When I decided to pursue my Master’s degree in Leadership to
be quite honest I didn’t know what to expect academically. I assumed that I would need to dedicate a lot
of time to my studies. I assumed that it
would require sacrificing family time and time with friends. Those assumptions were confirmed. What I did not know was how impactful the
lessons I would learn would be to my everyday life.
I enjoyed all of the information we were able to learn from
the class text Learning to think things through: A guide to critical
thinking across the curriculum. I never knew thinking could be so complex. I
learned that critical thinking involved elements and standards of reasoning. I learned that reflection is a prominent
feature of critical thinking. I think
one of the most important key features I learned was to ask questions. I think that in the past I didn’t ask questions
because I never really challenged myself to consider whether or not what I was
being told was true. Or I never asked
myself whether or not a task I was assigned could be done in different manner.
This course has given me the opportunity to make changes in
my personal and professional life. The
action research we learned to do is a perfect example. I took what I learned in the course and
applied it to my job. I found myself
assessing my performance and ways to improve it. The process is trial and error but I think
the results have benefited me. By structuring
my day in a certain manner I have found that I have become more efficient in my
productivity.
The only negative experience I endured over the last 9 weeks
was the guilt I felt about not spending enough time with my family. In retrospect I think my own father may have
had the same feelings as I was growing up.
Our lives seemed to parallel to a certain degree. We both waited until later in life to marry
and start families. My father in his
late 30’s and me in my mid 30’s. My
father worked very hard to provide for a family of four boys. He has been married to my mom for nearly
forty years and is my role model. It
wasn’t until the last few years that we began saying that we loved one
another. In his generation men did not
convey those kind of feelings verbally.
It was something that was always understood. I recognized as he began to move into his
late 70’s that if I never said those words to him and the day came that I could
no longer say them, that I would regret not saying them. Now we tell each other constantly how we feel
and it is beautiful. My dad never had
the time to kick the soccer ball around with me when I was little or time to
take me to the park. But he was always
there at my soccer games. He always
encouraged me to be the best at anything I put my mind to. He always had time
to give me great advice. At nearly 80
years old his body may not be as strong as it once was but his mind remains as
sharp as ever. He amazes me with his
insight on current events and his natural talent of “seeing things” that others
may not even consider. I try to remind
myself that these two years will go by fast and my son will still be young
enough for his “old man” to kick the soccer ball around with him and even teach
him a lesson or two on a skateboard.
Caiden Diaz and the “old
man” Luis R. Diaz Sr. Father’s Day 2013
I think the University and yourself do an amazing job at
providing help to support learning. I
believe I only had to reach out once during the term for assistance and you
were able to help me right away. Even
though this is not the traditional classroom course I am accustomed to the way
the course was structured I felt very in tune with my classmates. I liked the interaction I had through our
discussion boards and felt it was very beneficial to see and hear the thoughts
of my classmates. I didn’t feel like I
was alone in this journey and that others were sharing the same experience as
myself. I really didn’t know what to
expect to learn in this class but was enlightened with the material and tools I
gained. I think my favorite assignment
was the presentation. It not only made
me reflect on the previous assignments that I completed, it gave me an
opportunity to express myself and posed the greatest challenge. I am eager to use these skills in the future
when I am in a position of leadership to help connect with my team members. As an ERAU employee I look forward to growing
with this organization and in the back of my head I am mindful that there may a
greater purpose in my life. Only time
will tell. I can see myself using this
degree to open many doors to me in the future.
I just have to consider which one I will walk through.
What do I expect from my future classes? Hmm… I
expect to learn many great lessons that I will be able to use in my everyday
life. I expect to work harder than I’ve
ever worked in my life. I expect to
continue to establish meaningful relationships with my classmates. But most of all I expect to one day have the
opportunity to become a respected, contributional, and inspirational
leader.
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