About twenty years later, I'm still celebrating the first day of school. And, almost embarrassingly so, my outfit of choice isn't all that different (except for a few outrageous patterns). By the way, it's pretty hard to keep a straight face when you're 24 years old and posing for a first-day-of-school photo.
As I've mentioned before, this journey has been in the works for about a year and a half. Even after obtaining the scholarship, it was up to me to make it happen by seeking admission to the university, navigating the administration processes, acquiring a study permit from South Africa's Department of Home Affairs, find housing... and that's just the tip of the iceberg.
When my name was confirmed on the roster as I sat in Humanities Graduate School Building Room 5.18, I had mixed feelings of relief and excitement. Finally, there was confirmation that I had successfully completed the complicated processes of applying, pre-registering, registering, and beginning. And it was no easy feat, I might add.
The first day of class ended up being quite a breeze. Despite my fears of showing up and revealing myself as an entirely unprepared international student, my confusion was paralleled by my classmates' - all nine of them - which left me confident. I can, in fact, do this.
I'm enrolled in the Postgraduate Diploma in Education, which is the first year of coursework in the Master's in Education program. This semester, I'll take three courses in the Educational Administration, Planning, & Social Policy track, and they all fit into a framework of month-long modules.
11 February - 6 March / MW 4 PM - 7 PM
Education and Development
3 April - 29 April / MW 4 PM - 7 PM
Educational Management & Leadership
13 May - 6 June / MF 4 PM - 7 PM
Educational Reform
The classes are centered around reading, and the exit examination for each course is a writing assignment. There is much more flexibility within my studies than there has been and will be in the United States, and it almost feels like a breath of fresh air.
In South Africa, most people gain practical experience before seeking a Master's degree, so I'm surrounded by professionals in the field. Most of the students are currently teaching, but some have experience in administration. One, for example, worked for South Africa's National Department of Basic Education.
When I introduce myself, people often ask why I'd come to South Africa to study if I'm from the United States. While my studies toward a Master's degree at WKU provide additional practical training, my program at UCT is theory-based. In our course introduction, we were told that our program would train us to think like policy analysts searching for solutions (and I have to admit that I'm really excited about that). More than anything, I'm looking forward to participating in conversations about education reform in a country that is in the midst of it as we speak. In that sense, there is literally no better place to be right now.
 |
| Jameson Hall at UCT (think WKU's Cherry Hall) |
I saw this on the UCT website yesterday, and it made me smile: "Today, 11 February, is the day that UCT life gets back to normal - at least, as normal as a semester at a world-class university can be. Lectures and workshops begin in earnest, and students will be battling for a spot in the libraries and laboratories around campuses. UCT wishes students and a staff a year of hard, smart work and great success. In particular, UCT wishes its first-year students a rewarding and fulfilling introduction to university life."
Is there anything more exciting than the first day of school? Maybe that's what encouraged me to be an educator.
I'm kidding. Kind of.
No comments:
Post a Comment