My name is Chris Fosket.  I am a Special Education teacher, who in many ways feels as though I was genetically destined to either be a teacher or work in a field in which my primary purpose was to help others.  My mother’s side of the family is filled with teachers, reaching from the midwest to the west coast.  The majority of those in the family who chose not to teach became pastors, social workers, counselors, Emergency Medical Technicians, nurses, and so on.

 

As my mother watched me develop through childhood, she often told me I was going to be a teacher.  I fought this notion.  My mother and stepfather were very involved and passionate in their jobs.  They attended many union meetings and subsequently were unable to attend many of my extracurricular events.  There was no way I wanted a job that kept me at work so late and made it hard to ever have dinner at a normal time.

 

However, in all this, there was a service to people, which entering college, I did not know I was drawn to.  I went to Eastern Michigan University, struggling to know my purpose.  What was I going to do?  I was working at a grocery store and going to school, when my mother suggested I apply to be a paraeducator at the local school district.  

 

I decided to give it a go and was assigned to work with a young man in a wheelchair in the second grade.  I had no background in dealing with students with physical disabilities, but something about it clicked for me.  After my first day, I went home exhausted and fell asleep in the living room.  My roommates at the time told me that when they woke me to go to bed, I promptly stood up, walked behind the chair I’d fallen asleep in and called out to the student I’d been working with that day as I began to push the chair through the living room!  (I was sleepwalking!)

 

Needless to say, the young man and I connected and I have stayed in touch with he and his family since.  The experience helped me to make a determination of my pathway in life.  I was to become a special educator and specialize in the area of Emotional Impairments, working with youth who came from challenged backgrounds.  (The same degree my mother and stepfather had obtained, by the way.)

 

I continued as a paraeducator up until the final year of my undergraduate degree, (until I had to student teach), maintaining employment for the same grocery chain for which I’d worked for a total of 10 years!  It is because of this, I am still picky about selecting produce and somewhat knowledgeable about which cuts of meat to select.    

 

Since that time, I have been teaching, having been served in various roles as a special educator.  In addition to teaching, I also coached wrestling for 11 years with middle school level students.  I wrestled in high school and hold the experience close to my heart, as it helped me develop into much of who I am today.  It is because of my experiences in the sport that I value others having the opportunity to experience it as well.

 

In 2015, after having served for 18 years in the field of education, I made a decision; it was time for a change.  I wasn't considering a career change, but a transition was necessary.  It was time to evolve (again) and broaden my overall skills as an educator.  I was and am still passionate about helping others learn and enjoy working with students who have special needs, so whatever the transition, I wasn’t going to stray too far.

 

I had already completed a master’s program in 2005, obtaining a Master of Arts in Teaching and that had actually helped me significantly in my role as a teaching consultant.  Five years later, having a love for technology, Michigan State University (MSU) gave our district the generous opportunity to participate in a satellite offering of their Educational Technology certificate program.  I opted to participate and enjoyed the courses significantly, as they gave me an opportunity to explore and express myself in ways I was not afforded often in my role at that time.

 

The prior two post-graduate experiences lead me to have interest in following up with my Master of Arts in Educational Technology degree at MSU.  I have greatly enjoyed the opportunity to grow professionally, while explore a side of myself my friends often tease me about: technology.

 

While I continue to have many interests relating to most genres of music, spending time with friends and family, and I love my local (Michigan-based) sports teams, I can’t remember the last time I left the house technology free!  I enjoy tech, I enjoy learning about tech, and I greatly enjoy teaching others about tech, while also learning how tech can have a positive impact on what I do as an educator.  I do also enjoy being active, with activities such as playing softball, dancing, and taking part in outdoor activities, but as I approach what will likely be a transition to a second career, I hope I am able to more frequently utilize the knowledge and skills I have obtained while taking part in the MAET program at MSU.