“You go in with a certain fear and trembling. You know one thing. You know you will not be the same person when this voyage is over. But you don’t know what’s going to happen to you between getting on the boat and getting off.” -James Baldwin 1924-1987

My current position in the UAE government K12 school system, which I have held for

eight years is coming to an end shortly due to various reasons which may or may not be

beyond the scope of this shared activity post. This has led to me spending much time

reflecting on the time I have spent in my position and reevaluating almost everything

that I have learned as an educator up until this point in time. For the last eight years, I

have worked for an education reform program in the UAE Ministry of Education, and in

that time my personal goal, and hopefully the goal of my supervisors, was to help

students learn. There are of course many ways in which this goal is accomplished. I

have been involved in classroom teaching, curriculum and assessment development,

pedagogical development and teacher mentoring and training as a means to improve

students’ education experience. Despite many obstacles and a lack of clear vision by

senior administration and policy makers, I know that I have helped students, parents,

teachers and the school as a community. Unfortunately, I also feel that the good that I

have done is not necessarily representative of the kind of changes that need to be

implemented in order for me to know that I have helped all stakeholders and improved

the education system as a whole. The students I have helped have been from my own

personal contributions at the school level where I saw an opportunity to help the school

implement best practices. The policy makers, I feel, are not implementing the kind of

wide spread change that needs to be put in to practice in order for the K12 education

system to compete internationally and provide students with the opportunities for

learning that they need.

I promised myself I would not rant about how broken the system is and how the people

who say they want to improve it, the policy makers, do not actually want to improve it for

various reasons which I may or may not get to (this time around). The bottom line is

that the next time I find myself in such a position to lead education change I am better

equipped to deal with the sorts of problems and obstacles that one can encounter when

working in a politically charged environment. This involves me gaining a higher

education and pursuing my own continuous professional development based on a five

year plan and in a daily manner.

The vision of the University of Roehampton is very much the vision that I hold for my

own education journey and what I hope to accomplish professionally. Promoting social

justice and engaging “in the pursuit of truth through research and debate based on

freedom of thought and expression” is the path for education reform in the Middle East.

For my observations over the last eight years from working within the UAE government

K12 education sector is that the reason policy makers do not want education reform is

due to the value of a private education which is higher regarded than a public education

because it is better. It doesn’t have to be better. With work and change we could say

that a public education is just as good as a private education. After eight years of

leading education reform in the public K12 education system we are no closer to saying

that public and private education are equal now than we were eight years ago. And that

really does make me sad.

I have learned not to be defined by my job. I, as a person, am far more complex than

the culmination of my job position and professional experience. I am an educator who

is truly passionate about helping people and sharing my knowledge and experience with

others in hopes that I will learn from them and that I will be able to use my skillset to

help society as a whole. My current mission is to grow professionally and academically.

I hope to grow both as a person through enquiry and collaboration and as a professional

educator through the journey offered to me by the University of Roehampton Master

Degree program.

This journey will involve dedication and hard work. This journey will involve reading and

synthesizing of academic works and analysing them in a fashion that I can apply the

knowledge to my own situation and experience. This will be accomplished through

collaboration and interaction with people of a similar mindset and background from

around the world. And it is my belief that this is how online education is able to offer a

rich and diverse experience that when applied to our daily lives, is more effective than

traditional classroom approached to graduate studies. Often I hear from various

colleagues that I should not do an online Master’s degree. When I ask them why, the

answer is inevitably to do with seeking employment or how institutes do not hold it in as

high of regards as blended learning or face to face degrees. My response is always the

same. I am doing this degree for myself and not for my future employers or the

administrations behind those institutes. The same administrations that have trouble

identifying and solving problems within their own walls. My walls are well under control.

I lead social change in education through empathy and empowerment. I believe in the

power of one. It is now the right time that I get more tools in the form of higher

education and global knowledge to better equip me to do battle for ‘right’, for those

battles will always be there. It is when no one stands up and says there is a better way

to do things that change for good is hindered.

