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Narrative Reflection

Decent Essays
Friends, families, and colleagues frequently ask me about the classes I am taking in my doctoral program. For most of the classes, they just smile and nod while feigning interest and that is the extent of our conversation on the topic. However, when I tell them that I am taking a “statistics” course, the most common reaction is a wide-eyed look with a grimace formed on their countenance. The usual comments are, “Statistics sucks!”, “I’m terrible at math!”, or “You poor thing!”. I just smile, because I have a little secret…I really enjoyed the two statistics classes I have had so far, 702 and 873. I LOVE math and taught middles school math for eight years, so getting to take a class that involves getting to use my math skills and enjoyment of analysis of data makes me giddy. Now, don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t mean that several times this semester I didn’t feel totally overwhelmed and wanted to pull my hair out while banging my head on the counter. I was there! THE most rewarding part of attempting something difficult and challenging is the point where the lightbulb comes on and understanding (or partial understanding with some concepts) is FINALLY reached. Overall, my experience in 873 was exciting because it was challenging and now I have a better understanding of statistics and I have developed further skills for analyzing and using data. These are important gains as data analysis is a big part of what I do in my job as an elementary principal. When I do
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