The Road

MATC Synthesis Paper

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts Degree in Curriculum and

Teaching Department of Teacher Education, Michigan State University

Kelsey McClafferty

February 13, 2022

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Synthesis Paper

Overview

As a student of the Master of Arts and Teaching and Curriculum (MATC) program, my

experiences have gone hand in hand with the MATC program goals. From critical inquiry,

accomplished teaching and collaborative professional contributions to the field, I have learned

more about myself as a teacher educator. I consistently have been engaging in analyzing,

questioning and wondering about who I am as a teacher. For example, in TE 872: Teachers as

Teacher Educators, I have had multiple opportunities to think critically about how I view myself

as a teacher educator and reflect on those ideas. One of my personal goals was to strengthen my

teaching of reading comprehension skills with struggling diverse students. I was able to collect

data, analyze it and use that as an opportunity to learn from an essential part of accomplished

teaching. This resulted in growth of myself outside of the curriculum that I can use to apply to

my future teaching. In addition, the MATC program has challenged me outside of my comfort

zone to have a focus in educational technology. Lastly, I have made collaborative professional

contributions to the field by proactively pursuing opportunities outside of class hours to

collaborate in a self-created professional learning community made up of fellow ELA content

area teachers weekly. This time is spent to better develop myself as an educator touching on

areas such as curriculum development, technology integration, and to supporting novice teachers

in the building. The MATC program has challenged me to reflect as a teacher and grow from my

experiences. It has been become a long road that has no start or end to it with many ups and

downs along the way.

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The Long Winding Road

Looking back on my road to teaching, I realized that I have been surrounded by never-

ending experiences that revolve around education. My experiences have shaped who I am today,

and continue to shape the future version of myself that seems to always be evolving. Just like

many other teachers in the profession, I have spent a majority of my upbringing in a classroom

setting. Ending my own school day, I would find myself in another classroom, my mothers. I

would spend at least two more hours in the school helping out. I remember when I was in third

grade and thinking how much fun it is to “play teacher.” I would always look up to her grading

papers, cleaning up after a messy lesson, making copies and then setting up for the fun to happen

the next day. It all seemed manageable. Once I had the opportunity to make this my reality, I did.

I looked up to my mom, as I still do today, and strived to make an impact on my students like she

had on hers. When I went to college to declare a major in elementary education, my mom was

skeptical and I couldn’t at the time understand why. She understood the ins and outs of the job

and all the challenges that it brought. From an outsider’s perspective, you do not fully understand

what it takes to become an educator until you become immersed into it yourself-for years and

beyond. She advised me to proceed with caution because with becoming a teacher, you take on

much more then you originally anticipate. Besides planning “fun” lessons (how I viewed the job

with adolescent eyes in her classroom), you must juggle, relationships, home life, professional

life, the list goes on. However, in the end, I decided to continue with my passion to become an

educator.

I began my journey through my undergraduate program and graduated four years later

while playing for the Michigan State University Varsity Women’s Soccer Team. I felt like if I

could manage that throughout undergraduate, I could take on anything. I was eager to begin my
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student teaching the following year, soccer free. All my focus could be put on my future

profession. I was placed in a school in Novi, Michigan, full of resources, a team of veteran

teachers, an extremely supportive field instructor, supportive and diverse families and very high

expectations. I have felt this type of pressure before on the soccer field, but nothing could

prepare me for the ups and down of preservice teaching. It was during that year I had my first

taste of the importance and power of relationships, without those relationships, I was sure to flop.

I was supported on a daily basis by my field instructor, my mentor, coworkers, and

administration, which was a critical component of the start of my long, winding road.

During this time period finding a job in Michigan was tough, I was not sure coming out

of my internship year that I would be employed, and I was not. After endless online applications,

I then learned how humbling it could be to be a first year teacher with no job experience to put

on my resume. I had my first experience with failure. As a result, I became a building sub at the

same school as my yearlong internship and completed two long term where I was able to learn

from the many roadblocks in my way. What helped me with those setbacks was my ability to

build relationships-one of my strengths still to this day. I was able to use this as a time to reflect,

grow and learn. Being in and out of countless classrooms, I began picking bits and pieces of my

new teacher identity along the way. Although it was not my ideal way to begin my career, I am

glad it happened the way it did. I was forced to take in as much information about content,

pedagogy and technology that I could before earning a classroom of my own. It continues on

building relationships with students, with my mentors, and optimistically one day with a mentee

of my own.
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Put the Pedal to the Metal

After putting my head down, putting in the work to gain experience that first year, I was

able to create a larger network of people in my professional world. Finally, after the last week of

the school year I got the call from Novi that in the fall, I would officially become a first year

teacher. Originally, being a sub was not a part of the plan but I couldn’t be more excited for this

opportunity. During this time, I would find out who I was as a teacher and be able to tap into

some important resources that shape who I am.

