Emmanuel University SOE Graduate Program

09/21/2026

Professional Reflection- Molly Mercer
I have thoroughly enjoyed my journey from the private sector to becoming a teacher in the public sector. I have worked in the public sector previously, spending the majority of my professional career working in child and adult protective services. After leaving child and adult protective services in South Carolina, I transitioned to the private sector and worked as a customer service representative and a LEAN specialist for a large granite memorial manufacturer. I used to laugh and say that child and adult protective services must be one of the only
professions where we were building the airplane as we were flying it. That was until I began my journey into
teaching! As a career transition teacher, I stepped into the classroom with no firsthand experience. Although I
spent many, many years in my professional career training and coaching new and existing employees, managing
a classroom was a whole new ballgame. I truly built the airplane as I was flying it!

One significant benefit I had of walking into the teaching profession was growing up in a household of teachers. My grandmother was a preschool teacher for my entire childhood, teaching many of my friends and peers. When I was in the fifth grade, my mom went back to school and got her teaching degree to become a full time classroom teacher. She has been teaching ever since. Two of my three sisters are also teachers, so I guess
you can say it’s in my blood. And although I’m carrying on a family legacy, I can testify to the fact that teaching in theory is much different than teaching in practice! There are already so many things I have learned and implemented in my own classroom. I’ve learned instructional strategies, assessment strategies, and classroom management strategies. I’ve learned how to differentiate lessons and create opportunities for learners of all levels and learning styles. I’ve learned how to create and accept meaningful feedback. I’ve learned how to plan and coordinate not just in my own classroom but with my coworkers and peers. I’ve learned the responsibilities and expectations for educators. I developed my own educational philosophy and created a classroom I could be proud of.

I could list all the things I’ve learned, but if I had to choose the most important, I'd say growth is a mindset. As teachers, we expect our students to learn and grow each day. We must expect the same for ourselves. As students, society, cultures, and everything in the world around us continue to change, we, too,
must be willing to change with them. We must be willing to develop new learning techniques, explore new technologies, address new social issues, and continually work to understand and build relationships with our students. A vital part of our journey from student to teacher is a reflection on our process, practices, attitudes, beliefs, and efforts each day. We must be self-aware of the areas where we are exceeding and the areas where we are struggling. When we can honestly assess our performance and accept feedback, we can continuously
grow and provide our students with the best possible education.

While I am eager to wrap up my master's, I am truly thankful that the Lord has brought me on this journey. Only He could’ve written my path and directed me to the right school, the right college, the right concentration, the right professors, the right coworkers, the right colleagues, the right classmates, and the right students. These last two years have been the most rewarding years of my professional career, and I cannot wait for many, many more to come and all the things I will continue to learn!

(Shared with permission from Molly Mercer)

09/16/2026

Hadasa Maldonado
Spring 2026
Professional Reflection 6

Throughout my journey in the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program, I have gone through many learning processes and transformations that have shaped my teaching practices and helped me grow as an educator and in my role at school as an ESOL teacher. At the same time, while there has been growth, there have also been challenges, and there are still areas I need to continue improving in order to grow in this profession. In this reflection, I will share some of the most important points from this learning process.

At the beginning of this program, I was not familiar with the competencies or standards. My understanding of teaching was mainly focused on delivering content and managing the classroom. Even though I always gave my best and supported my students, I had not yet developed the deeper knowledge needed to design differentiated instruction aligned with measurable objectives, assessments, and learning outcomes. When I started this program, I also had limited knowledge about education in this country because I come from a different country where standards and expectations for students and teachers are very different. For example, I did not know what Tier I, 504 plans, IEPs, interventions, or differentiation were.

Through my courses and field experiences, I was able to learn these basic concepts and become familiar with state standards and ESOL standards from WIDA. I learned the importance of creating measurable objectives that align directly with formative and summative assessments, which was an area where I struggled at the beginning. However, the observations and feedback from university professionals helped guide me, and now I feel more confident when creating my lesson plans. All of this learning has allowed me to make more informed instructional decisions and ensure that my teaching is intentional, data-driven, and based on my students’ needs, including their individual plans and accommodations.

One of the courses that had the greatest impact on my growth was research, where we conducted an action research project that changed the way I see education. Carrying out my project taught me how to improve my teaching practice, from identifying my instructional strategies to understanding which strategies support my students’ language development, all based on real classroom data. For example, my project focused on increasing complete sentence production in kindergarten ESOL students. This study taught me that effective teaching is not based on assumptions, but on clear evidence. I also learned the importance of reflection, as Geoffrey E. Mills explains, emphasizing that teachers must continuously analyze and adjust their practices based on data. This became a real and practical part of my ESOL classroom.

