Posts by Dr. Rebecca Hoey

When our dear alum, Christine Roy, asked us to do some consulting on learning inclusion and peer learning communities at Al Raja School in Manama, Bahrain, we took her up on a globe-trotting adventure – in return, I felt impacted more than I consulted. 

When our dear alum, Christine Roy, asked us to do some consulting on learning inclusion and peer learning communities at Al Raja School in Manama, Bahrain, I’d like to say I jumped at the opportunity. How many times do you get a chance to speak into the development of new programs that significantly impact teaching and learning in another country? How many times do you get to partner with a former student on work that is truly valuable? I should have been elated. I should have.

The truth is, I was a little afraid to accept Christine’s invitation. I was afraid of traveling to the Middle East; Bahrain is on the Persian Gulf, surrounded by Saudi Arabia and near Yemen, Iran and Iraq. I was afraid of the culture, particularly how I would be treated as a western woman. I was afraid of the language barrier. I was afraid I wouldn’t understand the context of the school, and end up offending the teachers. As my colleague Derek Brower can attest, I was even afraid of the food. BUT I was more afraid of being someone who missed out on an opportunity because of fear, so I said yes. 

Do you know what we found during our week in Bahrain?

Multilingual, multinational children who laugh, learn, sing, dance and play together without any perceptible discrimination. Parents wearing everything from hijabs to skinny jeans, keffiyehs to Oakleys, who openly love their children. Teachers from countries like Bahrain, Egypt, Sri Lanka, India, Canada, the US, Great Britain, and Indonesia working together in harmony and purpose—on fire for interdisciplinary collaboration and student success. A school right next to a mosque and a Christian church. Christians and Muslims and Hindus who are friends and coworkers. 

Tolerance. Generosity. Kindness. Hospitality. 
Kharak tea, tandoori masala, qouzi, khuboos, shawarmas and the best murgh makhani I’ll ever eat in my life. And of course, our Christine Roy, a young teacher leader who is leaning in to the work God has laid upon her heart.

We went to Bahrain to help Al Raja School, but I suspect we left with far more than we contributed:  a renewed appreciation for the beautiful diversity of God’s kingdom, and the knowledge that we are as similar as we are different. I can’t wait to go back.

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1. You’ll be a better teacher. No reason is better than this.  You might be a very good classroom teacher, but the coursework in your master’s program will develop your knowledge of trends and issues in your field, improve your bag of tricks for working with students who have different learning needs and behaviors, cultivate your ability to mentor new teachers, contribute to the technology you use for instruction, and teach you how to conduct research in your own classroom that will improve your students’ outcomes.  This is a big deal.
   
   
2. You’ll increase your income. You know your salary schedule; the longer you work and the more college credits you earn, the more money you make.  Earning your master’s degree generally moves you two 15-credit lanes.  It’s smart to do this early in your career because you’ll reap the benefits for a longer period of time. 
   
   
3. You’ll increase your retirement fund. Every year you teach a percentage of your income is invested for you into a retirement fund.  The more you earn, the more your district may contribute toward your retirement.  This is another reason earning your master’s degree early in your career is smart.
   
   
4. You’ll expand your career opportunities. Are you interested in being a teacher leader? Instructional coach?  Consultant with the regional education association?  Teach at the college level?  Work for the state?  A master’s degree will be required.  Choosing a nonprofit college with a great reputation for your master’s program will make you even more marketable. 
       
5. You’ll mark that one off your bucket list. You’ve always wanted one.  Two years of your life will pass you by anyway.  You could be two years older and be wishing you had started, or you could be two years older and have your master’s degree.  Why wait?

If we've convinced you beginning your Master's is the right thing for you, we'd love to help you get started!

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People often tell me “I always wanted to get my degree, but that’s a long time in school.”  My response is always the same:  That time is going to pass you by anyway.  Would you rather be two years older, with the degree you always wanted, qualified for the kind of job you always wanted, or would you rather be two years older and still be saying “I always wanted to get my degree….”? 

Education has never been so accessible.  You no longer have to commute to school, take night classes, figure out daycare and try to rearrange your work schedule in order to earn your degree.  Many colleges offer online or hybrid programs that work with your schedule.  I’m not suggesting those programs are easy, but that they can fit into your life.  If you want to earn a degree you can, without disrupting your family or your job. 

Your career is absolutely something that is within your power to control.  Don’t let two years be the barrier that prevents you from work you will enjoy for the rest of your life.  Two years are going to pass you by anyway.  Invest them in yourself.

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