Appropriate responses to friendly queries

EPTR
Thu, 28 Jul 2011 00:37:21 +0000

I can relate to this one. I am in the last grad class before earning my MAT. I am a teacher and while most teachers need to earn a masters degree within 5 years of their undergrad, I don’t HAVE to because I was licensed so long ago, I fall under a grandfather clause. Anyway, I am getting my masters because I wanted to get my masters. I wanted to be better and what I do because I am truly passionate about it. I will earn more money because of the second degree and, of course, that’s wonderful and I won’t pretend that it wasn’t an incentive, but it isn’t the primary reason that I pursued the degree.

People are so surprised when I tell them that I wanted to get my masters because, well, i wanted to learn more! Why is that so shocking and why should you be made to feel that you have to justify the PHD by working full time? Has education for the sake of education become passe?

When people ask you what you are going to do tell them that you are going to spend some time enjoying the fact that you have succeeded at something difficult.

Or you’re going to practice writing your name with all of those letters after it!

Or you’re going to write lots of personal mail just so you can sign your name with Dr. in front of your name.

Anyway, Congratulations on your accomplishment!