In addition, this program showed me many strategies that I can implement in my classroom to support English learners. As an ESOL teacher working with students across multiple grade levels, I have learned to use sentence frames, visual supports, and structured speaking opportunities to promote language development. I also learned, through unpacking standards, the importance of aligning instruction with WIDA standards, which are specific to my field. By studying the WIDA CAN DO descriptors, I learned to better understand my students’ diverse needs based on their language proficiency.

Another area of growth has been my ability to reflect on feedback and use it to improve my practice. Observations from my professors and mentors pushed me to improve my lesson planning, especially making sure that my objectives were clear, measurable, and aligned with assessments. This was one of my biggest challenges because at the beginning my objectives were not measurable and were not aligned with assessments. Thanks to my observers and their guidance, I was able to gradually improve and understand how to properly design lesson plans.
Even though I have received a lot of guidance and support, I understand that teaching is not a static profession. I am committed to continuing my education and staying updated on effective practices and research-based strategies. I also had the opportunity to connect with professional organizations such as TESOL, which help me stay informed about seminars and best practices in teaching English to speakers of other languages.

As I continue my education, I can say that the preparation I received at Emmanuel University has helped me feel more confident as a teacher. I now feel more confident designing lessons, using research to guide my instruction, analyzing student data, and making informed decisions that support student learning. In the future, I want to continue strengthening my differentiation strategies so that all my students receive the support they need, and I also want to continue integrating technology to improve student engagement and outcomes.

In conclusion, this MAT program has provided me with the tools I need for my teaching practice and the knowledge necessary to continue my journey in education. Thanks to this support and these essential courses, I have grown from a teacher who simply implements lessons to a professional who intentionally designs instruction based on student needs and aligned with standards. This process has been very positive, and I never felt alone. My school mentor supported me week by week, my observers gave me clear and helpful feedback, and observing other teachers helped me learn new strategies. This journey was not always easy, but it helped me grow not only as a teacher, but also as a person. Overall, I now feel more prepared to continue giving my best in this profession, which is both meaningful and rewarding.

(Shared with permission from Hadasa Maldonado)

09/14/2026

Amara White Hester
April 2026
Professional Reflection (MAT program)

Looking back on my journey from student to professional, it’s hard to believe how much I have grown. When I first started teaching, I thought it was just knowing your content, making a
lesson, and keeping kids busy and somewhat engaged. Now, I know it’s so much more than that. It’s being intentional with everything you do, constantly reflecting, and being willing to adjust when something isn’t working. As a student, I learned all the strategies and theories, but I’ll be honest, some of it felt
really unrealistic at the time. Now that I’m in the classroom, I can see how it all comes together. Things like differentiation, relationships, using data aren’t education buzzwords anymore but apart of my everyday decisions. My action research really opened my eyes to that. I realized I was assuming my students knew how to do things like take notes… and they didn’t. These are juniors and seniors, and no one had ever taken the time to show them how. Once I slowed down and taught them that skill, it made such a huge difference in their understanding and
performance. It was a big moment for me because I felt like I really made a difference.

I’ve also realized that creating a good learning environment isn’t about keeping kids in line but building a space where they feel comfortable, but also know you’re going to push them. I try to be consistent, clear, and fair but also show them that I care about them as people, not just students sitting in my classroom. It’s something I’m still working on, but it’s gotten better.

Another thing that has changed for me is grading. I used to think of it as just giving a score, but I really want it to help students. I want them to see that grades reflect effort and growth, not if they "got it right”. I want grading to work FOR them, not against them but it’s something I’m working out.
The process hasn’t been easy. Balancing teaching, graduate school, and life has been a lot, especially lately (packing newborn and hospital bags). There have been moments where I
have questioned if I’m doing enough or doing things the right way. At the same time, I can see growth in myself and in my students. It’s what keeps me going. At the end of the day, I’m a lot more confident in who I am as a teacher. I’m not perfect, and I still have a lot to learn, but I’m way more intentional than I was when I started. I think the big takeaways I’ve learned is to stop
assuming, pay attention to their needs, and be willing to adjust. I know I’m making a difference, even on the hard days, and I’m excited to keep getting better at this.

(Shared with permission from Amara Hester)

09/09/2026

I love what Evelyne Vazquez has to say about the Emmanuel University MAT program and the impact it has had on her teaching!

