Writing & Research Self-Assessment by Carol Thesing

Writing first became important to me when I learned to print in grade school. I loved penmanship class and enjoyed making perfect letters. I would practice over and over. My style of writing was more important to me than the content however.

As I went through the grades in school, writing for content became more important. In high school, quantity was also an issue. Because I often had difficulty with spelling and I never seemed to be able to elaborate on a topic for pages, I began to hate writing assignments. I didnt want to write anything because I thought I was so bad at it. I even quit writing letters to my friends.

At the end of high school and beginning of college, I began to read seriously just for fun. It improved my vocabulary, grammar, and spelling. I couldnt spell much better but I now could find the words in the dictionary.

As a teacher, I wanted my students to write but also to enjoy writing. I tried very hard to set a good example. Most of my writing consisted of worksheets, outlines and tests. As an extension educator, I was expected to now write articles for the newspaper. That was very threatening at first. But like most things, the thought is worse than the reality. With the help of my computer and the positive feedback I received from the public, I really began to enjoy writing. For the first time, I felt like I had something to say people wanted to hear.

Now I write mainly for myself. I do it to clarify self thoughts, to respond to the tasks in this masters program, solidify goals and I even write letters now and again.

The professional issues I wish to pursue has to deal with the philosophy of learning and what makes education relevant to all learners. In my own experience of formal education, my whole concept of education has changed. I have gone from reacting to education by the labels others had given to me to person interested and excited about learning more. I believe age is one reason but is not the key. I believe we have the abilities, intellectually, emotionally, socially, spiritually, and even physically to accomplish so much more but we limit ourselves by how we think. I would like to seek out and research information to help myself and others become excited about learning and not to feel it is a drudgery and a chore.

Another area of study I wish to purse in this masters program is in nutrition. The fuel we use in our bodies has much more of an impact on our health than most people believe. I would like to grasp a better understanding of the effect our food choices make on our ability to learn, heal, interact, and feel good about ourselves.

I feel the M.Ed. Extension Partnership program can help me achieve professional growth in these learning areas because of the various facets of educational sources available. I believe this program will help me design and implement research in my goal areas that can enrich my learning as well as others in the cohort.

-- Anonymous, February 15, 1999