Personal and Professional Goals - Essay Example

Teacher’s ID Personal and Professional Goals Globalization has not only affected the way corporations and governments operate but have also affected the personal and professional preferences of individuals. Making a career decision is not only driven by personal motives but is also shaped by the dynamics of related industry. Education sector is no different than any other industry and individuals functioning in this field are expected to respond to global challenges like any other professional working in other industries. However, before getting prepared for the challenges imposed by globalization, it is important to understand that one needs to have predetermined personal and professional goals. Examination of such goals in the light of changing global dynamics can allow one to be prepared for future challenges. My personal goal is to become an educator in near future. The reason for selecting this field is its continuous innovation and evolution. Where becoming an educator requires one to remain upbeat with recent advancements in given field of study but also keep one’s skills inventory updated according to new inventions in the field of education. With advent of new technology, emphasis on second language learning and also changed educational regimes supported by changes in government policies, teachers are required to be highly skilled. Being skilled does not only means having command over the subject matter but also having capacity and capability of meeting individual students’ needs in a whole class. Furthermore, technological interventions have completely transformed the landscape of classrooms in past decade or so. Mobile lectures, online coaching and examinations are common tools used by instructors today. It is important to note that this scenario is highly different than what existed in schools some ten years back. In addition to that, government policies like no child left behind, no discrimination and care for vulnerable students has also increased the importance of educators. Today, educators are not only source of knowledge but they are also guardians and mentors of their students. This multi-faceted role increases further when global dynamics get involved. Universities, schools and colleges cater to students from different nationalities, cultural groups and religions. Such amalgamation of cultural and social values cannot be dealt with a uniform approach. Therefore, it is important that educators are culturally sensitive and neutral while dealing with such students (Burbules and Torres 23). In addition to that, there are also substitute replacement programs where educators from different countries serve in educational institutes across the border. Such robust environment requires educators to remain aware of advancement in their fields and adapt to changing environments, furthermore it is also important to have an ability of handling audience comprising of different demographic characteristics. Where I am well-aware of the requirement of global environment in education sector, I see myself progressing from a role of teacher to a researcher and published author in the given field. This role would be accompanied by continuation of the role of educator at senior level i.e. professor or lecturer in a reputed institute. I would also like to be part of curriculum designing in coming ten years. I am aware of the fact that due to changing global dynamics and interchangeable cultural, social and technological characteristics of educational sector, the concepts of lifelong learning will not apply to students but also to teachers as well. Therefore, I am willing to learn teaching techniques that would be required in a global learning environment. Awareness of impacts of globalization on my personal and professional goals has enabled me to be prepared for future challenges. Due to information communication and technology (ICT) along with multiculturalism is the global curriculum, teachers are under a greater burden to adopt uniform educational techniques despite increasing cultural diversity. This realization along with visibly changing geopolitical trends in US has affected my preferences greatly. I can see that the traditional role of a teacher has become diversified. This is precisely the reason why I would like to venture into educational research after developing my skills as a teacher. In addition to that, there is a limited research available on pedagogical impacts of globalization on the role of educators; therefore I would also prefer to perform research on the importance of uniformity in global curriculum and its implications on teachers. Furthermore, development of standardized educational techniques would be another area of my research in future. It is important to note that cultural and social frameworks have a greater impact on educational sector due to dynamics of globalization as compared to technology. Due to exchange of teachers and students across the borders, second language learning (SLL) has been acting as the cornerstone of current research in education. Since language represents cultural heritage and values of every nation therefore preference for a uniformly understandable language not only enhances the roles of educators but also increases challenges for them due persisting cultural conflicts among students and other elements of a global educational system. In order to adjust educational system with reference to cultural and social framework, policies recommended and promulgated by governments also reflect an increasing role of globalization in education. Legislations like No Child Left Behind facilitate participation of gifted students and minority groups in regular educational regime. This notion also helps immigrant students to be part of main stream educational system which is uniform at state and national levels. In addition to that, these changes in perspectives have also redefined the role of an educator. Now, legislations like Every Child Matters not only focus on the students but also make teachers and educators responsible for their protection and development of necessary skills for adulthood. Such acts make the educators more accountable towards welfare, development and protection of the students. Such major changes in education system at national state levels indicate that global dynamics have a capacity of changing the way education system is structured in different parts of the world. Although these changes are not likely to have eminent impact in near future however anticipation of changes in education system due to global dynamics can be seen in few years time. Perhaps, shift of traditional class rooms to virtual tutoring is one of the most expected changes. The reason for such change would be an overwhelming use of internet and other technological resources by teachers as well as students. Secondly, due to increasing globalization, governments may prefer to have virtual universities having accreditations across the border instead of sending students for residence in other countries. Such changes would not be economical but would also correspond to impacts of globalization in other sectors and industries. I believe that in around five years time, the extent of human interaction affecting our personal goals and professional preferences is going to transform greatly. Presence of virtual chat rooms, cyber conferencing, completion of assignments through online sources, e-commerce etc., are some of examples of how business has been changing greatly. Although education is expected to be restricted to class rooms and confined physical jurisdiction however presence of cyber schools and virtual universities offering online programs may completely transform the way educational institutions operate. Such transformation of education system across the globe would also affect the personal and professional goals of those associated with it as it would require a totally different skills set and professional approach. A critical analysis of impacts of global dynamics on personal and professional goals leads to an understanding of challenges that can be faced by professionals in near future. Due to increasing globalization, competition within industry is likely to increase nationally and internationally. Therefore, it is important for fresh graduates and beginning professionals to be aware of challenges that may lie ahead of them and prepare themselves accordingly in terms of skills inventory. This preparation not only includes having appropriate up-to-date education but also develop one’s self accordingly with a clear career path in mind. It is also important to understand that career-based decisions may change in future according to changing global environment. Therefore, one should remain flexible in their approach when it comes to personal and professional goals keeping the unpredictability of global dynamics in consideration. Work Cited Nicholas, Burbules and Carlos Alberto Torres. Globalization and education – Critical perspectives. Carlos Alberto Torres and Raymond A. Morrow (eds.). Social Theory Education & Cultural Change. New York: Routledge, 2000. Print. Read More