the pressure that
comes with teaching was fading, and I truly was not sure I would be able stick it out for another 33
years. As I peruse my early masters work I find pieces like Artifact 1, an essay I wrote on the decline in
teacher satisfaction. It is very clear to me now just how nervous I was to begin a program in a career
that I still wasnt certain I would last in.
I recently read through my students Adventure Fiction writing and had a stark realization about
a connection between my early MATC writing and theirs. Each time I read one of my students pieces, I
noticed that their stories would begin by being about princesses or ninjas. Over the paragraphs,
however, the story would always become infiltrated by their own personal stories, with characters
being bullied or becoming friends, feeling happy to see family or missing someone they care about. So
too, I was writing about teachers leaving with a touch of my own personal inspiration. Would I be a
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victim to the overwhelming dissatisfaction and leave one day? Or would I continue to teach for the next
few years or more? And would I ever get to move to an elementary position? There was no way to
know, of course, but I have never been the quitting type. So, I began settling into this program feeling
somewhat unsure of what changes it would make in my career and life.
In Artifact 1, I discussed many reasons why teachers go through what is called burnout or
even choose to explore other career paths, and I believe there is a part of me that was considering this
as a possibility in my future if things were to not click into place, so to speak. Although, as I sit and
synthesize my experience in the MATC program now that it is three years later, its easy to see now
how much I truly have grown. I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for this program, as it has
been largely responsible for my decision to keep teaching. Furthermore, I feel very lucky to have taken
my time on my masters, all the while working with my students along the way. Being able to
implement the skills I was learning right away, with my own students whom I knew and know so well,
has made a massive difference.

Assessment and Management No, They Dont Just Come Naturally

Something I was seeking out of the MATC program was guidance in running my classroom like
a well-oiled machine. I wanted to develop classroom management techniques that looked easy to an
outside observer. I also really wanted help in planning and administering effective and fair assessments
in my classes. The more time I spent researching and reading for my classes in the MATC program, the
more exposure I got to helpful tips and methods that I could fill my classroom toolbox with.
Particularly with classroom management help, I noticed I was finding the same sorts of
suggestions in book after book, which I truthfully didnt mind as I often would need the reminders to
try things multiple times before they clicked for me and my teaching situation. An honest and
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uncomfortable example of this in my own teaching is the following case: It does not matter how many
times you read the terms, Make your expectations clear to the students at the start of every lesson. If
you do not internalize what this means, you probably wont do it quite right, and you will be frustrated.
Thankfully one day, after being reminded of this yet another time, I finally and very explicitly said to
my students what I wanted them to do. It felt strange and silly to state this in such an obvious way, but I
did it anyhow. I remember this day vividly, because it was the first time I felt like a group work activity
in class actually went well! What a revelation this was to me, with the lack of frustration and the rich
and wonderful discussions the kids were having. This is just one of many examples in which I regained
some of my self-confidence and control in my classroom, and now after almost five years of teaching
my management techniques have started to run like clockwork.
The other help I was seeking was in assessment writing and administration. I had had very little
experience with this before becoming a teacher, and then suddenly I was the only French teacher in my
building. I was able to get some resources from other French teachers in the district, but my face-toface contact with them was limited. Fortunately for me, LLT 808 could not have come at a better time.
The readings and class discussions from this course brought to light the strict importance of fair and
valid testing of students, especially Designing and Analyzing Language Tests by N. T. Carr (2011).
Artifact 2 is a French unit test analysis and it is incredibly significant to me for two reasons. The first is
that it was a great way to take a much closer look at a test I had given without much thought for the two
years prior to this course. It allowed me to actively study this test and what it was showing me, as
opposed to the passive nature I displayed when giving it in the past. The second, and more outstanding,
reason for its importance to me is that it signifies one of the most startling shifts in understanding I
have had in this program. It was one of the first times I had been forced to investigate something so
deeply, and rely on pure data for answers. This course taught me how to use Microsoft Excel, and what
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factors to be looking at when researching assessments to use and when developing tests of my own. I
became keenly aware of the tone and intention behind test questions and how easily they could be
improved with small changes. This artifact stands for a moment when my teaching was transformed.
My intentions instantly went from striving for basic, surface-level understanding in my students to
deep, specific content understanding. It suddenly became clear why data collection and observation can
be so powerful. This pivotal experience redefined my identity as an educator, and brought me closer to
my students and their learning potential.