My journey from student to professional is not one that I expected. I remember having so many questions in the beginning. If anything, I was doing was remotely correct
because of how unqualified I felt. I had never created a lesson plan before, let alone taught a lesson. This experience has taught me so much about myself as an educator, as an individual, and as a student. Over time, those feelings of uncertainty slowly began to shift into confidence. Through observational feedback, reflections, and practice, I have learned that growth is not
something that happens overnight; it takes time and patience. Throughout this whole experience, God had been telling me to be still, to trust him, and I did. I was willing to learn through mistakes and make adjustments along the way. Each lesson I planned and taught became an opportunity for me to grow and improve. After the first semester, I really started to see growth. I began to see how my lessons positively impacted the students in my
classroom. I always enjoy seeing the student use the tactics or the little “tricks” that I teach them on their exams or during practice. It shows me that what I teach and how I teach
matter to them. I have learned how to intentionally create a lesson plan that promotes student success and makes a meaningful difference in learning. Another thing that I have gained a lot of confidence from is learning that a lesson
plan is just a lesson plan; it can be altered, adjusted, and adapted to the needs of my classroom. Not every lesson goes as planned, not every student learns the same, and not every class likes the same activities. So, it is ok if one class takes a bit longer to grasp the content and they need a bit more time. If I see it is necessary, I will do so, but also make sure that we are moving at a safe speed and still on track. I have learned to be more patient,
more observant, and more willing to adapt my instruction to the changes of my students and my classroom. From the first day to the last, this journey has strengthened my sense of purpose.
Teaching is not just about being able to deliver content, but also about creating meaningful relationships with the students, creating a supportive environment, and encouraging
students to believe in their own abilities. Although I still have plenty to learn, I am grateful to have experienced this ongoing journey of becoming an effective educator. I am committed to continuing to learn, reflect, and improve in order to best serve my students in their academic careers.

(Shared by permission from Evelyne Vazquez)

09/04/2026

Interested in our MAT program? Hear what our graduates are saying:

Preston Mewborn

Professional Reflection
MED660

Looking back on this journey, I can honestly say I have grown a lot, not just as a student, but as a high school physical education teacher. When I first started, I thought being a good PE teacher meant keeping students active, organized, and under control. If they were moving and having fun, I felt like I was doing my job. But over time, I realized there is so much more to it
than that.

Going through this program, and especially completing my action research project, really changed how I think about teaching. I started paying closer attention to what my students were
actually learning, not just what they were doing. I began asking myself questions like, are they improving their skills, are they engaged for the right reasons, and how can I reach the students
who are not fully bought in? That shift helped me become more intentional with my lessons instead of just running activities.
I also feel a lot more confident now. Early on, I relied a lot on trial and error. Now I feel like I have a system. I can look at student performance, reflect on what worked and what did not, and
adjust my instruction. That has helped me step into more of a leadership role in my classroom and feel more secure in my decisions.

Another big change has been how I see my students. In PE, it is easy to focus on the more athletic kids, but I have learned how important it is to support every student, especially those
who may not feel confident or comfortable. I have worked to create an environment where all students can succeed and feel valued. Mills (2018) talks about becoming a reflective worker, and that really describes where I am now. I am not just running a gym class anymore. I am teaching with purpose, reflecting on my
practice, and constantly looking for ways to improve. I know I still have room to grow, but I feel ready for whatever comes next.

Mills, G. E. (2018). Action research: A guide for the teacher researcher (6th ed.). Pearson.

(Shared with permission from Preston Mewborn)

08/18/2026

08/07/2026

Help a friend with their Education!

Who We Are Emmanuel University / Referral Program Help a friend further their career goals Degree Search Tool Request Information Campus Visits Schedule a Campus Tour Experience Day Events Registration…

08/04/2026

Fall classes start August 12th!

07/27/2026

Are you ready to advance your career? Emmanuel University offers two graduate programs designed to help educators and future educators reach their professional goals.
Our Master of Education in Elementary Education (M.Ed.) is designed for busy, certified educators seeking new career opportunities and a salary increase. The program is fully online, with students taking one or two classes every eight weeks. It can be completed in 12 to 24 months, depending on your needs. Endorsements are available in Reading, ESOL, Gifted Education, and Elementary Agriculture. Christian principles are integrated throughout each course.
Our Master of Arts in Teaching Initial Certification Program (MAT) is intended for individuals who have demonstrated content expertise and want to earn teaching certification in middle grades (4–8), secondary education (6–12), or most P–12 fields. Graduates enter the profession at the master’s degree level (T5), which may provide higher compensation than entering at the bachelor’s degree level.
The MAT program consists of 36 credit hours, or 12 classes, completed over four semesters: summer, fall, spring, and summer. Classes are offered online, with practicums completed in a public school system.
For more information about Emmanuel University and our online programs, please visit:
https://eu.edu/
You can also email me using the contact information below. I would be happy to help you determine which program best fits your career goals.
Sincerely,
Gina Thomason
[email protected]

Welcome to Emmanuel University, a Christian institution in Georgia offering a wide range of academic programs rooted in faith and excellence.