Passion For Education by Marsha

Passion For Education by Marsha - July 2019 Scholarship Essay

The motto in my classroom is “Use what you know to figure out what you don’t know.” This same motto is relevant in my life when it comes to my desire for an Educational Doctorate degree in Leadership, with a STEM emphasis. All the schools I have taught in have been Title 1 schools, in poverty-stricken rural areas. My goal is to use what I have learned by teaching in Title 1 schools to still figure out what I don’t know… discovering even more techniques and strategies in STEM to open avenues to low-achieving students in poverty-stricken areas to make them successful.

By the age of 9, I knew I wanted to be a teacher and my 5th grade teacher was my inspiration to go into teaching. It was the first year that a teacher really motivated me, made me love school and encouraged me to excel. During 5th grade, I learned the value of instructional tools in the classroom. I was in the GT afterschool program and was excited about the program because we were going to learn about photography and would be using cameras! Remembering this experience has ignited a passion in me to write numerous grants to receive those “exciting tools” in my classroom, like my math manipulative library, robotic kits, and the three 3-D printers my students are now able to use.

With an Ed. D in STEM Leadership, not only will I be able to become a better teacher during the years that I choose to stay in the classroom, but it will also open numerous possibilities for my career once I decide to move on from teaching. I have started an afterschool robotics program at my school, thanks to over $7000 in grants I received this year. My students had no experience when it came to building robots or coding. They worked hard all season and my students from the robotics team "Hurricane Alley" came in 12th place at the FIRST Robotic Regional competition, securing them a spot to compete at the South Carolina FIRST Robotic competition. At the state competition, my team took home the judges’ award!
Judges' Award- what it is about:
The Judges’ Award is given at the discretion of the judges to a team they have encountered whose unique efforts, performance or dynamics merit recognition, yet the team does not fit into any of the existing award categories.
What the judges had to say about this winner:
“This team exudes enthusiasm for embracing the spirit of FIRST. We were BLOWN AWAY by this team’s total cohesion. This judge’s award goes to Team 15698 Hurricane Alley from Hardeeville, SC.”

My desire is to focus on ways to improve the education in poverty-stricken Title 1 schools, through STEM, and allow them function at the same academic ability as students from larger, wealthier districts. I hope for my students to finish school and be ready for the future, no matter what the future holds, and to instill in them a love of learning, which will affect them for the rest of their lives.
I teach in South Carolina and part of my responsibility is to teach 21st century skills to my students so they can be competitive and successful anywhere their future takes them, whether that is local, state-wide, nationally, or internationally. The Profile of the South Carolina graduate includes teaching world class knowledge (rigorous standards in language arts and math for career and college readiness; multiple languages in STEM, arts and social sciences); world class skills (creativity and innovation; critical thinking and problem solving; collaboration and teamwork; communication, information, media and technology; and knowing how to learn); and life and career characteristics (integrity, self-direction, global perspective, perseverance, work ethic, and interpersonal skills).

My experience in teaching in poverty-stricken Title 1 schools has prepared me to see education through different types of lenses and has instilled in me a great desire to help as many children as I can along the way. Children’s education should not be based on where they grew up; they all deserve the chance to experience STEM activities daily.

The expected impact on teaching and learning for my students by getting this degree will be both within the classroom and outside of the classroom. This degree will open doors for me to implement STEM activities in my own classroom more effectively and hopefully STEM labs within the school. Having access to STEM and STEM-related activities will teach students a new way of thinking, which can be carried into all subject areas. Not only will this help raise test scores but allow students to enjoy their learning. I currently teach in a failing school in a rural county in South Carolina. The school cannot keep doing things the same way each year and expect success. With this degree, I anticipate adding new ways to teach math in the classroom; therefore, improving my students’ unit assessment scores, Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) tests and their state assessments. This concept of problem-solving is needed in the 21st century and I will be preparing my students for whatever future they choose.