My Educational Journey
My decision to get a Master’s degree was made when I was about six months pregnant. I had just earned my bachelor’s degree in psychology a few months prior and was not sure whether I would further my education or not. Sure, as an undergraduate, I had been exposed to the idea of graduate education and had been a member of the Interactive Measurement Group, which influenced my decision to attend graduate school. However, it was really my time working at the UNLV/CSUN preschool that developed my love of working with children. I learned so much from these kids and – with my own child on the way – I was inspired to get my Masters in Early Childhood Special Education.
Being pregnant with my first child, I knew that getting my Master’s wasn’t going to be easy. If I didn’t take the bold step to start my graduate degree sooner rather than later, there was a chance that I would never go back to school. I needed to start the graduate application process immediately. Luckily, there were resources at UNLV that helped me achieve this goal. As an undergraduate, I had been part of the McNair Institute, which required me to attend workshops, engage in community work, and conduct research under a UNLV faculty member. I even presented some of this work at conferences at UNLV and in Wisconsin. Now, the McNair program paid for my graduate application, and the directors of the program wrote recommendation letters for me. Before I knew it, my son was born and I was about to start UNLV’s Master’s Program in Early Childhood Special Education two months later.
My first semester of graduate school was a little rough, because I was juggling being a new mom with keeping up with all the course work. I had to attend classes in the evening after work, rush home to take care of my son, and then stay up late to complete class assignments. To make matters worse, I did not have an academic advisor before the start of the semester, because the advisor who had been assigned to me had been offered a job at another university. As a result, the classes I chose my first semester (without an advisor’s advice) were not required for the program. Therefore, by the end of my program, I had spent extra time and money on two classes that I could have done without. My luck changed half-way through my first semester, when I was assigned an advisor who was very helpful. He explained to me the importance of planning my years of course work, so that I had an idea of the classes I could take each semester and know exactly when I would graduate. Planning classes is important because some of the classes for the Early Childhood Special Education program are only offered during specific semesters, and if a student does not plan properly, the student may have to wait an extra semester or even a year before being able to take a desired class. Even though I struggled in the beginning to plan out my graduate education, I still managed to take the courses I needed.
Half-way through my program, I discovered other opportunities that helped enrich my graduate experience. For example, I was told about the Alternative Route to Licensure (ARL) program by one of my classmates. For a teacher to work in the Clark County School District (CCSD), he or she has to have a license in addition to an undergraduate or Master’s degree in an educational field. The ARL program took less time to complete than a degree in Early Childhood Special Education. Since I was anxious to be done with the program, I decided to attend one of the meetings for the ARL program. It was very beneficial. However, I realized that based on all the requirements of the program, I would be done with my ARL program at the same time I would be done with my Master’s program. Though I would immediately get a job with CCSD, I would be paid as a first year undergraduate teacher rather than a first year Master’s teacher. This made me decide against completing the ARL program.
Even though I decided against completing the ARL program, I went ahead to complete one of their requirements, which was taking the Praxis exam. This is an exam that educators must take before completing their teaching experience class. The Praxis I exam covers general math and English concepts. This served me well when it was time for me to complete my pre-k teaching experience class during the Spring semester. Many students get to the semester when they need to complete their pre-k teaching experience, but cannot do so because they have not been told they need to take the Praxis beforehand. Taking advantage of opportunities for personal and professional growth is important and, even if you can’t do them all, I recommend trying some out to see where they might lead you.
After completing my Master’s in Early Childhood Special Education, I completed the Praxis II Exam and thus earned my Special Education Teaching license! Obtaining my license was a struggle, but after accomplishing that goal, I knew I was ready for the next step in my career and decided to apply to the Ph.D. program in Early Childhood Special Education at UNLV. I was interviewed by a panel of faculty members, and a decision was emailed to me. I am now an Early Childhood Special Education Ph.D. student at UNLV. I have a great advisor, and I am looking forward to completing the program in the next four years. This year is an important milestone for both my son and me. He will be starting kindergarten in the Fall, while I working on my Ph.D. program. It will be an exciting year for both of us, and just think – I only thought of furthering my education six months after I got pregnant.
Here are some resources: McNair Institute Website, Sign up for the GRE, Sign up for the Praxis Exam, College of Education at UNLV
Cyndy Anang began her undergraduate studies at UNLV in January 2009 after moving to the United States from Ghana in October 2008. As an undergraduate student, Cyndy joined the McNair Institute, was a member of the Interactive Measurement Group, and worked as a student assistant at the UNLV/CSUN preschool. Cyndy received her B.A. in Psychology in December 2012 and she completed her Master of Early Childhood Special Education degree at UNLV in December 2015. She currently works as a head teacher at the UNLV/CSUN preschool, where she works with children aged three to five, who exhibit a wide range of ability levels.