Meet The Partners | Rebecca Pack Daniels

Tell me a little bit about yourself, what is your major, what year are you, where are you from.

I’m from Columbus, Ohio. I have been teaching for 22 years in Columbus City Schools and am an instructional coach. My focus is literacy but I can coach across the board. I have taught everything special-ed, general-ed between the ages of pre-k and five. At Ashland I am pursuing my masters in educational leadership administration. 

How have you liked Ashland thus far, what have your experiences been like?

Yeah, I really actually love the connection,  it's a small and compact community. I feel whenever I reach out  there is somebody on the other end that has an answer or will find the answer. I came from Miami University, so this for me,  is even better. I feel it's even a little smaller so It’s  a little community, a little family. So my experiences have been really, really positive. I just feel every professor I have had has been really approachable thus far. 

Can you describe for me a typical day in your life as Masters student?  How do you find juggling personal life, a full time job, and classes?

I actually have two kids who are both in school, so I'm kind of a stay at home mom and student. What has been really nice about the program is that you can go at your own pace. So far I have been taking one class at a time consecutively. My day is I take kids to school, go to work, come home, take care of that or do anything else I have to do for school. It’s really nice because the professors give you all of the deadlines. For example in this particular class I try to get everything done four to five days ahead of time that way as I'm starting on a project or a paper, if I feel like I need to revise it, I've still given myself four or five days. I always try to work a week ahead.

What inspired you to get your Masters?

I wanted to go back originally because, like I said I’ve been teaching for 22 years. I realize that after so many years in the classroom, I’ve gotten to build up a lot of things and have a lot of tools in my toolbox. Throughout my career I’ve held various positions, including administrative roles, so since I’ve seen each level of how the work plays out I wanted to go back and get my principal's license. And then I realized I was only a class or two away from my second masters, and a degree in Educational Administration really opens the door for so many opportunities. It helps give me a different perspective in my current job, like how I could help my principal run a building or move a building out of an academic emergency to thriving and successful.

How will Covid-19 impact your future as an educator?

Oh, I have thought a whole thought about that. So, understand that there is a certain number of our kids that come to us a little behind. So know you have this whole generation here, kids in pre-k through 5th grade, that are falling even further behind, and they just keep moving on. I think there are going to be huge implications from COVID in the classroom. 10 - 15 years from now when this generation gets in the workforce, it’s going to be apparent who went through this COVID crisis I think. Unless there was homeschooling or parents who took an extra step to help decrease the gap. I can’t say exactly what they are going to be, but I foresee a lot of frustrations within society. The other take would be, these kids are already starting to live in a virtual world. But relationships are number one in any business, in any school, and building those relationships are always going to be important. 

What's a question you think students getting a degree in education should ask a hiring manager?

I would ask, how would you describe the climate and culture of your organization? And what do you think contributes to the successes of that culture? And what are the barriers that I might face if I were to take this position

What do you think are the most important skills that will help you land and hit the ground running after graduation? Are there classes that will help you achieve your goals?

In each of the classes I've taken I’ve learned something. Like classes with Dr. Klinger, I have learned a lot about the law. There are certain things principals decide and there are certain things that the board decides. I don't think I had a very clear vision of the difference between those two things, and what legislature can be moved through the state and what can be the checks and balances of the board. That was all kind of cloudy to me and I got to learn more about those things within my classes. It’s not just managing or leading people but understanding people's motives and knowing how to interact with each person based on the motive. It's really a craft knowing the nuts and bolts of all the decisions that a principle has to make.

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Rebecca is one of over two hundred students that take advantage of tuition discounts through the Corporate Partners Program at Ashland University. The Corporate Partners program is an employee benefit opportunity for external companies. It was created to provide access to training and educational opportunities that help shape both personal and professional development. To learn more information about this program or to see if you qualify, you can call 419.207.6759 or email corp-partnerships@ashland.edu