Dear Future Me,  

 

   When you first began taking courses for your Master’s degree, your end goal was to receive a degree so that you could have some sort of validation that you were a real teacher. You could hopefully find a better, more stable job than the one I currently have - teaching in South Korea - and the rest of your future was a bit hazy as to what you would do. 

  Now, as I finish this journey I began a year and a half ago, my future is still a bit hazy, but my path that I want to take to get there seems to be much clearer. I am – without a doubt – a much better teacher than I was a couple of years ago. It fills me with pride to be able to admit that, but it also makes me wonder how much more I have to learn, and how much better could I become in order to help all of my students? Is it possible that I’m still ignorant of certain methods for reaching children who are having difficulties in my classes? Most likely, and this actually worries me because I think it’s unfair for my students’ futures if I do not help them as best as I can – even if my best is beyond my current capabilities.

  I love the field of education. I love being in my classroom and helping my students. I love helping my colleagues and trying to teach them things that I have learned in my courses at Michigan State. And I’ve realized recently that I love taking the knowledge that I have learned – knowledge concerning pedagogy, knowledge about how to integrate technology into the classroom, and knowledge about how to motivate students – and using this knowledge to help design new classes and curriculum in order to help so many other teachers and students whom I would never have the chance to meet personally.

  
  And so, Future Me, here is what I hope you consider – I love teaching. I love being around students. But we need to consider what would make you feel the most satisfied in life.
 

  Now that you have a Master’s degree, you can apply for university positions in a number of countries, teach English for twelve hours each week, have five months of paid vacation each year, and live a pretty easy life. In your spare time – of which there would be plenty – you could write, or play sports, or even study for your Doctorate in Education.
 

  And yet, I feel as if you’ve been abroad for far too long, and I understand how much you do miss your family, and so I’m not sure if you would be satisfied teaching in another country for the rest of your life.

  Thus, this connection that you have with your family also negates the chances of getting a teaching position at an international school in the near future. While it would be more work than a university position, I know how much you enjoy working with children and enjoy traveling and living in new countries. But, again, I’m not sure if this is something that you could do for much longer because I know that you're going to regret the time that you've spent away from home when the time comes for your parents to pass on to whatever journey awaits them after this life.

  Most likely, I think it’s time for you to return to the States and try to establish a future there. Unfortunately, since you seem to have done everything backwards, you would need to get your teaching certification before you could actually begin teaching, but I’ve already found programs in Texas where one can get their certificate while teaching. And yet, I’m not sure if this choice would make you any happier than the other options. For some reason, this idea doesn’t fill me with excitement at the moment. You would be closer to your family, you would be teaching elementary students, but I wonder if you would have the chance to continue your education in Education.
 

  Because that is the main thing that I have taken away from this journey as I progressed towards receiving my Master’s Degree – I want this journey to continue. I want to continue learning more about education and how to make things better. I want to be able to discuss with others ideas and experiences that I have had and see if these are things that can work for other people. Studying for my Master’s Degree has inspired me to want to learn as much as I can, but I also want to be able to use this knowledge and share it with as many people as possible. And so, maybe you should look into becoming a Teaching Assistant at a university and seeing if that’s the type of environment that you're seeking.
 

  And so, Future Me, you have some things to consider over the next few months or so as I finish up my final two courses. Whatever you choose, though, remember that feeling that we have in the classroom at that moment when we can actually see the students learning and comprehending something for the first time. Think about the joy and pride we can see in their eyes because of something that we  have managed to teach them. And remember what it took for us to get there, how much better we hope to become, and how much further we hope to go upon this journey.