I just gained a whole lot more free time!

Just call me Chanman, M.A.

As some of you may remember, I have blogged about my experiences with educational absurdity as I have worked towards my Masters Degree in Education through Chapman University these last two years. On March 31st, I spent four hours taking the comprehensive exam that I was required to pass in order to receive my degree. That exam was a booger bear; it took me the whole four hours to answer five questions.

Today, the results of the exam came in the mail, and here is what it said:

Dear [Chanman],

Results of the March 2007 comprehensive examination have been returned. I am pleased to inform you that you have passed the comprehensive examination for the Master of Arts in Education, emphasis in Curriculum and Instruction.

Congratulations on passing the examination. Best wishes for the future, both personally and professionally.

Sincerely yours,

Barbara Rodriguez, Ed.D.
Division Chair, Education

Now, I will be the first to admit, that with the exception of moving me over on the salary schedule and making me eligible for a 3% salary stipend, this degree is basically worthless. At most, it could get me some sort of drone job at the district office. However, it does feel good to have that sense of accomplishment that comes with my successful completion of this, my LAST degree. I started this Masters program when my son was just a year old, and I completed it during the birth and first year of my daughter's life as well. Not to mention my responsibilities as a husband and a relatively new teacher, and you can surmise that I had my hands full. Oh, and don't forget to throw in my blogging obsession!

Speaking of that, I am convinced that blogging helped me pass the exam. Typing my thoughts on a regular basis did wonders toward keeping the connection between my mind and fingers quite limber. When it came time to tackle five questions in four hours, one of the first things that came to my mind was the fact that I had done a similar amount of writing on my blog. With that in mind, the comp exam was a piece of cake!

So, since I went back to college in 2000, the final score is:

B.A. completed in 2002
Secondary Teaching Credential begun in 2002 and completed in 2003
Masters Degree begun in 2005 and completed in 2007

Essentially, it seems like all I have done since this century started is go to college. Now it is time to stop. If you think I am going for my doctorate, you've been smoking too much of the wacky weed. Besides, if getting a doctorate means being as loopy as all of the Ed.D.s and Ph.D.s who taught me, then I want no part of it. I am convinced that to successfully receive your doctorate, you must be so obsessive about your subject that by definition you are a little mentally unstable. Not dangerously mentally unstable, just... in a benign sort of way.

Now that I am done with going to school, I'm not sure exactly what I will do with myself. This coming summer will be the first one since 1999 and the first one ever as a married man, where I will not be taking some sort of college class. I am looking forward to thinking of ways to fill the time. I know I have a garage to clean out and organize.

Good Day to You, Sir