I am only one week away from finishing my learning theory class in the master's for technology program. I know that many students feel a sense of relief and joy when a class is about to come to an end. This is my case to a certain extent as I know that hopefully some peace will come to my life as my days will not be as hectic. Being a high school teacher, a mom, a wife, and a student has proven to be a challenge. One of my colleagues that wrote a letter of recommendation to join the master's program was concerned about the workload coming my way balancing these many hats for two years.
It has been two years already... On December 16th 2016, my journey through the Master's Program comes to an end. I am graduating in a week and this completes a 17 year old dream in the making. When I decided to get married and move to California (I am a Mexico City Native) in January 1999, I was unable to complete my thesis project to graduate with a master's degree in Latin American studies at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). I never finished my thesis project therefore I never got a Master's degree. Seventeen years later, this dream comes to a completion. I am supposed to write my last reflection about learning theorist Paulo Freire and his pedagogy of education. Paulo Freire reminds me of that journey I started in college as a sociologist of education. Back then, I studied several of his concepts for popular culture, theology of liberation movement, and breaking the culture of silence. I was a dreamer with strong opinions and a desire to use education to change the world. Seventeen years later, my dreams have not changed, they have only become clearer. As Paulo Freire states, education is a vehicle to transforming the world. I would add that education transform us (Piaget), impacts our environment (Dewey), and gives us a sense of identity through the communities that we get to interact with (Wenger).After two years involved with great people and great educational endeavors, I feel empowered to become a servant leader. I am not sure where the next journey starts and ends, I only know that just as when any other cycle in our lives closes, there is learning and sadness, joy and fear, expectations and disappointments. I will have to find a passion in education to continue moving this blog along. I will try to continue setting high standards and expectations for my own critical thinking and professional development to hopefully continue making an impact in the real and the virtual world of education.
A forever thanks to all my professors and colleagues at Fresno Pacific University. I will be looking forward to our paths crossing again.... may God bless!
