Achieving Goals As an Ed.D. Student: Setting and Working Towards Success - Essay Sample

Introduction

As a student taking Doctor of Education (Ed.D), there are goals that I have set for myself, and that I have been working towards achieving throughout my course. Students come with different levels of maturity, enthusiasm and inspiration (Pritchard, 2016). The setting of goals is essential for any student as it is the way through which one can assess their learning process and progress throughout their course. However, it does not end at the setting of goals. After the goals have been set, a student needs to reflect on their set goals to check on their progress, and identify whether they have managed to achieve such goals. The two goals that I set during the first course of my program have enabled me to remain motivated, and a reflection of how successful the goals were, are as described below.

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First Goal

My first goal was to become a better writer. As an Ed.D professional, I was aware during the development of this goal, that one of the critical competencies I need to have is being a good writer. According to Hunt and Milsom (2011), to achieve this goal, it is crucial to be a good and frequent reader of various publications, and this was going to be one of my key areas of practice. I have been able to conduct several studies and also read journals and articles, which have acted as guides throughout my writing exercises. Becoming a successful researcher requires not only strategic planning, but also great discipline (Peters, 2014). Besides, I have also sought and obtained guidance from my professors, mentors, and peers. Through such researches and advice, I have been able to make recommendable improvements in my writing skills, with perfection in my mastery of the APA style of writing, and these will be further perfected during my practice as a teacher of language. As a teacher, my proficient writing skills will also be helpful to the students I will be teaching as I will be giving them the necessary training on how to go about their various English writing.

Second Goal

My second goal was professional, and I aimed at becoming a successful and effective leader after obtaining my Ed.D. one of the key deliverables of this goal was to bring change into the system of the school where I currently teach reek language program. Change is challenging, but it is the key to enhancement and development (Trybus, 2011). The desired change pertains to the school Creek program curriculum, and also in the methods of instructions delivery used by the teachers there. Achieving this is possible by creating a classroom culture where there is trust between the teachers and students (Reynolds, 2008). I have been able to make major progress with this goal, through the attainment of vast knowledge in second language acquisition. According to Steele (2009), great teachers not only educate but also instil desire and motivation in their students. As a leader, I have been able to lead the institution Creek language program in the right direction by helping to revive the indigenous language. Moving forward, I would like to provide professional development opportunities for the employees within the school so that the program can fully be integrated into the school system. Besides, I have also managed to come up with an ideal plan that will ensure that the change is successfully implemented with minimum or no resistance from the other stakeholders.

Conclusion

Growth is one of the key achievements that an individual can accrue from any learning program. I have managed to achieve growth throughout my Doctor of Education course, and the two significant areas of growth have been perfecting my writing skills and becoming a successful and effective leader. I had the full desire of meeting these goals during my first course, and to ensure that my passions became true, there was the need to have a periodic reflection plan to assess my progress towards the achievement of these goals. From the reflection, it is clear that I have managed to achieve both the goals, with perfection in my writing skills, and also growing to be an effective and successful leader in my professional field.

References

Hunt, B., & Milsom, A. (2011). Academic writing: Reflections from successful counselor educators. The Journal of Humanistic Counseling, 50(1), 56-69. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/j.2161-1939.2011.tb00106.x

Peters, S. (2014). How to become a successful researcher: tips for early career researchers. Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health, 432-434. https://www.sjweh.fi/show_abstract.php?abstract_id=3425&fullText=1

Pritchard, A. (2009). Ways of learning: learning theories and learning styles in the classroom: David Fulton Publish. Retrieved from EBSCohost database

Reynolds, S. (2008). My teacher is my hero: Tributes to the people who gave us knowledge, motivation, and wisdom. Adams Media.75(2), 210-259. Retrieved from EBSCohost database

Steele, C. F. (2009). The inspired teacher: How to know one, grow one, or be one. ASCD. Retrieved from EBSCohost database

Trybus, M. A. (2011). Facing the challenge of change: Steps to becoming an effective leader. Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 77(3), 33. http://www.deltakappagamma.org/NH/DKGbulletinspring2011.PDF#page=33