I was playing around online today on another HS forum, and someone suggested to another mom that they take classes via distance learning. I poked around the college - this is the college I wish'd I'd've gone to, LOL - and was surprised to see that you can get your entire masters via distance learning. Is that common? I don't remember it being common when I was looking at colleges. Anyway, they offer masters this way in three or four different areas, one of which is education. I'm sitting her looking at this and thinking, wow, how neat it would it be to be actively engaged - and exchanging thought processes - on education? A Masters has never really been my goal - I have a BA in Creative Writing & Astrophysics - especially since I'm a SAHM. But still, I wouldn't have a problem with it. So then I'm looking at the costs. If I enroll part time, I'm limited to one class/semester, and it's around $800/semester. So I could do the whole thing - over time - for around $11k, plus whatever prices end up going up, LOL. Theoretically, I could enroll full time but that isn't realistic with my schedule. Financially, we could cash-flow it, especially one semester at a time. So that's not an issue. I think I can handle it in my schedule, although I do struggle - I have four kids, 7, 5, 3, and 19 mos, so my hands ARE pretty full. Professionally, it's not a requirement, per se; it would be more of an "emergency measure" should something happen to dh. But, frankly, at the present we have enough life insurance on him that (and it sounds terrible to say) if he died I could continue to stay home and HS. Of course, he is more likely, given his age and profession, to be disabled, so it would be a good help there - but I *do* have a BA, so it's not like it's going to make a significant difference. Ah, but I really enjoy college - the learning part. Okay, maybe not as much as I should've, but I did like the intellectual stimulation. I'm engaging with my kids, reading and discussing with them, but it would be nice to have something just for "me", KWIM? I thought about taking classes at the local college, but a) I am such a homebody I really would hate to drive the whole 10 mts over there and b) I almost hate to take classes with no goal in sight, even though learning would be the goal. On the other hand, $800/semester is pretty pricey for self-actualization. I dunno. I'd love to hear any thoughts on the subject. This literally just occured to me tonight, so I'll be thinking about it for at least over the holidays and probably until the summer semester minimum, plus talking to dh. I'm just trying to decide if that is just a crazy thing to be doing. And would love any feedback or considerations I might have missed. Remember, I'm an English major, so I actually ENJOY writing papers, stupid as that sounds. LOL.
I say it sounds like you really want to do it......so.....GO FOR IT! If nothing else you will be doing something you enjoy and makes you feel good. If you decide it doesn't fit in your schedule right now you can drop it and go back to it later.
I really enjoyed the graduate classes I took - I took classes at 3 different universities, I think. I ended up with a Masters in Education (With lots of varietal course thrown in there - technologies, music, psychology, research...education and curriculum courses, of course). In many ways, I liked the distance learning courses the best. I could do what I wanted when I wanted. But you do lose the plus of class discussion. Even an email group exchange or chat isn't the same as face to face discussion. BTW, yes, I noticed a few years ago many places are offereing graduate degrees online. I think you do still have to present yourself usually for comps, but perhaps not necessarily. The best thing (for me) about Master's in Ed was all the discussion and hashing out about how people learn. Not *what* the state wants them to learn or how to raise test scores or how to make kids [fill in the blank]. It was all about process and content, and how the content should be selected to fit the process, and how to facilitate - or rather, not get in the way of the process. I had some really great professors who had really big clues about reality. They did have the issue of the "ivory tower" of academia, but they used that as a benefit to consider how things should be, not as a blinder to what life is really like. If you want to do it, I say go for it.
You know, if you want to do it and can afford it, then maybe you should. Personally, *I* wouldn't. I have a good number of post-grad hours in special education, and while I enjoyed most of the advanced classes I took at Ohio State, for me now it would be a waste of money and time. I can't realitically see me ever using the degree to make it worth my while.
<sigh> I think that is one of my big hangups. I only see the degree being useful if something bad happens. I also worry about taking/spending time away from my kids and their studies. Every moment I am spending on my studies is time away from prepping theirs - and I'm still working on trying to find a cohesive schedule while just HSing my oldest! I think the real problem here <grumble grumble> is that I've been trying to instill a love of learning in my kids...and that seems to be what I am acquring! Thank you everyone for your thoughts and encouragement. I am still processing...processing... DH seems overjoyed, LOL; he's concerned about me adding more to my schedule. I pointed out that, with him on the road all the time, it's not easy for me to plan to run over to a local college and take classes. I suppose it would be cheaper to hire babysitters than do a distance-learning masters program. <sigh> I'll have to keep pondering. A friend of mine was supposed to be coming over today but had to cancel, which is a shame because I was looking forward to discussing it with another mom. I love dh but he just gives me the "are you crazy" look. :roll:
One more thought - If you teaching in the public education system, a master's will get you a higher salary, so financially it's "worth it." A Specialist or PhD or EdD will result in a higher salary, but most teachers that I've talked with about it have said it's not "worth it" when you take into consideration the time, effort and money that goes into completing the work. Now, by the end of my Master's i had come to the conclusion that it's NOT worth it if you're doing it for the money. Even the master's - if it's about money, you can make more just by changing from education to some other career. I mean, when I was dating my now-DH, I was teaching public school with a Masters (so, a higher salary than other teachers with the same years of experience). He has never finished any degree, worked half the hours I did, and earned TWICE as much as I did. I think when you start looking at graduate courses and degrees, you need to primarily consider what you will get out of it aside from finances. (Of course, you have to be able to swing it financially in the first place, but that's a different issue.) Just my two cents'.
But most school systems now won't even look at someone without a Master's. At most colleges, it's assumed when you go in that you will be getting both. Also, generally school districts won't hire TEACHERS with a PhD. The districts can't afford to pay them "just" to be in the classroom. Also, in Ohio a Master's in requred at some point to renew your teaching certification.
Wow. In the two of the last district we lived in (including our current one), they were so desperate for teachers they aren't even requiring education degrees - just a bachelors in anything. (Heck, a local district here - Dallas - was MAKING UP SSN's for non-citizen teachers up until last summer.) I agree - I've only once in my life seen a district hire someone who already had a PhD. The folks I've know who've had them have kept their jobs while earning the degree. Hm. regarding the assumption you'll get both: When I graduated with my bachelors(many, many moons ago), we were encouraged to get a masters BUT no graduate education program would even look at someone unless they had been in the classroom for a couple years - they didn't want to turn out people with degrees but no real life experience running a classroom without a supervising/cooperating teacher. Experience was considered a prequisite for entering a graduate program. I guess times have changed. It seems in keeping with the way other things have gone. Interesting.
I am currently doing a law degree by dstance learning.Unfortunately while my plan was to homeschool my girls being a single parent and having to work due to finances when my ex left us with a mountain of debt i had to put my girls into school and work but i also wanted to study and better myself, I have always been interested in law and took the opportunity ,while i may whinge that the washing up is not always done or the living room is not always pristine because im either spending time studying working or with the girls, its the best thing i ever did and would do it again in a heartbeat.
