Writing Journal

I need to begin a Writing Journal for my research writing course in the Ed. D program. I may use this blog or a wiki, depending on the expectations for the coursework.

At this point in my journey, I have completed 42 credits and have only 3 quarters of course work remaining. There are 3 more Superintedent intership quarters, and I must complete the research project. We will defend our proposals in the Fall. I have been surprised how much the program spirals as we process and refine our learning. At times, I am impatient to move into a position that takes advantage of the exciting leadership skills I have learned. I have never been a person who is comfortable being told what to do, so one of my goals is to reach a higher level of autonomy in my career. During most of the program, I have been pleased that the courses are aggressive and fast-moving, leading to realization of my goals before I get too old to appreciate the experience.

It will be interesting to see how this summer quarter progresses since it includes three courses. It may be a challenge to complete all of the assignments if they are not well coordinated. I am a little concerned because I know I will devote important time this summer to my daughter and her July wedding. I will depend on strategies of planning ahead and prioritizing tasks this quarter. The internship focus of HRD will draw connections to the work I have done in professional development for educators and will help me to fill in gaps in my understanding of the HR process.

My dissertation topic of resilience is standing firm, although I have refined and narrowed the approach through identifying my paradigm, worldview, and interpretive lens. I believe there are multiple perspectives of reality, and I would like to follow the social constuctivist view for this research project. I am working to build a mixed methods approach, blending comparative case study naturalistic research with a survey style of quantitative research. It seems we have worked a long time on revising our research proposals and I am looking forward to the day when we can begin this great task.

I have particularly enjoyed the interactions we have had within our cohort. We have truly blended our talents to support each other on this journey. I cannot imagine taking this journey as a solo flight. I am looking forward to our next steps.