I have a decision to make. Should I go for a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction? A colleague has been trying to convince me that going for it would be beneficial to both of us. She's eager to start working on a doctorate, and, I assume, it's because she wants the status that goes with the title. Another bonus is the extra money it would create because a teacher with a doctorate would definitely make more money (yearly) than a teacher with only a master's degree. If I decided to go for that doctorate, I would have a classmate I know. I would also have a carpool buddy.

My colleague had tried to get into a doctoral program at the university where she and I had earned our master's degrees, but she was turned down because a cohort of superintendents was chosen instead. The program would have been in Educational Leadership, in which she would have excelled. I consider the decision to not accept her into the program as a great loss to the university because she would have been a great asset to that institution as well as to the institution where we are currently employed.

We have since realized that a doctoral program in Curriculum and Instruction will be offered at another local university. We know two of the professors who will be overseeing the doctoral candidates; they used to teach at the other university. Knowing this little tidbit of information moves me forward, somewhat, to maybe making the decision to go for a doctorate. Dr. Wordeler, that has a nice ring to it.

I have to also consider how much time it will take to obtain a doctorate. I won't achieve that regal status of Doctor until I've gone through the program and graduated. Being in the doctoral program is very time-consuming. Do I have the time to devote to such a task?

I need a question, too. The question should be related to my profession, as well as to curriculum and instruction. The two seem to be redundant because I'm an instructor, and I stick to the department's curriculum, so coming up with a question may be my only difficulty. I have been thinking about questions for about a year now. At first, I was worried because I didn't think I had any questions. Then, I began breaking down my instruction, categorizing the topics I teach. In a sense, I was already researching via observation. I was, and still am, paying close attention to how and how much my students are learning. I have learners on myriad levels, so I've been keeping watch over all the levels - all the learners. What I've observed is that the majority of my students have problems with vocabulary as it is related to parts of speech. That is, they have difficulty putting a vocabulary word into a sentence because they do not know the differences between nouns and verbs and adjectives. My question lies in that aspect of my students' learning.

A mystique seems to surround the doctoral process. I think that that is what's keeping me from really going for the degree. Therefore, to help clear up that mystery, I will do a little online researching on the process of obtaining a doctoral degree.

Maybe I'm rationalizing why I shouldn't go for my doctorate. Maybe I'm not ready to go back to school and engage in such a tedious endeavor. I will pray about this and save my money just in case my colleague succeeds in convincing me to go for my doctorate.