Look Back at It- Reflecting on my Growth Through These Courses

When I first started the process of creating my ePortfolio, I had no idea the tears and trauma I would self-induce. I didn’t know where to begin and stared at my blank screen just confused about what to do. I had to give myself the pep talk of just getting started and see where it goes. To my surprise I realized I was overcomplicating things once again. I initially started my ePortfolio with Canva, after hearing Dr. H go on and on about Wix I decided to give it a try. Life changed, it became so much easier. I found the look I wanted and all I had to do was plug in information that I wanted to share. That was it. Simple. I went from wanting to quit the program to realizing I can do way more than I give myself credit for. I was so proud of my ePortfolio that I shared it with my peers, colleagues, and parents with the message, “Yeah I did that”.

Looking back now, I can laugh at how I felt in those early days, but at the time it was rough. Finishing my ePortfolio gave me a huge sense of accomplishment. I worked through my own doubts and insecurities to completion. When I met with Dr. H he had the old link to my portfolio, but once I told him oh no, I changed the link and sent it to him he gave me the best compliment, “my ePortfolio was on the of best in the class”. He didn’t even know I was looking into dropping this degree and it gave me the push I needed to keep going. https://www.kimberlysdavis.com/

One of the hardest challenges in the beginning of this class was the discussion. I think my group and I did not have great communication. The first discussion I got was the lowest grade of my life! I had to fight to get my grade up. From what I noticed by groupmates worked weeks ahead of what was due, so with the discussions they were done. I had a choice to make, keep up or stay behind.  I began to work ahead, I wanted to beat them to the discussion questions and once that happened my grades improved. 

For the assignments that we completed, that was a fun challenge for me. I have a passion for improving communication for all. Our first assignment was exploring digital resources; I went through various digital resources that I had no idea existed. There were a lot of aha moments that I even had to share with my team at work. If it wasn’t for this class I would never have heard of magic school, and I am forcing my team to use it this upcoming school year. Exploring Digital Resources. The next assignment Educational Leadership Role stimulation helped me step out of my comfort zone and learn more about myself. It made me realize that I want more out of my career. I naturally have a collaborative leadership style due to the nature of my job. It’s imperative that I get information from all parties involved. But now I want to tap into my authoritative leadership. I want to go into a room and tell people to get it done without having to water it down or worry about backlash. 

Overall, this course challenged me in ways I didn’t think possible. I learned my leadership style and others that I can adopt when it’s needed. I found my voice and how to advocate for myself and others and found passions that were forgotten about. I am eager to continue growing and learning. I can’t wait to find out what’s next for me.