Reflective Essay

Reflective Essay - Ed.
Specialist Program
Amy Quinn
June 2020
I remember my first class, walking into the Doyle center, I was excited and nervous not
knowing what I had gotten myself into. Was I ready for this? How would this degree impact
my life? Little did I know that my biggest professional growth was about to happen over the
course of the next 22 months! From the first day of class to the last day of class, Dr. Abbott was
reassuring and inspiring. Immediately as I heard her explain what the program entailed I
realized that I was in the right spot and this was the right time. I remember Dr. Abbott saying
we would look back at our hard work and feel accomplished. She was right. I remember Dr.
Abbott saying we would push ourselves and complete impressive tasks. Yes, correct again. I
also remember Dr. Abbott saying this was going to be a worthwhile experience. Oh my... was
she ever right!
As I reflect on my experience, I am so thankful I took this opportunity and forever
thankful for the people in my life who have encouraged me along the way. I am grateful for
dedicated and knowledgeable professors that shared their passion and expertise each class.
Especially Christine Abbott, our extraordinary program supervisor, who is a transformative
leader, making sure our educational experience was relevant and rigorous from beginning to
end. I am thankful for getting to know my amazing classmates. Connecting, trusting and
collaborating with such outstanding professionals has been a complete joy. I appreciate the
support of my family, especially my husband, kids, parents and sister who always believe in me,
encourage me and celebrate my accomplishments. My family is the most important thing to
me in the world and the reason I stay motivated to always be my best and true self. I am
fortunate to have Sally Drummond as my mentor, not just throughout this program but for the
past 19 years of my career. Sally has always encouraged me to take risks, to keep learning and
the one that motivated me to take this next step. I am also lucky to have Deanna Barash,
Assistant Superintendent, as my inspirational role model showing me daily what it takes to be a
influential leader and game changer.
This Ed. Specialist program has helped me reach my goals by opening my eyes to
different perspectives. When I compare my ELCC survey answers, I see how much I have grown
in many areas including; ensuring high quality education is happening (in the classroom and
virtual learning), ethical leadership and school culture. All of a sudden, I started thinking about
how decisions affect the entire district. I thought about multiple ways to solve problems. I
realized the “why” behind many decisions big and small.
So many aspects of this program I enjoyed and found relevant to my current job. One of
my favorite classes was the HR class taught by Matt Outlaw. I especially liked hearing him share
stories and encouraging us to interview different people within our district. I remember him
telling us this degree would open many doors for us, and it has! Also, I learned so much in the
educational law class and it pushed me to think about equity, diversity and about teaching all
learners. A challenging class was finance but luckily Suzanne Klein has a gift of explaining tricky
concepts. My biggest accomplishment throughout the program was writing my action research
paper with my team on “Capturing Kids’ Hearts” in Professors Feun’s class. He taught us so
much about data and analysis of school programs. I honestly looked forward to each class…
even on a Saturday. Every book we read throughout the 2 years was outstanding, from “4
Frames” to multiple books about leadership, each one helped me grow and reflect about myself
as a leader and educator. I enjoyed my mentorship hours, multiple presentations, intense class
discussions, debates, learning about ELCC’s standards and every up and down, twist and turn,
that happened over the course of the 22 months it took to complete this program. As I look
over my digital portfolio I am so proud of my accomplishments.
In January 2020 a position in my district opened up. I decided to interview for the K-12
Math and Science Coordinator for West Bloomfield Schools. Having my Ed. Specialist not only
gave me the knowledge I needed for this type of role, it gave me the confidence to take on a
new position. Little did I know when I accepted the offer that just a few weeks later a
pandemic would happen causing us to have a sudden extended school closure. As a
coordinator I quickly became a part of the district team that supported online learning, created
a “Classroom to Cloud” framework and helped make important district decisions during an
unprecedented time. I knew this degree would help me succeed in my goals, I just didn’t know
it would happen so quickly or turn out the way it did! My experience at Oakland has prepared
me for my professional goals and pushed me to accomplish many personal goals, it has been
meaningful, rewarding and will continue to impact my life in the days and years to come!

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Reflective Essay - Ed.

she ever right!

As I reflect on my experience, I am so thankful I took this opportunity and forever

Especially Christine Abbott, our extraordinary program supervisor, who is a transformative

Assistant Superintendent, as my inspirational role model showing me daily what it takes to be a

influential leader and game changer.

realized the “why” behind many decisions big and small.

over my digital portfolio I am so proud of my accomplishments.

pandemic would happen causing us to have a sudden extended school closure. As a

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