Doors Open for One Master of Curriculum and Instruction Student

From my first education class as an Elementary Education undergraduate student at Wake Forest, I knew I wanted to be a teacher. 

By my senior year, I was excited and ready to be in the classroom. But in the back of my mind, I also knew that I wanted to pursue a master’s degree at some point. I taught all elementary grades
(K-6) and even taught outdoor education for a year. Throughout my teaching career, I kept coming back to the idea.

I would casually look at different programs, but most of them either required me to quit teaching to be a full-time student or did not sound interesting at all. I knew that if I was going to balance working full-time and be a student that I needed a program to engage and excite me.  

Then, during one of my searches, I stumbled upon the Master of Curriculum and Instruction graduate program at Wake Forest’s School of Professional Studies.  

At first, I was surprised because I didn’t know this was an option through Wake Forest. As I explored more, I learned about the School of Professional Studies and found out it was a new program. 

Once I realized it was 100% online and only had one synchronous session a week, I was sold.  Because of my undergraduate experience, I trusted Wake to offer a high-quality program.

I started the program in the spring semester of 2023 and am thrilled with the results so far. Immediately I was able to see the impact of the program in my teaching practices. I began to look at my classroom from a wider perspective and plan more holistically rather than only focusing on the next day’s lessons. My unit plans included clear learning targets and a variety of assessments because I started using backwards design and started my planning with the end goal in mind.

The program also helped me to continue my career outside of the classroom. During my first semester, I started to look for ways to use my knowledge and skill set in the education field beyond as a classroom teacher. I knew that being a school administrator was not for me, but I enjoyed my course about curriculum and assessment systems so much that I started to look into instructional coach and instructional design positions. 

Recently, I transitioned from classroom teaching to an instructional coach position with a curriculum company. This allows me to share my knowledge and experience with teachers across the country. 

This program has provided me with the skills, tools, and perspectives I needed to continue growing professionally and personally. While some evenings may be long (and reading textbooks again definitely took some adjusting), I already see the fruits of my studies and cannot wait to see what other doors open next. 

Mary Jo Juran Ambrose is in her second semester of Wake Forest SPS’s Curriculum and Instruction Master’s Program; she is an experienced educator and holds a B.A. in Elementary Education from Wake Forest University.