"The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education." - Martin Luther King Jr
Mohamad Lotfy Synthesis Essay
Being the Change I Want to See
by Mohamad Lotfy
On my 30th birthday I went through a third of a life crisis, which caused me to reflect on whether or not I was satisfied with the direction that my life was taking. After some soul searching, I came to the realization that my current profession did not fulfill my desire to help better my community and society. Therefore, I decided to become an educator due to the tremendous respect that I have for the impact that teachers have on future generations. I was especially interested in helping to close the racial achievement gap that currently resides in the United States. I knew this would be a long and difficult journey due to my lack of teaching knowledge and experience in education. However, I was determined to change my circumstances for the better and was fortunate to come across the Michigan State Master of Arts in Education program. I knew this program would provide me with the skills and insight that I needed in order to become the best educator that I could be. I was a bit apprehensive to pursue my masters, while working full time; however, at the end of the day I felt it was well worth the effort. I was eager to embark on a journey that would change my future forever as both a learner and a teacher. It was time for me as Mahatma Gandhi once said, “to be the change I wanted to see in the world.”
It’s amazing how life takes us on voyages that we could never foresee. For instance, I never imagined that I would want to become a teacher one day. I was one of those students that felt that once I finished school there would be no reason to ever return. However, throughout the years I would often find myself complaining about how children, especially minority children, seemed to devalue education in favor of less attainable goals such as athletics or entertainment. Therefore, when it came time for me to decide what new career path to choose, it only felt natural to select a profession that I already felt passionate about. I could have pursued a teaching certification in Georgia and began my teaching career immediately; however, while this was an intriguing proposition, I felt it would be a disservice to me as well as my future students because I would not have the necessary skills to become a successful teacher. In order to attain the knowledge and skills that I needed, I decided to the join the Master of Arts program at Michigan State. I am proud of the path I took because it provided me with the knowledge and skills that are needed to be a successful teacher. I also feel extremely fortunate to have been able to gain from the experiences of the many wonderful educators that I have crossed paths with. As a new educator with no experience, they were an invaluable resource for me. While I am extremely pleased with my accomplishments in the program, one of the most important things I learned is that the best teachers are life long learners.
Once I decided to join the Masters of Arts in Education program at MSU the next step was to choose what concentration to focus on. The concentration that interested me the most was post-secondary leadership. While any of the concentrations would have been helpful to a novice such as myself, I felt that post-secondary leadership would give me the tools to one day be able to assist both students and teachers in achieving their academic goals. My long-term goal in education is to become a principal because I believe principals have the opportunity to touch every member of their school. They can provide their teachers with the resources and skills that are needed to be successful educators. Through the program I have also learned that my future staff will be my most invaluable assets, therefore it is important to make them feel important by empowering them to make decisions in collaboration for our school. What I really appreciate about the Masters of Arts in Education program is that while I chose a concentration in post-secondary leadership, the program has still prepared me for classroom teaching and allowed me the opportunity to explore interests that I am passionate about, such as the racial achievement gap and positive youth development through sports. In the following paragraphs I will discuss courses in the program that had a profound impact on what I would like to accomplish as an educator.
During my first semester I decided to register for one of my favorite courses in the program, Issues in Urban Education: The Racial Achievement Gap (ED: 830). As I had previously mentioned, I decided to pursue a career in education in order to help reduce the racial achievement gap in our country. As a minority I have experienced the benefits of education and would like to help minority youth achieve success through academics. This course introduced me to wonderful insights on differing views as to what has created the racial achievement gap. For instance, there was a faction that believed that school, American culture, and the history of African-Americans and Latinos as being the predominant factors in the racial achievement gap. While others, such as Abigail and Stephan Thernstrom, believed that African-Americans and Latinos needed to take more accountability for their academic performance as evidenced in their book No Excuses: Closing the Racial Achievement Gap in Learning. I came into the class with my own views of the factors contributing to the racial achievement gap, but left with a completely new perspective on what caused the gap and what it would take to close the gap. Professor Dunbar helped me to realize through his critiques of my papers that there was no magical solution for what troubles Latinos and African Americans in schools. In order to make progress towards closing the gap, there needs to more parental involvement in minority communities and a change in culture that stresses the importance of education. The course taught that Asians have been a successful minority in schools because their parents stress the importance of school. They also view schools as delegate agencies designed to help you achieve the professional goals you have established for yourself. The main take away from the course for me is that the more parents are involved in their children’s education, regardless of their race, the greater chance there is for the child’s academic success. My goal when I become an educator is to do everything in my power to ensure that the parents of my students are partners in their child’s academic journey.
