Kang, Augustine

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College of William & Mary: W&M Publish

The William & Mary Educational Review Volume 2 Issue 1 Article 6 12-1-2013 Looking Back: Reflections on Life as a Doctoral Student Augustine Kang Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/wmer  Part of the Education Commons Recommended Citation Kang, Augustine (2013) "Looking Back: Reflections on Life as a Doctoral Student," The William & Mary Educational Review: Vol. 2 : Iss. 1 , Article 6. Available at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/wmer/vol2/iss1/6 This Articles is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in The William & Mary Educational Review by an authorized editor of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact scholarworks@wm.edu. 13As soon as I received my acceptance letter intothe EPPL program at William & Mary’s School ofEducation, I told myself, “Get in, get out – get thisdone as quickly as possible.” I was intent ondistancing myself from graduate college life andimmersing myself completely in my studies…and Idid just that. I overloaded on classes, focused onmy coursework, and proceeded to findopportunities purely for my own professional self-interest.However, by the end of the first semester ofthis self-imposed lifestyle, I caught myself itchingfor opportunities to talk about education. I wantedto share experiences; I wanted to discuss anddebate to see how my ideals and arguments stoodagainst the criticisms of some of the best andbrightest. I wanted to do things, to lead projects,and make changes.For a course assignment, I was assigned topresent on a strategy known as Open SpaceTechnology, which I would discover, seemed toparallel the needs of the students at the School ofEducation. Harrison Owen, a professionalconsultant, recognized that his audience was oftenfar more engaged during the coffee breaks thanduring his presentations. They each had their ownexperiences and expertise and could not wait toshare their ideas with others who had commoninterests and needs. The School of Educationneeded these “open spaces” to develop morecreative ideas based on perspectives that may nottraditionally be taken into account.Our Graduate Education Association has begunto establish these safe sharing venues. Studentshave organized the first ever School of EducationSymposium, and this very journal, The William andMary Educational Review, serves as another “openspace” to share and learn. Shells have crackedthrough the past year and students are emergingwith their opinions and ideas. I see it at ThursdayNight Sabbaticals, in hallways before and afterclass, and even during class discussions. We areprimed for the emergence of this collaborativeenvironment, which I see as the first step towardbuilding a community of learners and leaders.The following are several additional things Ihave learned along my doctoral experience:1) Learning is good; the real value is in thesharing and doing. Share often, but do not forgetto listen.2) Bounce ideas off of others as much aspossible, especially if they have conflicting ideas.How better to improve ideas than to placeyourself in the position to defend yourassertions?3) As leaders, give up some power, trust others,and guide them to become better leaders. Reallylisten and always follow through.4) Get involved in student life. Pay attention towhat happens on campus. You will always getleft behind if you do not stay current.5) Leave emotions and attitude out of thedebates and decision-making processes. We allhave a default emotional reaction, but DavidWallace once explained that being truly educatedmeans understanding that we have the choice toreact the way we want.About the authorAugustine Kang is a PhD student in the EducationPolicy, Planning, and Leadership program, focusing onK-12 Administration.The Wren's NestLooking Back: Reflections on Life as a DoctoralStudentAugustine Kang

Looking Back: Reflections on Life as a Doctoral Student

https://scholarworks.wm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1052&amp;context=wmer

Looking Back: Reflections on Life as a Doctoral Student

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