I’m a book nerd. I admit it. Credit
I don’t know if everyone reading this realizes quite how nerdy I am. I’ve finished up my fourth year of teaching abroad and I’ve renewed my teaching license for the first time, so the whole process has me thinking about being a lifelong learner.
I read voraciously. I keep track on Goodreads.com. I know that I read about 70 books a year, plus books that I read for continuing education, plus books that I read for my classroom…and I wouldn’t even begin to count the number of newspaper articles and blog posts I read. I simply love to read and to know things.
It should come as no surprise that I REALLY like school. I mean, I’m a teacher so I must like school, right? But. I love being a student. Weird, I know. I don’t think I’m a great student who knows everything; I just generally get A’s because I like to read and I like doing most assignments. I also can’t stand being in a classroom where nobody is talking, so I usually participate in class too.
I have accepted the fact that I will be a lifelong learner who has student loan debt. I really try hard to avoid the debt and pay waaaaayyyy more than the government requires me to, but if you like learning as much as I do, you have to pay for it. So, while I’m still paying off my Bachelor’s, Master of Arts in Teaching, and Master of Education in International Education degrees…I’m already starting to think: What’s next?!
Here are some education goals I have for myself for the next several years:
- Get trained in PYP
- Finish my reading endorsement
- Become bilingual in Spanish
- Get the Bilingual Teaching Endorsement
- Get a Doctorate of Education (Ed.D)
Does anyone have any advice on good programs I can do over the summer or while teaching abroad? What about international schools that would pay for me to do these classes so I don’t have to add to my student loan debt?! Please comment below!
Teaching Wanderlust 
I’m a new follower moving to Colombia next week to teach there! No advice on the schooling, as I’m just starting to work on my masters, but I did wonder about Goodreads because I’m also a big nerd. 🙂 I have an account but never am able to
Read full books! Is there a paid account I need or something?
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Goodreads simply allows you to track the books you read, rate the books you read, and find suggestions for new books to read. It is not an app that you can read books in- I use Stanza or iBooks for that.
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I feel tired just reading that 😉 Admire your ambition!
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I guess having tons of time for lifelong learning is another plus to living in a small city with little to do!
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Yeah, I’m moving to Berlin where I’ll just get more and more stupid 😉
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You are so lucky that you will be able to delve into “experiential learning” with so much fun stuff to do!
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That’s a good way of looking at it! 🙂
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I too am a lifelong learning. In fact, I believe one should never stop learning. Sometimes, I will randomly pick a topic and just learn more about it (nerd, or what?). I’ve been to graduate school twice and am now thinking of where I want to go to get my doctorate. It will probably be abroad. Did you know that the University of Auckland doesn’t charge international fees for its doctorate programs? Not sure, if you’re wanting to study stateside or abroad.
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Hi Tabitha! I haven’t heard about the University of Auckland. Do you know if they have an online program or would I need to eventually plan on taking a year or so off of work? I would love to study abroad, especially in somewhere as beautiful as New Zealand! Please post about your quest for an international doctorate program!
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From what I’ve researched, the programs aren’t online. They have over 90 Ph.D. programs. Here is a link with some information: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/for/international-students/is-study-options/future-phd-students.html. The student visa does permit you to work and they do have some opportunities to apply for a fellowship and scholarships albeit tuition is cheap.
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Wow Tabitha; thanks for the link! Getting a Ph.D. is probably at least another 5-10 years down the road, but it is never too early to start planning (and saving!) for these things. I would love to study abroad!
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