Qualitative/Quantitative Research

When I started this course I had no idea what the difference was between a qualitative paper and a quantitative paper. The methodology drove me insane.  After much practice of looking at several articles I was able to relax, I'm still a little confused but am more comfortable than I was before.

None of the scholarly articles that I read told me up front what kind of paper and what method they were using.  It was like chasing a rabbit down a hole, you never know how deep the rabbit's hole may go.  The good news is that the more I practice the better I get and the more comfortable I become.

Creswell's Educational Research book really helped.  On page 60 he offers a figure with the different research paper types and the branching rules that will lead you to the methodology.

I am still overwhelmed with the idea of forming my dissertation but feel passionate enough with my topic to form it.

"How fast is the Speed of Trust?"

Trust has been an issue that God has allowed me to deal with in this past week. As I reflected on it I realized that I don't trust too many people. As I dug deeper into why I had a hard time trusting people at the root I found past hurts, bad experiences, and fear.

My fear is that when I trust you, I will bring you into my circle and then, when I least expect it, you will hurt me, talk about me, and try to destroy me. With my trust comes my loyalty, great qualities that we look for in good people we call our friend. The problem is there are far too many corrupt people in the world. We live in a world that is destined to self destruct. When I turn on the news, or go to work, my eyes witness the decay of man. I do find hope in those who are trust worthy but struggle at times when there are far to many people who are not trustworthy.

In order to build trust as Bolman and Deal described in their book "Leading With Soul," you have to feel safe and secure. It has been very difficult for me even in my professional relationships to establish this kind of quality with people. I consider my self to be a very trustworthy and loyal person, but can't seem to find that quality in too many other people.

I have been fortunate enough to be in a group of doctoral students. Even though I don't intimately know most of you, the ones I do intimately know (Krista & Lakesha), I feel safe and secure with. I feel like I can truly be myself around them. That's what I mean about trust. Until I have it with you, I am myself, but feel limited. I don't know if this all makes sense, but what I do know is that i struggle with "Trust."

As an upcoming leader, my desire is to build trust with people and get over my fears of trusting and being hurt. In my world the "Speed of Trust" is really slow if you know what I mean. As I reflect on this further, I will consider changing the vehicle that I am currently in so that I can improve my speed.

I hope you enjoyed my blog for this Sunday. I felt I needed to open up more and share what really goes on in my world.

ReThinking Leadership

How do you define Leadership? Good leaders are hard to find. I pray to be a great leader someday, the problem is good leadership is hard to find. I would love to be under the mentorship of a great leader someday. Looking off the shoulders of giants.

One thing that stood out for me was when the author spoke of the root word of administer, he referred to it as minister. I had to step back and reflect on that for a minute. As an administrator, I am a minister. But in order to minister, I need to be connected to the one that ministers. Before I accepted my current position as Curriculum Instruction Specialist, God spoke to me about it and what He wanted to do. I went in there on fire, ready to be what He desired, not understanding that He wanted to be in full control. I'm learning how to just relax and let Him lead. It has been an interesting lesson. But in order for Him to do His will through me, I must yield my will.

As I rethink what leadership is, God is purging me of all the doctrine and teaching me what true leadership is all about.

Leadership

The more I think about leadership the more I realize I don't know what it is. Every time I think I know what it looks like the more wrong I am. What I have an idea of and what truly is are two completely different things.

The only truth I can identify leadership with is that of Jesus Christ. He by far, has been the only one on this planet to master it fully.

I'm so far away from this truth. Through this road to earning my doctoral degree, I hope to learn how to truly lead others with heart and soul. I don't want to tell people what to do, I want to inspire, motivate, and invest and as a result when I look up without knowing I will have gained many followers along the way.

Class Today

Class today was really good. We talked about the dissertation process in Research I. I payed close attention and even recorded the lecture because I am determined to walk across the stage and get my doctoral degree.

During our leadership dynamics class, I learned about my conflict resolution style. I will reflect more on this when I get home because there are areas I would like to improve on based on my results. I am fascinated by leadership and what it really means. I thought it meant one thing, but the more I get into it, the more I realize it means something else. I know that the gift is in me, redefining what it is, is going to be a great self discovery moment.

I am a little overwhelmed however, with the process, but relieved because I understand the process better. The APA 6th edition manual, Dissertation Portable Advisor, and Educational Research will be my best friends for the next 2 1/2 years.

The good news is that I finally narrowed my dissertation to a topic I am passionate about. Primarily quality education for all students. As a young educator and pioneer, I would like to examine now, ways to change the educational landscape of education. A better education for all means a stronger economy and society for all.

My Welcome

Hello and welcome to my blog!

It is going to be a long road to obtaining my doctoral degree but none the less it will happen. In this blog I will post many of my thoughts and experiences. You will understand the life and obstacles that come with pursuing a doctoral degree.

I will be happy, sad, frustrated, tired, overwhelmed, stressed, and much more through this process and it is all normal. By the end of my road trip though I will be filled with un-speakable joy. Just stay with me. The adventure will be fun!!

Thanks for stopping by and checking on me.