So I have been on a hiatus from blogging for the past few months. There used to be at least seven new posts on the blog weekly, but then life happened and I was barely giving you four quality posts every few weeks. I’ll try not to make this post long…So I did something that was not in my immediate five year plan, that was apply for graduate school for my M.Ed (Master of Education). Long story short I was accepted into this program and orientation was in May but classes did not start until July. Between May and July I had tons of readings and assignments to complete as well blog and work at my full-time job. I tried hard to balance my professional life, personal life, blogging life, and school life, but it was challenging.
Once class started on July 1st I knew that I was in for a rude awakening. I hadn’t been in a formal education setting since the spring of 2010, so this was a familiar but strange feeling. For five weeks about 60+ hours a week (45 of those hours in class) I attended classes, completed projects, wrote papers, studied at the library and more. It was stressful physically, mentally, and emotionally, but the last five weeks were probably five of the best weeks of my adult life.
I met so many people that I know I would have never met or developed friendships with if it had not been for this program. I also had some amazing instructors that challenged yet supported me through this learning experience. Self-reflection played a huge role in this program, and I was able to recognize things about myself that I was afraid to acknowledge. I was always one to “reflect” but now that has an entirely different meaning. Reflecting goes beyond thinking, it involves deep analytical thought in which you find ways to improve yourself or better a situation. Self-reflection leads to change and my thought process and attitude did just that. When it comes to reflecting, we sometimes need others to help as well. Fo one of my assignments I had to ask a few people what is one thing I need to improve to be a better person. The answers I received put many things into perspective for me regarding life and my relationships with people. Reflecting helped me identify critical areas in my life that needed change and now it is up to me to make that change.
This process has truly been life changing for me because I was pushed and challenged to go above and beyond the limits that I set for myself. Many things that I have learned in church manifested in this program. Some of the books my pastor recommended and lessons that he taught were prevalent throughout many of my classes. I was like wait “God what are you doing?” When God wants to reach you He will use anything, anyone, and any situation so you can hear His word. All I can say is that I am listening loud and clear and following the path that God has set for me.
So that’s the basic outline of the program. Nice and simple. But you won’t believe how very powerful this is until the end of these five weeks. Your life will never be the same again!