Teaching Language Learners is my Calling

If you were to sit down with me in 2009 when my post-graduate studies began, or even in 2013
when I really dove into the MATC program, I never would have guessed that my teaching path would
have allowed me to make such a strong connection to English Language Learners. During my
undergraduate years at Michigan State University, I knew I wanted to teach elementary school and I
knew I loved the French language and culture. I decided to specialize in TESOL as well as French
simply because it seemed like a logical addition, not due to any strong feelings I had about ESL
instruction. My first experience teaching English was in France during 2010-2011, when I taught
English as a Foreign Language. To my surprise, I loved it! For many reasons this was an extraordinary
time in my life, but I did not expect to enjoy teaching exclusively language skills so much. Back at
home when I got my French teaching job up north, administration tried to assist me by filling my
schedule with one hour of ESL instruction. Once again, I was amazed by how much I enjoyed that hour
of each school day. While I felt that French was my passion, there was something special about the
genuine purpose I experienced in teaching my ELLs the ability to communicate effectively at school

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and beyond. There was something very real and rewarding about the work we were doing together and
the progress they were making.
One year into the MATC program, my life took an unexpected and happy turn and I decided to
move back to the Lansing area. It was hard leaving my first job in Traverse City, but I was thrilled
about the possibility of finding an elementary position. To my utter disbelief, the position I ended up
with was in an elementary school in which over half of the population speaks a first language other
than English. I did not know that such a place existed, but here I was, getting the chance to teach all
subject areas like I had been dreaming of, while celebrating so many different cultures of the world and
helping English learners to be as successful as possible.
In looking at Artifact 3, it is so clear to me that language has always been fascinating and
important to me. I included this one as a discussion piece of fluency vs. communication, and how
beyond that languages are ever changing. This sheds light on our students abilities to communicate
effectively in both the academic setting (using CALP, or Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency)
and in casual situations (using BICS, or Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills).
I also want to address the strong focus of my MATC journey on English Language Learners and
how to best instruct them. It felt important to me to continue my education in the direction of English
language instruction, but I could not have guessed just how much of an effect this would have on me by
this point in my teaching. I was drawn to classes like LLT 808, TE 845, and TE 892 before I was even
teaching in my current building. But as fate and destiny would have it, I have been preparing for my
former, current, and future ELLs the whole time. Artifacts 4 and 5 are included in my portfolio to
showcase some of my ELLs and the lessons I planned specifically for them through what I learned in
my courses.

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Goals for the Future

So, journeying from Artifact 1 to this very moment, it is probably clear that I not only stuck
things out in teaching, but I have also learned to embrace my role as an elementary teacher with a huge
heart for English Language Learners. My incredibly enlightening time in the MATC program may be
coming to a close, but as I move forward I will not stop challenging myself to take risks as I attempt to
reach every student no matter where they are in their academic abilities. Many of my future students
will have challenges to face themselves as they attempt to overcome language barriers of various sizes,
and I plan to be right by their sides with my box of tools and tricks to help them learn the best ways to
communicate their thoughts. I desire to stay on top of the best practices in teaching, and this will
require me to keep learning as I venture onward. Consequently, I hope that my students will learn the
value of lifelong learning.

The other important goal I see on the horizon is learning to be a leader in the field. Artifact 6
from TE 872 highlights my newfound understanding of what it means to be a teacher leader, and I was
deliberate when including this as my final artifact. I now see that leading can mean that you are at the
front of a group making big changes, but it does not always have to. Leading can appear in much
smaller versions and yet still be very important. In a line of work that continues to have a large rate of
turnover, it is crucial for teachers to collaborate by sharing ideas that work well, and even by sharing
materials that will enhance lessons and better reach students. We have a responsibility to lead newer
teachers by offering support and assistance when we can so that teacher burnout does not become a
self-fulfilling prophecy. My students, my colleagues, and my school must have strong leaders in order

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for us to best serve our students and families each day. So, as time goes on and connections are made,
leading on a larger scale is something I will strive to do.

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