The second course that had profound impact on my teaching career was Teaching and Learning K-12 Social Studies. I selected this course because I would like to teach history on the middle or high school level. This is course was instrumental in showing me that history can be used to not only learn about the past, but could also be used to help develop good citizenship within students. It also introduced me to innovative methods of using the Internet to create fun and exciting assignments for students. For example, we were assigned a group assignment that allowed us to select a book and then make a web page that highlighted the important aspects of the text. I also learned from Professor Fendler the importance of allowing students the opportunity to improve upon their work. She would allow us to write our papers and if you weren’t satisfied you could rewrite your paper with her suggestions. This showed me that she was invested in us learning the content more than earning a simple letter grade. I will give my students similar opportunities in the future. Professor Fendler was tremendous influence on me and I hope to one day be an educator of her quality. She really showed that she cared about me as individual, which I greatly appreciated. Lastly, I loved that Professor Fendler had us create a compilation page that contained all of the assignments that we completed throughout the semester. This compilation page will be a continuous resource for me throughout my teaching years as I plan to incorporate many of the assignments that I was introduced to in my lesson plans.
Another class that influenced what I would like to do when I become an educator was Promoting Positive Youth Development through Sports (Kin: 857). I have always been a lover of sports because I believe they can be instrumental in bringing people together and in breaking down societal barriers. Sports can be a tool that educators use to teach youth about important life skills. When I saw Professor Gould’s class I was extremely excited about the opportunity to learn how to use sports as a vessel for positive youth development. The class taught that youth sports are often taken too seriously not by the children, but the adults. Too often coaches and parents fail to recognize that youth sports were meant to be fun for children and not the only path for their future success. Professor Gould introduced us to various successful programs throughout the world that were able to use sports to impart life skills on young people that will last them a lifetime. The final project in the course was the most enjoyable for me because I was able to design a sports program that focused on positive youth development. If I am fortunate enough to become a coach one day, I plan to implement my plan with my student athletes in hopes of using sports to them become better citizens.
Shared Leadership in Schools (EAD: 825) was a course that was geared toward my post-secondary leadership concentration and will have a great influence on my path to become an administrator. This course had a tremendous effect on me because it made me realize that leadership in education is not about the principle hoarding all the power for them. Leadership in education should be focused on sharing the power all the teachers that are on the frontlines everyday. Professor Meloche showed us that in all fields of leadership, whether it is in business or education, the majority of failures occur because leaders fail to seek input from their greatest assets, which are their employees. She stressed that empowering teachers is critical for the continuous improvement of the school and it shows the teachers that they are respected because their voice will be heard. We learned that educational leaders that create environments encouraging a culture of free flowing ideas, attain greater success because they allow educators to learn best practices from each other. Shared leadership is essential in helping teachers avoid a culture of isolation, which is often too prevalent. By sharing the leadership, educators can gain a wealth of knowledge while reducing the stress that is often associated with education. Another important aspect of the course that will stick with me is the importance of emotional literacy. Emotional literacy is critical in leadership because it asks leaders to be introspective enough to question their own ideal and beliefs, in order to be open to differing ideas. One can’t truly believe in shared leadership if they are too close-minded to recognize the significant contributions of others. I look forward to applying the skills and knowledge that I have learned from Professor Meloche and the course.
The courses I mentioned are just a few of the courses I took that will greatly impact my future as an educator. As I look back on my journey, I feel truly blessed to have come across so many wonderful professors and classmates. The program has helped me open my eyes to new lines of thinking about what education should be. I came into the program apprehensive about my career change, but with the knowledge and skills that I have acquired, I am now more excited than ever to embark on this change. I have learned that the key to successfully educating students isn’t the task of a single person; it should be the shared responsibility of the parents, educators, and the community. We should all be invested in the academic development of our future generations. This program has changed my future and I couldn’t be more thankful for the experience. Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” I truly believe in the power of education and am humbled by thought of one day having the opportunity to inspire the next great generation of learners.
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