Guide to Online Education > Online Education In-Depth > Meet Real Online Students > Jen, M.S. in Education - Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment
Her degree is also a tangible symbol of her inward commitment to being an educator. She realized for the first time that, "not only did I possess knowledge. I could substantiate what I knew."
Name: Jennifer
Age: 36
Marital Status: Married
Kids: Three boys aged 9, 6, and 4
Fact: Both Jen and her husband, Scott, took online courses at the same time to earn their degrees.
School: Walden University
Target: M.S. in Education
She views education as an investment. She estimates the total cost of her master's degree to be about $7,500. "It was manageable, but it was a strain," she admits. Her employer did not offer tuition assistance. So she used her credit card to pay the tuition. She and her husband accrued enough points to redeem for tickets to Hawaii, their annual vacation destination.
With the demands of a full-time job, marriage, homeownership, three active children and two pampered dogs, she had every excuse not to go back to school. But she had quiet determination.
Some districts offer opportunities for teachers to continue their education. Workshops on classroom management techniques, differentiating education, and utilizing new software are provided free. Jennifer had taken advantage of most of those opportunities as they became available.
Though after 12 years in the classroom, she was "hungry for more." She felt the workshops tended to target teachers new to the subject matter. "They were rather rudimentary," she says. "I had exhausted all of my resources to keep myself current in my field," she says. "I had done everything I could with attending seminars, teaching conferences, doing professional reading on my own, participating in study groups. I felt ready to take the next step."
The State of California requires teachers to earn 150 hours of professional development every five years to maintain their credential. When Jennifer's credential expires next year, she can submit her hours from Walden University master's degree program to fulfill the professional development requirement.
That degree hangs on the wall in her home office now because her family wanted to display it. She goes in and out to pay bills, do her lesson-planning and check e-mail without giving it a second thought. But the learnings benefit her every day.
"I felt that having a master's degree would create opportunity for me," she reasons. "The farther I progressed in my coursework, and the more I made of what I was learning, I realized it didn't matter where I had received my degree. I had achieved my goals that I had set for myself in advancing my education."
Online Degree Programs: Find an accredited online degree program that's right for you
Online Schools: Explore colleges and universities who offer online degrees
Distance Learning Discussion Forums: Ask others for opinions of online schools and online education
Copyright eLearners.com 1999 - 2008
