Pursuing a Master’s Degree for Professional Development

We have all sat through professional development (PD) sessions where we thought, “Why am I here?” (Or worse: “I am only here so I do not get fined.”)

For teachers, both veteran and beginner, this can be a natural reaction when PD sessions are not applicable to their individual classrooms. This does not mean that teachers are not interested in improving their craft, embracing new approaches, or learning new content. It is just that some PD lacks relevance.

But PD doesn’t have to be only what your district or school offers. One of the best, most rewarding, and most challenging PD options for secondary teachers is pursuing a master’s degree within the discipline you teach. With the growing prevalence of online and hybrid programs, completing a master’s degree is accessible and achievable. Recently, I finished a master’s degree in American History. That experience was transformative for me as a high school teacher because of the exposure to new ideas, meaningful connections to my local community, and expanded access to teach dual enrollment courses.

There are many options out there for teachers to earn a master’s degree in their discipline. Here’s the path I took.

What worked for Me

I studied at Gettysburg College, partnered with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, to complete a master’s degree in American History. The classes were online and mostly asynchronous. My program was geared toward current high school teachers, as are many other programs across the country, in many disciplines. Some, such as at Middlebury Bread Loaf School of English, have teachers attend in-person classes over the summer.

Gettysburg College’s program allowed me the flexibility to choose the courses that I thought would be most beneficial to the classes that I teach. Within that program, I was able to choose eight electives over the course of my degree. Each semester offered a different variety of classes to take.

For each class that I enrolled in, I kept in mind how it could help me to help my students, and how it could complement the high school classes that I teach, such as AP U.S. History. My coursework included classes focused on the American West, Jim Crow, intellectual history, and U.S. politics since 1945. I was able to propose the topic for the research paper required in every class, which allowed me to lean heavily into local history.

Providing Relevance

I live in Knoxville, Tennessee, a city with a history that intersects with and is part of broader historical developments, including innovative technologies, labor movements, federal government investments, the Cold War, civil rights, and so much more. Local history provides relevance for students—it helps to answer that frequent question: “Why am I studying this?” Kids should know that they may be walking down the same street where significant historical events took place. Plus, local history is often less known, and that helps to create a level of intrigue for students.

For example, Knoxville has a deep connection to the broader Civil Rights Movement, particularly the development of the nonviolent tactic of sit-ins at segregated restaurants. After a prominent sit-in movement in Nashville, students from Knoxville College participated in their own nonviolent protest at Rich’s department store. This building still exists in downtown Knoxville, but there are no markings whatsoever that a sit-in movement took place there. Uncovering this sort of hidden history, along with how localized it was, makes lessons about the Civil Rights Movement more relevant and meaningful to the students.

Another example from my study of local history involves the Knoxville streetcar. In October 1919, streetcar workers went on strike, and the streetcar company sent in scabs, or replacement workers, to undermine the strikers. Violence erupted, and the military troops who were called in threatened the strikers with machine guns. When the Knoxville police force threatened to go on a sympathetic strike, Calvin Coolidge’s rhetoric about how workers in public safety should not be allowed to strike was used to dissuade the officers. That language would later be used by Ronald Reagan to fire air traffic controllers in the 1980s.

When I teach students about the labor movement, I’m able to bring it to life by explaining the streetcar strike of 1919, including where troops were stationed, where their armory was located, and what downtown hotel the military general coordinated operations out of. I doubt I would have studied the strike without having pursued my master’s degree.

Teaching Dual Enrollment

For high school teachers, our desire is for students to be challenged academically and to be prepared for success in college. One way for them to do that is by taking AP or dual enrollment courses. There are many benefits to college-level coursework in high school, including saving money and time while in college. With a master’s degree, a high school teacher can be hired by the local community college to teach a dual enrollment course that meets on their high school campus.

After I was hired as an adjunct, my school was able to offer a history course that meets at our high school, which allowed students to avoid having to drive to the community college campus for an in-person class or taking an online class. Some students felt empowered to enroll in the dual enrollment class because they felt comfortable with me as their professor. Offering a dual enrollment course at the high school, taught by a high school teacher with professor credentials, broadens access to rigorous coursework that benefits students. A master’s degree in your field makes this possible.

Getting a master’s degree is a lot of work, but it’s a very rewarding experience, and if you have the ability to do it, you will be thankful that you did.