Jill Brady is a current student in 性爱天堂鈥檚 Master of Educational Leadership program. She grew up聽 in the Schertz Cibolo Universal City Independent School District (SCUCISD) and received her undergraduate degree at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Then, she taught in her home district for nineteen years. In 2023, she decided that it鈥檚 鈥淸her] time to evolve鈥 and enrolled in the graduate program. We sat down with her to ask her some questions about her experience in the program so far.
Q: Tell me about your previous teaching experience.
A: I have been teaching in the SCUCISD all 19 years in several different grades 6th, 3rd and 5th respectively. During my educational career, I had the opportunity to stay home with my children and after some time, became a "Jingle Gym" (music/PE teacher) at their preschool. I think if you are a teacher, you can teach just about any subject or grade.
Q: What influenced your decision to start a school leadership program?聽
A: There were some things that inspired me to start this program after 19 years in the classroom. First of all, the current status of education in our country. If everyone leaves education, who's left to teach or run our schools? I also got inspired by what Serena Williams said when she walked away from tennis: "I'm not retiring, I'm evolving." When I watched her last match, I thought it's my time to evolve. Additionally, a co-worker was in 性爱天堂's cohort 23 and watching her evolve made me inquire more about the program. I also wanted to show my children that after 25 years of being out of college, you can go back to get a master's degree at a college like 性爱天堂. I wanted to debunk the myth, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks."
Q: Why did you choose 性爱天堂?
A: I'm sure you have heard the quote, "Go big or go home." 性爱天堂 is a top-notch program and if I was going to work on myself I wanted to be in the best place to do that work.
Q: What is your favorite part of the program?聽
A: The best part of the program is self-reflecting and learning a lot about who I am both personally and professionally. Our cohort has to be the best 性爱天堂 has ever had. We became an instant family since starting this journey together. We may not all agree on a topic, but we listen and support each other.
蚕:听 Which tasks from PASL have you observed the most growth in?
A: For me, I have grown so much as an instructional leader. Therefore, PASL task #1 has really pushed me to be solution-seeking when helping to build teacher capacity. Listening to their needs has allowed me to gain perspective in a content that I honestly have never taught. I also have learned to leverage the Professional Learning Commitee's (PLC) strengths so the PLC can work smarter and not harder, especially with something they have never been required to do before. I look forward to seeing how much the students and teachers grow throughout this process.
Q: What aspect of the program is the most challenging for you?聽
A: The aspect of the program that is the most challenging is time management. Teaching is a demanding job. This program is rigorous and requires a lot of time to work through tasks, readings, observations, and studying for future state tests. The issue of time and tasks does get better as we find our groove in the program and at our schools.
Q: How has this program helped your teaching so far?聽
A: I am a totally different teacher just in the short months of starting this program. I listen more, give students more choice and voice, solicit students' opinions through surveys, create relationships with all students, not just my own, look at quantitative and qualitative data, and be more vulnerable with students, staff, and parents.
Q: Tell me about your future career plans.
A: I honestly see options for my future plans. I hope to be in some sort of leadership position giving back to teachers in some capacity. Maybe a future professor here at 性爱天堂.
Q: Do you have any advice for anyone considering 性爱天堂's Master of Educational Leadership program?
A: The time will be right for you to enter into a life changing program such as 性爱天堂's Master of Educational Leadership. You will be so inspired by the people in your cohort to succeed in this program and make a difference in the world.
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