Have you ever been camping and let a fire burn for a long, long time? You know how, at the end of the fire, there can sometimes be a few small pieces of wood that have burnt to the point where they are just grey dust holding to the shape of charcoal? If you touch those grey lumps, they disintegrate into the still air?
That experience has a resemblance to the sensation I’m feeling right now as I enjoy the process of finishing my master’s degree. All of my classes at WGU are now finished and I’m just waiting for the paperwork to follow through.
The fire that I built when I began the attempt for a second degree has burned for nearly ten years straight. In this fire, I have cooked up a chance for a more stable future for my kids and myself. Sometime this summer, I may be able to don a mortarboard and go walk the graduation walk with my online classmates. Maybe, my kids will be there to cheer me on. What a great sensation.
Below, I am providing an updated table of my process of gaining teacher certification. To see a complete list, click here.
WGU Night Courses
The WGU Master of Arts: Teaching English (Secondary) requires the following courses. Courses are administered online and can be completed on an asynchronous pace.
| Course Name | Credits | Completed |
| Orientation | 0 | ✔ |
| Foundations of Education | 2 | ✔ |
| Educational Psychology and Human Development of Children and Adolescents | 4 | ✔ |
| Schools as Communities of Care | 2 | ✔ |
| Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment | 2 | ✔ |
| Assessing Student Learning | 2 | ✔ |
| Essential Practices for Supporting Diverse Learners | 3 | ✔ |
| Creating and Managing Engaging Learning Environments | 2 | ✔ |
| Using Educational Technology for Teaching and Learning | 2 | ✔ |
| Secondary Reading Instruction and Interventions | 2 | ✔ |
| Secondary Disciplinary Literacy | 2 | ✔ |
| English Pedagogy | 3 | ✔ |
| Professional Portfolio | 1 | ✔ |
| Cohort Seminar | 1 | ✔ |
On-the-job Coursework
As a part of the WGU master’s degree program, I am required to complete on-the-job clinical hours.
| Course Name | Credits | Completed |
| Preclinical Experiences in English | 2 | ✔ |
| Student Teaching I in Secondary Education | 4 | ✔ |
| Student Teaching II in Secondary Education | 4 | ✔ |
| Teacher Performance Assessment in English | 1 | ✔ |
State-Required Coursework
While the above courses are required by my master’s degree program, there are two other courses that the State of Alaska requires. A person can get an initial teaching certificate before completing these courses, but the courses must be completed within two years.
| Course | Credits | Completed |
| Alaska Studies Coursework | 3 | |
| Alaska Multicultural Coursework | 3 | (In progress) |
After Notes
Artificial Intelligence Transparency Report
I did not use artificial intelligence during the creation of this blog post.
How You Can Help
If any of this is ever going to work, I will need outside support.
Here is a link to a blog post that describes how a supportive reader can help me in my quest.
In short, you can…
- Like, comment and share
- Buy a copy of my children’s novella, Westly: A Spider’s Tale
- Help me connect with part-time and contract work