The summer came and went and there I was on my first day of my first year of teaching. I

entered my classroom with 27 diverse wide eyed sixth graders, and not only one but two

rotations of students. 54 new faces to learn. I was quick to realize how much support these

students needed academically and socially, I was surrounded by a variety of needs. Many

students spoke English as a second language, had individual education plans (IEP), high learners,

low learners, and everything in between. I was a first year teacher ready to teach the curriculum

that was given to me, but how was I going to address the needs of all students? It didn’t take me

long to realize that there needed to be a shift in order for me to reach all students.

Having relationships with teachers prior to this year helped me significantly. Thankfully,

the support was firm and easily accessible. The leaders in the district encouraged a balance in

teaching the curriculum along with building relationships with students-what I was most

interested in. I was relieved by this fact because it allowed me to better understand my students

and provided me with skills to establish relationships to build rapport with them.
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Are We There Yet? The Never Ending Journey

After phasing out of the novice stage of learning, one feels a sense of accomplishment. It

seems as though you have things figured out and it is smooth sailing for the remainder of your

career. I was quick to find that with an ever changing profession, this was not the case. Deep

breath in, out, and that fantasy is over. Teacher education does not simply start and stop. New

studies and understandings about best practices are constantly updated and technology has

accelerated this evolution at an increasing speed. Going back to school to continue my education

and complete the MATC at Michigan State University with a focus in Educational Technology

was the next of many pit stops in my teacher learning. I am glad I took the risk of going back to

school amidst having my first child and working full time. I was able to shift my thinking and

put myself back in my student’s shoes. It is challenging, but eye opening. Instead of the teacher,

I, once again, became the student. I always tell my students to take risks because that is how we

evolve as learners. Going back to school, was a risk I wanted to take in order to grow.

My focus area for my MATC has been Educational Technology. Taking Educational

Technology was something that I was willing to do to keep up with the profession. Teaching

with Technology is all about trial and error, trying new things and being okay if they flop. Even

when you think you are up to date on the latest technology in education, there is always

something new and trending to try out. CEP 810: Teacher Understanding with Technology was

my first taste of the endless possibilities of technology in the classroom. Along the way, I

blogged about my experience (Artifact 1) teaching myself to learn a new skill-hand lettering.

This took on an interesting approach that was set up for mistakes, failure and as a result learning.

This course-long project took a deep dive into the difference between knowledge and

understanding, one that is critical to comprehend when being a teacher. There is a significant
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difference between the two, and to become an effective teacher one must develop student

understanding-not just learning-that transfers to many experiences. To understand more, I

introduce in a Blog Post (Artifact 2 Part 1) and further explain in an essay (Artifact 2 Part 2)

what each entail. It is noted that learning is only the surface level of understanding. Whereas

understanding refers to the deeper knowledge of the information that can be applied across

multiple situations and transferred on multiple levels in and out of the classroom. Becoming an

effective teacher, you must achieve understanding. This type of teaching and learning to teach in

a way to get students to understand checks both Standard 2, 3, 4 and 5.

Adding to my learning experience route through the MATC, I took on another

perspective that I had not before when looking at children’s literature. Although I had been an

English teacher for many years before this point, I wish I had the exposure to TE 836: Awards

and Classics of Children’s Literature (Artifact 3) earlier in my career. This was an eye opening

course that changed the way I look at the books I am introducing my students to. This course

encouraged me to analyze the awards given to certain books, the guidelines for the awards and

all children’s literature that is viewed as a “classic.” When placed under a magnifying glass, I

was shocked at the lack of diversity I had in my own classroom and I had little understanding of

awards given to children’s books. In taking the course, I gained powerful knowledge about the

various awards given to books, knowledge that goes well beyond the popular Caldecott and

Newbery Awards. My knowledge of children’s books at the time did not go too far beyond this.

