Doctorate Update

In May, I started my journey towards my 6-year degree (the educational name for the stepping stone between master's and full doctorate). It's a wild ride, but I'm hanging on and hope to finish in the next three and a half or four years. 

I finished up my first class in late June and began my second class.  I worked very hard to get accomplished with the papers for class number 2 early so that I could enjoy some of the July fun we had already planned like our quick beach trip, and a very short trip to Savannah, GA to see my college friends, etc. I also didn't want to have to worry about extra papers to write while I recovered from surgery. This second class will wrap up in two weeks and I've completed every assignment except for the final discussion post and the replies to the posts of classmates. 

My school year of teaching will begin next week, and I'll get about three weeks of school underway before my next doctoral class starts. Once that class begins, I'll be juggling teaching and being a student simultaneously. I had to do this in May for about three weeks as the school year ended and my doctoral program began. 

The first class was pretty brutal.  The assignments were lengthy and required lots of information about venues I did not frequent on the daily.  After an intense delving into the requirements for all remaining classes in that particular degree concentration, I realized that it was not the program for me. I researched various other concentrations and settled on one that is more geared towards teachers in the K-12 setting rather than a university setting. Unfortunately, by the time I could change concentrations, my second class had started and I'd have to wait til the fall until I could change programs officially.  That meant that the two classes I took this summer will count as electives toward my new program. 

I'm excited to chip away at the requirements for this first degree stepping stone.  This 6-year degree, called an Education Specialist (Ed.S.), will enable me to earn a bit higher pay as I pursue the full doctoral degree, the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.).  The Ed.S. program can transfer about 27 credit hours into the Ed.D. program which will save me loads of time on the back side of the journey. I plan to achieve the Ed.S. by December 2023 and begin pursuing the Ed.D. in January of 2024 with a completion projection of May 2025. 

I'm just taking one class per quarter.  It's such a help that this degree is completely online, which allows me to continue working and chip away at the class assignments in the evenings and on weekends.  I'm very careful of how much time I spend working on it while my kids are awake, and I'm making sure to spend time with them and work on the degree when they're asleep or busy with other things. 

All in all, I'm pleased with the progress and know that I'm making the right steps for my family. 

Until Next Time, 
Much Love, Reba