Alternate title: Why Yes, You Can Get A Master's Degree in Just 10 Months
It's mornings like this morning, when I engage in conversations that begin with any of the following questions, that I realize how necessary this blog is:
"So Kayleen...tell me...what are you doing right now in life?"
"Kayleen, how are things going at CCV?"
"Kayleen! I thought you moved away? I haven't seen in you in months! How long are you in town for?"
"Kayleen. What? You're alive?"
I finally realized it's high time I post the infamous "Life Update" blog. So here's where I've been, where I am, and what I'll hopefully be doing in the near future...
In May of 2007, my job at Christ's Church of the Valley ended. I had always wanted to have the option of working in either a church setting or in the public school setting, and I figured it was the perfect time to work on the second part of that goal. With my bachelor's degree already in hand, all I needed to become a teacher was a teaching certificate. As I researched the colleges in my area, I stumbled upon the most amazing program ever: Arizona State University's MAC Program. MAC stands for Master's and Certification. This wonderful program allows students to obtain a teaching certificate AND a Master's degree in Education at the same time. But what made this program so appealing to me was its time frame: only 10 months! It seemed too good to be true.
When friends of mine are falling in love, I've often heard them say: "It's like this person was MEANT for me." Well is it possible for an education program to be MEANT for you? I mean, I found exactly what I wanted: a super quick program especially made for people who already have their bachelor's degree in something else but are looking to become teachers. And as a bonus, you get your master's degree at the same time. It really was too good to be true.
So I did the typical thing any person who's falling in love does: I danced around my room while thinking about this awesome program, I posted the MAC acceptance letter up in my room to admire, I bragged to my closest friends about how awesome the program was, etc. But like any good relationship, I understood that this program was going to be a LOT OF HARD WORK.
At least I thought I understood that.
On the first day of class in August, one of our professors said this: "Well, I am sure that each and every one of you is a truly dedicated, committed kind of person. Or else you wouldn't have signed up for Teacher Boot Camp."
Teacher Boot Camp is correct. This program is really a two-year program crammed into 10 grueling months. Last semester, I completed 30 credit units and finished two phases of my internship (one in a 2nd grade class and one in a 7th grade class). I am now 5 months into the program. Half-way through! Right now, I am in 5-hour classes on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights (5:00 to 10:00pm), and I am interning in a 5th grade class on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8:00 to 3:00.
Everyone in the MAC program takes all the same night classes together, which means I have been with the same 14 people in 5-hour classes for the last 5 months. We're really like family now. As the youngest student in this program, I soak in the stories and life experiences of my "comrades." Some of my classmates are former bank managers, engineers, FBI employees, business executives....all people who opted for a career change to become teachers. As my good friend Ginger put it, "I've worked in business for a long, long time and made a lot of money. Now I just want to give back."
Between my classes and the internship, I'm in school around 30 hours a week. And to pay the bills in the mean time, I work at Dillard's between 20 and 30 hours a week as well. Oh and then there's the homework. Oh my....the homework.
So in the last 5 months, if I have missed your call, cancelled hang-out plans with you, whizzed by you on the freeway without waving hello, or completely ignored you all together, you now know why. I apologize. I still love you though. I promise.
Here's a picture of our class last month....right after we turned in the Biggest Paper of Our Lives. In May, our class will be graduating, ready to face the world as elementary school teachers. We're stoked. Can you tell?
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