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     The most frequently asked question (FAQ) posed when I told people I returned to school to pursue my Master of Arts in Education Degree was “Why?”  In response to them, I had no quick answer.  For those who do not have the time to read through my educational goals, I merely reply that I like school.  For the rest of you, I will go more in depth.

     My story starts in the mid 1980s. As a new graduate, I was a Physical Therapist (PT) trained to evaluate and treat patients to improve their mobility, strength and quality of life.  I quickly learned about DRGs (Diagnostic Related Groups) which were as new to the scene as me.  ​DRGs determine reimbursement for Medicare patients and they scrutinize treatments and changed the way healthcare was delivered. I stayed in the health field for the next eighteen years and worked my way up to a supervisor.  I loved my work as a PT but I often struggled with the business side of budgets and disciplinary tasks.  Fortunately, I found a job in the school system which allowed me to practice as a PT in a new environment.  In the school environment my treatments were now governed by IEPs (Individualized Education Plans).

     Now closing in on graduation, the goals that I wrote 5 years ago to apply to the master program are amazingly right on target.  The fact that there was a 23 year wait to return to school meant that I had thought long and hard about what I wanted to achieve.  My first goal was to improve my skills in motivating special needs students and enhance their educational opportunities by better understanding their psychological and sociological needs.  The job of a PT has always revolved around motivating people to improve their mobility.  In my previous work, I educated patients by modeling appropriate movement and through explaining the benefits of exercise.  These techniques are lost on the population with whom I now work. Kids do not care if their knees are crooked or their feet required braces so that they would develop correctly.  I needed to learn how to motivate by learning student’s interests and incorporate fun and function into the therapy session.  I needed to glean information from teachers to know how they worked toward goals.   Many of my master level classes made this goal a closer reality.

     Another goal of mine was to improve my skills in order to build and maintain collaborative partnerships with teachers and administration in developing appropriate curriculum and school improvement plans.  As a PT, I was trained in task analysis of gross motor activities but not in behavioral aspect of motivation. Through many of the classes I took, I became more observant of important skills.  Teachers were able to model techniques for me and help me to understand how to positively motivate students.  Studying education helped me to analyze the tasks I was doing to contribute to the learning taking place. 

     In addition, I wanted to continue to successfully engage families and school staff in collaborative efforts of program development for the total education of students.  This goal was reached through becoming a MOVE International trainer.  With this certification, I was able to teach staff the curriculum and I am a contact for classrooms that are having difficulty.  Classes I took helped me to refine and improve the training presentations I provided.

     Finally, 5 years ago I wrote that I wanted to improve my understanding of the educational process in order to progress students appropriately through the special education program.  This is something that I continue to work on and to understand.  The classes I took specifically helped me appreciate teachers’ skills and allowed me the vocabulary to better communicate problems or concerns with educational staff.  With my goals attained, it is time to make new ones.  ​Perhaps with my next journey there will not be the 23 year wait and I will avoid the governing bodies and acronyms.