THE HOME STRETCH

I cannot believe it.... my final semester!  Just the small matter of completing PME831 and PME842 (oh, ya... there is still work to be done).

PME833 Critical and Creative Thinking and PME842 Component Skills are very different set of courses for me, shifting my focus from the classroom specialist focus to a more general set of skills, and of course literacy-based curriculum.  This should be a fun change of pace!

I just found out that I have to wait for a spring graduation.  While this is a bit of a disappointment to not have a graduation soon after I complete my courses, the delayed gratification will no doubt put me in a reflective mode.  Over the last 8 courses I have learned the value of reflection and it's role in the learning process.  We speed through life having experiences but never pausing to think of what they mean and how they have made us grow personally and professionally.  Hitting pause, thinking and thanking is truly a key for me- it allows life to not slip by while I pursue my goals.

I got an update with program stats that really made me reflect on my unusual path.  PME has 509 current students in the program - 467 PME students and 42 GDPI students and 114 students who have graduated  from the program – with another 49 ready to graduate in the fall!  Maybe in the spring I will be amoung the first 200 graduates of this program.  Wow.  That's cool.  

Reflecting on learning is meant to stir up feelings.  I am feeling humbled and grateful.  I know I could not have done this without the support of my beloved family/friends and my wonderful employer and the all of the dedicated professors who have all invested in me.  You have been my rock and put up with the havoc I have created while pursuing this goal that once seemed so distant.  I truly could not have gotten this far without the tremendous support and love that have been in my corner.  You have energized me for the last leg of a long and exciting journey!

Final semester?  Bring it on!