About
As I imagine one would avoid the plague, so did I do my best to avoid becoming a teacher. But what did I do? I completed a student teaching project (while in high school), dabbled as a substitute teacher in the Durham Public Schools (while in college), worked with Project Forward Leap in Philadelphia and taught middle school English on Saturdays (while in graduate school), and finally joined the faculty at St. Paul’s School for Girls and taught (after graduate school). Ironic.
My undergraduate degree is in Public Policy Studies [w/ a concentration in Education]. My university did not offer an education degree program, so I completed the bare minimum in Public Policy Studies and stuffed the rest of my schedule with all of the education courses I could fit. Again, I kept as far away as possible from the teacher preparation program.
On to graduate school. At that time, I was convinced that training and a career in education policy was where I could make the greatest impact in education. I was passionate. I was focused. Three fantastic schools/programs thought so too. I came out on the other side with a M.S.Ed in Education Policy from an Ivy.
Then I became a TEACHER! WHAT!? Then I became an EDUCATION RESEARCH ANALYST in the Washington, DC area. Four years later, I joined a national engineering education membership organization as a K-12 ENGINEERING EDUCATION COORDINATOR. Now, I am a RESEARCH SPECIALIST with the Baltimore County Public Schools [and loving it] Oh yeah, throw in a few years as a charter school board member and current service as a board member for a network of local programs designed to support young adults to build community and individual assets and social mobility. Oh, wait, and I’ve also dedicated several summers working with the little kiddies in an early childhood setting. But wait again, I have 3+ years under my belt working with college-aged students as a Resident Assistant, Graduate Associate, Summer Bridge Instructor, and Teaching Assistant.
I am enjoying this journey in Education.
Education Policy & Practice is where news, ideas, commentary analysis and dialogue intersect. Like my background, the common and unmistakable thread is education, and the topics will most certainly vary.
Explore and enjoy.
~~ Samantha
4 Responses to "About"
2 | Jennifer Pinsky-Newman
January 11, 2010 at 9:50 PM
Samantha,
I stumbled upon you in LinkedIn as a BCPS “new hire” and wanted to welcome you to the system (I am a teacher at Dulaney High). Secondly, thought I’d let you know that I am intrigued by your background and understand the resistance to becoming a teacher…I have a story behind my career as well. Next, I enjoyed the recent posts on your blog…hope to run into you in the near future!
Samantha A. Murray
January 11, 2010 at 11:02 PM
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks for posting and for the welcome 🙂 I often think about my own journey, as well as what it means to be a “teacher.” Mulling over teacher things occupies a great deal of my intellectual/academic thinking time.
I’m sure we’ll run into each other!
Education Policy & Practice 
November 17, 2009 at 1:05 PM
Sam,
To complete your journey, you need to work in a public school in an highly underserved community. Then, you will have seen as close to “all” as one can see in education.
Sam, we need to talk. I love the blog. It is inspiring.
All the best.
cheers,
Robin
November 17, 2009 at 1:21 PM
Oh Robin! You are absolutely right. We will have to talk. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment!!