Your "Education": If You Had It To Do Over...

What would I do over?

Well, if I could go way back I'd talk my parents into letting me take classical guitar lessons instead of piano.

If I continued with a BA in music and went into teaching, I'd get my first masters in administration rather than curriculum. The curriculum degree was useless except for advancing on the salary schedule. I would have qualified for more jobs with the administration credential and avoided several years of misery in crappy positions under administrators from hell.

When I became a teacher I wanted to work on education reform. Stupidly I thought that by becoming a teacher I'd be able to do that. I spent several years just trying to survive on the salary until I got a masters and advanced on the salary schedule far enough to afford rent through the summer (when we DON'T get paid). By the time I finally figured out that teachers have no power to change anything, it was too late. Of course administrators have very little power to enact true reform either. Neither does a Superintendent. And the school boards don't know enough about education to reform anything but even they don't have any power. That leaves the politicians. They know even less.

I suppose if I had it to do again I could become Supreme Dictator of the Universe for Life. Because that's what it would take to enact the radical and drastic reforms education needs to get away from the agrarian calendar and a system that is constructed around the bus schedule and the cafeteria schedule. Yes. The beginning of a school day is based on the convenience of the bus schedule, not research based data supporting student achievement. And it won't change because parents consider school to be free daycare and they won't vote to change school hours. Those that actually have power to change schools don't do so for the good of students. Decisions are made based on their own convenience. That's the difference between teachers being in charge and those that ARE in charge.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Feb 17 2007, 10:56 PM) [snapback]392220[/snapback]</div>

Whereas I want a 48 hour day and a 10 day week.

I need more time. I want to quilt, needlepoint, crochet afghans.

I want to spend more time in my yard.

I want to start playing my guitar again.

I want to spend several hours each day reading the piles of books I have waiting for me.

And I still need to clean the house and fix all of the "to-dos".

I need more time because the job comes first.

I've also got both National Board Certification and my masters class going at the same time. The portfolio will be done end of March. The masters finally done end of August.

But I still need more time in the day and more days in the week.

 

If I had it to do over, I would major in history and minor in a science field like physics then figure out a way to time travel to all of the eras I would be studying

 

I wouldn't have wasted my time in Care of Magical Creatures but would have taken another year of Potions, despite how I felt about Snape.

 

I would have taken computer repair/programming and become a service tech...

 

I always wanted to be a Veterinarian and help animals. I was reading a disturbing article on CNN the other day -- a Las Vegas Animal Shelter had slaughtered 1000 animals because of some infectious disease. This was plain oversight on the shelter and it shouldn't have happend. So disgusting and sad!

Here's the article:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/02/16/shelter.o...k.ap/index.html

 

I am completely happy in my career. It took some ups and downs in the path to get here, but after some soul-searching about 5 years ago I am independent consultant doing what I love. Best part is that it matches my college degrees and years of experience so I keep those badges.

Compared to working for "the man" I work 50-100% more hours now. However, those hours seem like minutes because I love what I do. I don't even consider it work, it is just a lifestyle to me now.

I think any other educational path would have led me here. I might have been a consultant in a different field, but my lifestyle would pretty much be the same.

 

Double-Knot Spy or a lion tamer.

 

i would have taken a real job so we could afford to pay the bills amid all the medical expenses.

 

Did banko & tax for appx 15years. At age 51 last year, I put the law license inactive . . . in greatest part because the stress (according to she-who-must-be-obeyed) makes me less of a nice person. I wish my parents would have driven me into graduate medicine or music because I love both. I was too lazy to do either, without a little kicking in the seat . . . and I never had motivatiog parents (boo hoo, sniffle and wahh )

We live very well, and have lots of fun stuff on the plate, so who has time now, to go back & compete with the younger generations, that haven lost some of the drive/edge? Our daughter turned out pretty well and maybe we'll do that over again, via adoption. Oh, I forgot! I also would have been Bill Gates !

 

Teaching has been an excellent choice for me, and I would not change my career path.

If I could change anything, I would change my childhood priorities (more reading...more compassion for people who weren't my "friends"...more appreciation for my parents...and more patience for the piano lessons).

Since I didn't do those things 20-30 years ago, I'm working on them now (except the piano lessons)!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Feb 17 2007, 11:56 PM) [snapback]392220[/snapback]</div>

Hey, that's my fantasy too. They wouldn't even have to pay me ...

Seriously, quite happy with how things turned out. The computer science degree opened a lot of doors, and the business degree kept them open. Had started my B.Sc in Chemical Engineering, but when I moved back to Canada I was only halfway through. May finish it or may not, no urgent desire at this point.

 

I majored in physics and astronomy. If I'd do it over again, I would choose physics and music (piano). I learnt piano since I was 4 and lost touch after 19. So, a music major would keep me in practice. I still like my biophysics graduate program I chose.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Michgal007 @ Feb 19 2007, 04:39 PM) [snapback]392967[/snapback]</div>

you... you... LIKE grad school??!!

 

If I could do it over again, I would have gone away to school. I lived at home during college, and did not have a great experience. I think it would have been good for me to live on campus and get more of the college experience.

 

I'm one of the (un)lucky ones who has a calling in life and no real choice about it. If I had it to do over again, I don't think I could make a different choice. I've only had once focus in my life since I was very young.

Aside from that one little bit of fate I've made it a personal policy to take full responsibility for my decisions, and to outlaw the concept of regret. Of course I've had it relatively easy, so I don't have a lot to complain about.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Jack Kelly @ Feb 17 2007, 10:16 PM) [snapback]392210[/snapback]</div>

Hmmm ... I don't remember starting a thread about education. The last one I remember starting was on surfing, and that died on the vine pretty quickly. But I'm flattered that you thought it was me, Jack.

As for what I would do differently if I had it to do over, there's a two things that come to mind:

1. I would have gone for an MS right away. (Yeah, I could still go, but it's been 16 years and I'm not sure I'm up to that level of studying)
2. Minored in history or economics

The biggest thing I'd do, though, would be to actually apply myself. I always did the minimum effort required to get "good enough" results. I managed to graduate with honors (cum laude) without really working my hardest. I wonder where I'd be today if I had put in some real effort.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(AuntBee @ Feb 18 2007, 01:42 AM) [snapback]392251[/snapback]</div>

As someone who's first mistake was to major in history and minor in science... and is now going back for a graduate degree in science, I can say this: Don't major in history. It's great for telling some stories, and if I had gone into teaching I would have been happier... but there just isn't all that much you can do with a history degree.