Prof writing & proposal Devel(DSRT)

This course helped me to understand all of the components of the dissertation and how I

will begin that process. I appreciated the practice opportunities and connections with

classmates who are in similar stages of their doctoral program. Initially, I wasn’t sure how well

this course would prepare me for the dissertation, but I feel much more confident now and am

almost excited to begin.

Practically speaking, this course forced me to do research on leadership specific to my

profession, which I hadn’t necessarily done before this course (and the one prior). It allowed me

to think how I could better advocate for myself as a school counselor and the need to have a

great working relationship with the principal or administrator in charge.

I also realized how important the history of my profession is within the context of greater

school change. This is also going to be used again in my dissertation, which I wouldn’t have

known before this course. School counselors are pretty new in the world of education compared

to teachers, and there’s a lot of misunderstanding about our roles. Within my school, there’s a

great deal of confusion about what I actually do and what my responsibilities should be. Our

school separates the personal counselor from college counseling, and they try to keep the roles

very distinct. That can work well, but students will confide in whomever they’re most comfortable

with, and that includes teachers. Open communication and more collaboration would make a

huge difference in best supporting the students instead of getting defensive when a student

shares something personal with a college counselor. I’ve also been told to not say that my

degree or experience is in school counseling because I’m a college counselor. It’s offensive, to

say the least, and comes from a total lack of understanding of my profession and also the

degree I worked hard to achieve.

The biggest takeaway from this course, however, was that the dissertation can be

manageable and that leadership comes in all forms. I am not the loudest person in the room,

and sometimes I’ve questioned why I would get a degree in educational leadership. I don’t want

to be an administrator, and I certainly didn’t want to write a 100-page dissertation. But I think I

continue to underestimate my worth and abilities. I still don’t want to be an administrator, but I

have realized that I would be a lot better at it than most educational leaders I’ve observed.

In education, it often seems like those who can’t teach, become administrators. And it

shows. My current bosses have no degrees in education or even leadership. One has a

bachelor’s degree in psychology and a law degree. The other has a music degree and yet

taught history before becoming an administrator. For me, this program and this course have

given me more confidence in myself, and I know that my dissertation will be a culmination of my

work. If I ever change my mind on becoming an administrator, at least I know that I’ll have the

credentials and experience to back up my decisions and communication.

Thank you for the course. I’m not always the best at engagement within courses or doing

my assignments in advance of the deadline, but I was better in this course than my previous

ones. For an online degree program, I learned more than I thought I would. In this course, I

learned the most, and I’m grateful to now have a good grasp of all parts of the dissertation and

what I will be doing next.