Thinking about pursuing my Master's Degree went on for about 2 years before I committed to the decision.  Online was the only realistic avenue for me and I wondered, even in the age of technology and the internet, how well respected this course of study would be viewed.  After looking into the recommendations of what I read online regarding the University of New England and comparing this program with others both for content, and financial cost I decided it was right for me.
     Each class has challenged me in different ways.  I chose the Inclusion discipline because this is the move of our modern day educational system.  Although working with deaf students, I feel I have experienced Inclusion for all of my career in differing aspects not all being referred to "inclusion."  I felt this would give me insights that exist around the country which I may not have been exposed to before.  I was right. 
    One of my courses focused on Differentiated Instruction.  Quite interesting to me is that many people do not fully understand what that term encompasses.  There is much more involved than just modifying to fit the needs of students.  Although that is very much a part there is also the fact that children must be given choices in regards to how they like to learn.  Providing stimulating variety for the student's learning while "meeting them where they are" developmentally and giving purpose for the activity are all necessary part to differentiation.  This course challenged what I thought I knew, made me give the necessary time and attention to prior planning of lessons and afterward allowed me to reflect on what worked, what didn't and how I could modify to make the lesson more fluid.
     Dissecting the parts of IDEA was a great class for me.  The text design is a perfect example of how we teachers hope our students will learn to make inferences when they read.  All the information to answer the questions is in the text but the reader must ask many questions of themselves regarding the case study examples, refer repeatedly to the law when determining what is an appropriate action on the part of the parent, teacher, principal or any other personnel involved in the student's education.  What I came away with at the end of that class is the importance of documentation of progress, remediation attempts, or methods and the success or failure of any.  I also realized that the educational laws are forever changing and we need to continue to educate ourselves in this respect.
     My Master's Program with UNE has been the best experience for me.  I have learned to be more self reflective regarding my teaching practices, involve myself in the "campus learning community"more by meeting and discussing with colleagues things I have learned.  Possessing knowledge of our subject is critical to successful teaching.  This alone does not mean we are organized in thought or delivery of our instruction. However part of good classroom management requires us to have a fluid run classroom and without clear organization there would be a bit of chaos.  Reflection on our approach to teaching can prevent possible problems.  If we anticipate potential problems we can aim to prevent them.  I can honestly say, I  give more purposeful thought to developing my lessons with this intent.  I am very organized in thought and I want to improve that in practice.
     As I near the end of my coursework, I see that time has flown by quickly.  My instructors clearly demonstrated their desire for us to learn from this experience.  There was no busy work that I have seen in other online Master's Programs.  All our readings and assignments held relevance to what we were doing and had a clearly outlined purpose.  The threaded discussions were very enlightening to see how others around the country put methods into practice as well as served to build us up through our discussions.
     




Choosing the University of New England was the best decision I have ever made.