​​​Micah Hein​

      My Master of Arts in Education has allowed me to build a strong network of online resources as well as a versatile understanding of newer technologies in our progressive society.  Now more than ever, understanding this technology is critical to include in the classroom to captivate the attention of my students.  These students will need to work and learn with this technology, as many jobs in our workforce require specializations in technical software.  This trend in society will only increase in magnitude, and I am thankful my MAED has helped me prepare for this element in the present and future.

      My next goal is to seek growth in the present on a personal and professional level.  In my Training and Professional Development course, I discovered the importance of this divide while learning in the workplace.  On the professional level, I want to acquire a great job that utilizes my skill set and allows me to increase my productivity and creativity.  I hope to find a strong community of learners with similar goals that also seek to use their passion for their career, positivity, and unique set of skills to create a respectful, innovative work environment.  It will be important to me to build and maintain a professional network with these educators. 

      Specific goals I have in the present moment are to learn more in the fields of accounting and management.  I hope to one day run a high school or collegiate theater program, and these skills will be used frequently for that profession.  Also in this career I will create and produce many musicals, so a deeper understanding of Logic Pro X and Finale software will be pivotal in my composition and orchestration of music.  For future coaching endeavors, I want to further my research on nutrition, stress management, strength building, and cardio conditioning for my swimmers to be multi-faceted. 

      Whether broad or specific in outlook, I ultimately hope that these goals can transfer to a larger context such as a team, cast, or department of teachers. I want to grow and learn from the people that surround me.  This epitomizes my future learning goals on a personal level.  I am a humanist: constantly working towards self-actualization.  It is central to me that I stay positive and seek growth every day in my job.  Even if it’s holding a door open or sharing a smile, I believe that these small acts of kindness will change our world.  I have and will continue to make sure that these personal values are intertwined with my present professional goals to work with humility, sincerity, and a continuous appreciation of others.

       Thinking about the future is one of the greatest obstacles I have overcome. My time at MSU has helped me with anxiety about these unknown experiences.  In many of my classes, we shared previous experiences, both good and bad, that we have had in the classroom and what we learned from them. As I read through the experiences of my peers, I realized that I was not alone in my struggles to become a better teacher.  In the classroom (and in life), we have to take risks.  If there are no risks, there is no growth.  As I move forward as a learner, I will take risks confidently.  I will trust in my set of skills, the connections I’ve made, and follow where they take me. Allan Bloom said that, “education is the movement from darkness to light.”  It is time to utilize this formal education, look ahead with excitement and fervor, and become a light in this world that never stops learning.