Learning Goals Looking Glass
"Self-reflection is the school of wisdom."
- Baltasar Gracián y Morales (1601-1658)
"Self-reflection is the school of wisdom."
- Baltasar Gracián y Morales (1601-1658)
Above Photo: Three generations of Bonfiglis all in a single photo. From left to right: myself, my son, and my father at my graduation from the University of Maryland, College Park in December 1996.
In the fall of 2017, my self-directed educational journey had reached a crossroads. The path on which I had been traveling over the last two and a half decades, having completed my undergraduate degree at the University of Maryland at College Park in the winter of 1996, had become fragmented with no clear destination in sight. I knew where I wanted my educational journey to take me and who I wanted to become as a result of the experience. My educational goals at that time were the same then as they are now: Seek ways to become a better version of myself as a lifelong learner, educator, and youth sport coach. I wanted to continue to grow as a lifelong learner and find new ways to challenge myself. I wanted to learn new approaches and strategies to provide a positive transformational experience for all of the learners and athletes with whom I interact. I wanted to become more like the educators and coaches who guided me when I was younger that have had such a positive impact on my life.
Reflecting on these goals I realized that I would have to set out on a new journey by opening myself up to new experiences and working with new guides. That was when I began my search for a graduate program that focused on my passions: learning, educating, and youth sport coaching. That search led me to the Michigan State University Master of Arts in Education (MAED) program where I once again picked up the tracks of knowledge that put me on the path where I find myself today. As a learner in the MAED program I have had my horizons expanded by learning new methods of inquiry, discovering the true meaning of what it means to be youth sport coach, and I have learned myriad new pedagogical approaches to enhance the learning taking place in my classroom.
With my time in the program coming to an end, the original goals that I had set for myself have not only not changed, they have once again been reinforced. My experiences over the last three years as a learner in the program have been overwhelmingly transformative and transformational. Not only am I not the individual I was when I started the program, I have become an improved version of who I used to be. I have also been reminded that there is still so much more I need to learn and this waypoint is just one stop on a non-linear journey to personal improvement.
With that in mind, as the tracks that lay behind me begin to vanish over time, and the echoes of the voices shepherding me on this leg of my learning journey begin to fade, I am confident that I have the resources and experiences to guide myself to the next path on which to take my next first learning steps...
In the fall of 2017, my self-directed educational journey had reached a crossroads. The path on which I had been traveling over the last two and a half decades, having completed my undergraduate degree at the University of Maryland at College Park in the winter of 1996, had become fragmented with no clear destination in sight. I knew where I wanted my educational journey to take me and who I wanted to become as a result of the experience. My educational goals at that time were the same then as they are now: Seek ways to become a better version of myself as a lifelong learner, educator, and youth sport coach. I wanted to continue to grow as a lifelong learner and find new ways to challenge myself. I wanted to learn new approaches and strategies to provide a positive transformational experience for all of the learners and athletes with whom I interact. I wanted to become more like the educators and coaches who guided me when I was younger that have had such a positive impact on my life.
Reflecting on these goals I realized that I would have to set out on a new journey by opening myself up to new experiences and working with new guides. That was when I began my search for a graduate program that focused on my passions: learning, educating, and youth sport coaching. That search led me to the Michigan State University Master of Arts in Education (MAED) program where I once again picked up the tracks of knowledge that put me on the path where I find myself today. As a learner in the MAED program I have had my horizons expanded by learning new methods of inquiry, discovering the true meaning of what it means to be youth sport coach, and I have learned myriad new pedagogical approaches to enhance the learning taking place in my classroom.
With my time in the program coming to an end, the original goals that I had set for myself have not only not changed, they have once again been reinforced. My experiences over the last three years as a learner in the program have been overwhelmingly transformative and transformational. Not only am I not the individual I was when I started the program, I have become an improved version of who I used to be. I have also been reminded that there is still so much more I need to learn and this waypoint is just one stop on a non-linear journey to personal improvement.
With that in mind, as the tracks that lay behind me begin to vanish over time, and the echoes of the voices shepherding me on this leg of my learning journey begin to fade, I am confident that I have the resources and experiences to guide myself to the next path on which to take my next first learning steps...
