The Ending of an Era

You'll have to excuse me for a second while I scream; Yaaaaaahhhhhooooo! I just finished giving the presentation of my Master's of Arts in Teaching thesis via Skype last night :) The presentation went well and I passed with very minor revisions which I will need to turn in by April 15th. Easy Peasy!

There is such a sense of relief that is flooding over me. I started this program in January of 2008 (a full year before Madison was born!) - yea she's almost 3 1/2 now :) So it's been some time in coming! I remember first starting classes when I was teaching in Chicago. I would finish my day of teaching, get in the car and drive straight to class with a 1.5 hour commute - sometimes 3 in traffic! I would be in class one or two nights a week from 6pm-10pm or and sometimes a weekend class. I chipped away at my homework, and little by little finished one class at a time.

Then I got pregnant with Madison, kept teaching and going to class while pregnant. The cohort I was in(Holla Cohort 10!) became such dear friends that they threw me a surprise baby shower. What sweet memories! Love them. Then I had Madison, took a break. Got back to it for a while, got pregnant with Rose then took a break when Rose was born. Then got back to it again.

Then we moved to Scotland in September and I wasn't sure how hard it would be to finish things up being over seas. But because God is so gracious and the wonderful people in Trinity Graduate School were so helpful, I was able to finish! Well, I do have just one little requirement to actually walk for graduation. I need to study for and test out of a Health class. and THAT is it. It's a little hard to believe the end has come!

I have decided to postpone the actual graduation ceremony until December because we can't make it back to the states before then. But at least I'll get to do it!

Just for fun the other day I was looking at the Looooong list of classes and requirements they give you going into the degree and feeling such  sense of accomplishment knowing I had one by one checked each of those of my list over the past 4 years! Wow. I honestly can't believe I did it. Haha - I know that sounds sad. But there were a lot of times that I thought it would have been a whole lot easier to just turn in the towel. SO glad I didn't.

Here is the list for posterity and fun:
ID5001 Foundations of Integrative Thought
ID5002 Foundations of Cultural Engagement
ED 5210 Educational Technology
ED5551 Teaching in Culturally Diverse Settings I
ED6911 Research Methods and Design I
Ed 5350 Advanced Educational Psychology
Ed 5400 Foundations of Special Education
ED 5552 Teaching in Culturally Diverse Settings II
ED 6260 Reading and Writing Across the Curriculum
Ed 6700 Integrated Methods of teaching in Elementary and Middle School
ED6912 Research Methods and Design II
ED 67450 Clinical Practice for Elementary Certification (ie: Student teach AGAIN)
ED 7460 Advanced Seminar in Education

* Field Experience Practicum
* Basic Skills test
* Content Area Test
* APT test
* My final portfolio/presentation
* Action Research poster project/presentation
* Video (of my teaching) analysis and presentation
* Lesson plan binder, 
* Exit Interview

* Outstanding General Ed Credits ----> This mean I had to take Algebra and Zoology at a local community college in the summers. I Honestly thought I wasn't going to pass that College Algebra class!

I could not have finished this degree without my sweetheart Tim. Seriously, there were so many assignments he stayed up late helping me with, or times he hugged me and told me I could do it while I was in tears on the couch, or watched the girls extra hours so that I could get extra study and writing time in. He's the best partner I could ask for.  But of course the highest praise goes to the Lord who gave me strength each step of the way. He is so good!