After watching the videos on social change, it has opened my eyes to the possibilities

that we as educators can have on changing social norms and improving education

opportunities both nationally and internationally. Another video on social justice in

education that I watched with great interest is ‘Waiting for Superman’. Geoffrey

Canada’s views on the failure of the American public education system and on how the

charter school system can help people who are without a voice are much the same as

my own. I also can relate to Michael Day’s insight in ‘Education and Social Change’. I

believe that teachers are a catalyst for change and teachers are the key to improving

student learning which will in turn benefit society as a whole. Day pointed out that “for

many children, the education they receive will be their passport to their future life,”

which I believe wholeheartedly. In order to be a catalyst for change educators need to

lead passionately taking into consideration all stakeholders and influence policy both

from the top down and the bottom up.

The Phoenix Plus Programme is an interesting case study of education reform success.

Although good in theory I would argue that if you take a handful of students and put

them in an adult learning environment such as a college with teachers that have above

average qualifications and experience you are going to have success. Unfortunately

this sort of program is very expensive to implement and affects a small number of the

community’s population. Have the public schools in the same geographic area enjoyed

the same sort of successes as the Phoenix Plus Programme? Have they successfully

implemented change in their education systems and in areas that have the same

socioeconomic problems which set them apart from other school districts? Something

as simple and effective as treating students with respect does not and should not

require policy change or funding. I found that many of the teacher and student

testimonials in the video are common sense in terms of student academic success. The

Phoenix Plus Programme is an obviously necessary and effective method in solving

social problems that were deflating a community and its ability to provide educational

opportunities for a select group of those that were not functioning well in the current

system. These changes however, were very drastic changes that could not be

implemented for all students and all parents in the community. In my experience I am

used to seeing reports produced on the effectiveness of education reform programs

only to see that the reality on the ground is far different than the facts and figures

presented to the public in order to justify their jobs and budgets. This is why I have a lot

of respect for Geoffrey Canada’s views on education reform and the ideas presented in

the documentary ‘Waiting for Superman’. We should improve education systems to

create better learning environments for students and not to justify our jobs as policy

makers.

Last but not least, I would like to point out the necessity of having an online ePortfolio in

today’s ever changing and developing technological world. I embrace everything

technology, IT, online learning, MOOC and/or social media. I decided long ago that I

could resist these changes, use them cautiously or throw caution to the wind and dive in

whole heartedly. I chose the latter and as a result my entire life has been posted online

for all to see publicly. After the last couple of stalkers and deranged murders that

continue to contact me both online and offline, I have come to reevaluate my stance on

digital freedom and citizenship but the damage is already done. I will add my ePortfolio

to my digital archive and digital footprint in hopes of using it as a means to showcase

my continuous professional development, to make public my research interests and

publications and to chronologically document any other professional achievements.

Having an ePortfolio will help in the same way as earning this Master Degree, that is, as

evidence to my accomplishments and dedication to my chosen career.

More specifically I will use my ePortfolio to:

Demonstrate professional effort, progress, and achievement, define continuous professional development plan and goals, make connections between education theory and practice, document learning progress and implementation over time, provide evidence of meeting professional standards, improve classroom teaching, improve teacher training, enhance communication and organizational skills, show greater awareness of strengths and weaknesses, encourage reflective practice and self-inquiry, illustrate best pedagogical practices, illustrate the dynamic process of teaching and learning, Showcase integration of technology in the classroom, support professional growth and development, document activity in nonprofit professional organisations, showcase published materials, articles and research, highlight global professional learning network, facilitate goal orientated planning, showcase a visible collection of skills to present to a prospective employer, develop and demonstrate IT skills, celebrate accomplishments, showcase curriculum and assessment development, and showcase my creativity.

“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” ―Mark Twain 1835-1910

References

Education and Social Change, (2013). Directed by Laureate Education Inc.. [Film:online]

London: Sony (accessed: 20/03/15)

Roehampton University (2014). Roehampton Master of Arts Programme Outcomes.

[Online] Available at: http://goo.gl/HDRqHB (accessed: 20/03/15)

Roehampton University, (no date) Roehampton University: Our Vision. [Online]

Available at: http://goo.gl/Zmn3lh (accessed: 20/03/15)

Roehampton University, (no date). Master of Arts in Inclusive Special Education.

[Online] Available at: http://goo.gl/E30VuQ (accessed: 20/03/15)

The Phoenix Plus Programme: Social Change in Action, (2013). Directed by Laureate Education Inc.. [Film:online] London: Sony (accessed: 20/03/15)

Welcome to Roehampton Program (2014) Directed by Laureate Education Inc.. [Film:online] London: Creative Support Services (accessed: 20/03/15)