"Food for thought" for graduate students. (Student Slant).

The life of a college student is organized around attending classes, making presentations, and writing papers. You are all working hard to get closer and closer to the privilege of working with and guiding young children. If you are a graduate student, you may be moving toward completing your master's thesis or doctoral dissertation. I have had the opportunity to go through all these phases. If you are thinking about pursuing a higher degree, I would like to offer you some advice or "food for thought" based on my experiences.

I started my Ph.D. program right after completing my master's program. I had the advantage of a graduate assistantship throughout my studies that helped me obtain my university diplomas. Many universities and colleges offer graduate students these positions, which require you to work several hours a week as an assistant. In return, you receive a stipend and a tuition waiver. It is a wonderful opportunity not only because of the money savings, but also because you can get valuable experiences while completing your studies. Furthermore, as a full-time student, you will be able to finish your studies within a reasonable time. I would encourage you to investigate assistantship opportunities at your institution's early childhood or elementary education department, and to consider obtaining a position as a teacher or teacher aide.

It worked well for me and I obtained valuable experience in early childhood education while completing my coursework. When I received my master's degree, I had already been accepted to the Ph.D. program. Although I did not take a full-time teaching position at a preschool or elementary school, I would encourage you to try to attain such teaching experience after completing a master's degree and before pursuing a Ph.D. degree. Most of the time, the topic of a doctoral dissertation may come to mind during these teaching experiences.

I did not have a clear research topic in mind when I started my Ph.D. program. Since I was interested in various teaching methods, I did know that I wanted to conduct research in the areas of developmentally appropriate practices and international education. My adviser, James Hoot, recommended that I formulate a researchable topic early on in my studies, so that I would be able to test my ideas during my coursework. Among the course requirements, doctoral students must write some research papers--if you have an idea early on, you can use it as the basis of the papers. By the time you are ready to write your proposal, you should have received a lot of feedback from various professors. I think such preparation was excellent advice, and I would encourage all of you to follow it.

The other major thing that worked for me is that I was really determined to complete my studies, and actually write my own dissertation. You need to stay focused and designate specific time slots to work on your major papers, whether it is a dissertation or a master's thesis. If you put it off for a while, it will be really hard to get back to it and pick up the pieces. I also stayed in contact with my committee members, and we worked together until my biggest project was completed. Now I am very proud that all my hard work paid off, and I can look at the beautifully bound copy of my dissertation as proof.

Your hard work will not end when you complete your projects, however. Newer projects will await you, such as publishing articles and preparing presentations. You also have to remember that the completion of these major projects still does not mean that now you know it all. It is only the beginning, and you will face many new challenges throughout your work. As educators, we are all aware of this. Our days never stay the same, and the children are all unique and different. I wish you all success and determination to get through writing your papers and finishing up your coursework, so that you will be able to go and touch many, many lives!