With now four sections of ELA, versus the two I began my career with, I have an even wider

variety of students with differing socioeconomic status, races, backgrounds, disabilities, and so

on, so finding a “just right” book for every type of student can be difficult. A majority of sixth

grade English is getting students to read and to build a love of reading books they choose to
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enjoy. Because of my work in TE 836, I am able to recommend a variety of books students to

spark their love for reading. Students being able to see themselves reflected in children’s

literature can make all of the difference. Exposing myself to awards like the Schneider Family

Book Award, Coretta Scott King Award and the Michael L. Printz Award, I am able to narrow

down my search for the “just right” book to fit student needs.

Piggybacking off of personalizing student experience, I have updated my ideas on best

practices in reading and writing instruction on an individual basis. TE 846: Accommodating

Differences in Literacy Learners, coursework helped me to understand the importance of

teaching to an individual student’s zone of proximal development. The Literacy Learner Project

(Artifact 4) allowed me to assess specific students' needs. Furthermore, after careful analysis of

assessments, I was able to develop instruction and curriculum materials to meet the unique needs

of each learner (Standards 1, 2, 3, 4, 5). I took the skills learned in the course and applied it to

one of my students in one-on-one and small group reading and writing lesson focus. The

knowledge gained through TE 846 and TE 836 had a significant impact on me as a reading

instructor. It has helped me look at English Language Arts in a new way that I had not before.

Learning something new to understand deeper and broadening my literature database outside of

my comfort zone are some of the risks I have taken that I perhaps otherwise would have never

experienced without these courses.

Looking at the Road Ahead

Building relationships with the ones around me has shaped who I am today as a teacher.

Michigan State University’s MATC program has given me the opportunity to reflect, revise

(sometimes even edit) and enhance my personal self and my professional identity. All of the
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coursework provided along the way has helped me to make choices to implement best-practice

instruction and has allowed me to collaborate with colleagues in all walks of their career through

various forms of technology to expand on an ever-changing field. In addition, within the

coursework from CEP 810: Understanding with Technology, I have been able to understand and

build my network of support, through classmates, professors and support staff (Artifact 5). I have

seen the strategies that I have learned through my coursework develop as I put them in place in

my sixth grade classroom. In addition, I have witnessed firsthand the positive impact that this

program has had not only on myself, but on my students. For example, overtime, I have seen a

dramatic overall increase in the amount of books students read throughout their sixth grade

school year and as an ELA teacher that nails Goal 2, Accomplished Teaching on the head.

My learning expedition as a teacher is not done, nor will it ever be completed. I have

learned from the MATC goals and standards that I will strive to always see myself as a

continuing learner, inquirer, and hopefully a mentor. For example, through my coursework in TE

872, I have learned that I possess the power and skill to support a novice teacher through their

early teaching journey. This ties well with Standard 6. I understand where I am at in my career,

the role of my position in a professional learning community and what a teacher leader can

legitimately mean (Artifact 6). Because of TE 872, I have already begun informally mentoring

two of the new teachers at my building in my content area. Being able to understand the

motivations and the wants and the needs of a novice teacher (Artifact 7), I can help support and

guide their way through the first year. I noticed that they both have many questions, many that I

had my first years of teaching. My school does not have a well-structured and effective

mentoring system in place. Because of that, once a week, we meet after school to talk about their

new professional identities, better practices and planning. There is more to mentoring than
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survival, but well thought out practices can improve their teaching. Next year and in the

following years I will continue to encourage them to develop, grow and to inquire to become

successful teacher learners. TE 872 has empowered me to understand my teacher identity and to

equip me with skills and understanding of what it takes to be a teacher leader. I am next in line to

become our ELA Content Area Leader for our school, which I never imagined myself taking on

before.

Completing this program is a pit stop in my teaching career, and in no way am I close to

the finish line. I will take all of the skills that I have learned in this program to enhance my

students' learning experiences. This ranges from new technologies, to inquiry-based learning, to

administering effective professional development. Completing my MATC in the summer, after

my last two CEP courses, I will know that I have undergone a change as a teacher and that I have

reached an important milestone in my career, but will also take with me the need for continued

learning.