I am thrilled yet overwhelmed.
– Nancy Green
I know two things at the moment:
1. My brain is fried.
2. This is where I want to be.
For number two, I don’t mean the couch in the house my cousin shares with 4 other undergrads in Boston. It smells like stale cigarette smoke and post-modern angst.
No, #2 refers to the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Until today, the only time I’d spent on Harvard’s campus was the admissions meeting I scheduled early last August when applying was a nascent idea.
Today was the open house for a chunk of those newly admitted to Harvard’s Graduate School of Education.
For an indication of the day’s activities, see #1 above.
I should have known what I was in for as soon as Maria Curcio, Director of Admissions, listed the demographic info of the accepted class:
- 44 states represented (28 present today)
- 72 percent female (do the math on the male)
- 29 percent students of color (as they self identified)
- 4.3 years of professional work experience
That last one stuck with me for a while.
By the end of this school year, I’ll have 8 years of classroom experience.
I still remember the deal I made with myself before I started my first year of teaching, “You wen’t to school for this, you might as well give it a year and then decide what you want to do.”
Throughout the day, when I’d introduce myself and we’d exchange biographical pleasantries, whoever I met would respond with some variation of “whoa” when I told them how long I’ve been in the classroom.
I can’t decide if I feel wizened or just plain old.
For now, I’m going with wizened.
Speaking of, I’m wiser now as to my intended sequence of study for next year. It’s amazing how that becomes clear when you’ve got someone to explain the requirements to you.
The Ed Policy and Management program requires 8 courses. Interestingly, it has no core or required courses.
What is required, though, is one class each in policy, management, and research. Additionally, students must choose one A and one S course. A courses refer to those courses specific to the program. S courses refer to those courses offered school-wide.
That leaves three courses of choice .
Those three courses are a considerable draw for the EPM program. Students are allowed to cross-register in courses at Harvard Law, The Kennedy School of Government, Harvard Business School and the Harvard School of Public Health.
As a sizable portion of my personal statement was dedicated to the idea that those responsible for education should learn cross-disciplinarily if they’re to tackle the most complex of issues, the ability to cross-register provides just that.
I’m not entirely certain what courses I’ll find myself in or in which school; that will be decided by need.
Luckily, as I learned today, the Career Services office has a program in the summer called the gap assessment which helps students work through their resumé while mindful of their employment goals and then aids students in their selection of courses to fill those resumé gaps.
More than a brain BBQ, that was what I got from today – it filled the gaps.
I can see next year. It’s not crystal clear yet, but it’s starting to come in to focus.
You are so gonna leave those children in the dust with your 8-year-self. Good teachers only get better with experience. I wish I had waited for grad school, because I would have brought so much more to it. Win for you. And I wish I could invest in Harvard, but I am investing in both Ursinus and West Chester for the next 4 years. I will retweet like mad, though.