The Road Less Travelled - Advice from Robert Frost

As a begin a new journal of learning this fall, pursuing a doctoral degree in Education at the University of Saskatchewan, I am doing my best to navigate my way through work, coursework, and life on an active farm in the harvest season. And narrowing down a research topic. 

This is proving to be the most challenging part of my doctoral journey so far. As I predicted. So many ideas, so many paths to potentially take, but only one to choose. Perhaps a word of advice from Robert Frost, that despite the desire to take both roads, a traveler must choose carefully, knowing that there will be no going back. Frost chose the one less traveled. Will I? 

My dilemma stems from a background in education rich in experiences and wonderings. Various opportunities to experience learning from different lenses has opened up the possibilities to explore. Should I focus on leadership, specifically female leadership? Or perhaps female teaching principals in small K-12 rural communities. I know this well.

Or perhaps I could return to explore online education and instructional design, something that captured my attention for nearly a decade during my Masters and throughout my work at an online K-12 school. Curriculum and assessment experiences intertwine with designing thinking approaches as I consider research questions to explore.

What about the work I have done and continue to do with blended learning? Is that to be abandoned as I narrow down my focus to something else? Certainly there is much more to learn about practice and theory. More to discover about the impact on student learning.

Connectivism learning theory and the ways in which we are biologically wired to connect as well as the potential to connect through online networks has much appeal. My own experiences a connected educator and a MOOC participant have been enjoyable and meaningful. The idea of using technology to build community has been of interest in my work at the Division level and now again as a principal, especially given the rural place in which I teach.

Cultural responsiveness is also near and dear to my heart as I expand my own understanding and begin to unpack my settler past. The calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission resonate deeply within me and I wonder how I may, in some small way, contribute to the healing process from my place on Saskatchewan’s landscape. Newcomers also are on my mind and in my heart as families move to rural communities to begin new lives in Canada.

So many ideas jostle for attention. I have named this phenomena #brainonfire. It is a particularly good quality to possess when #spit'ballin' ideas with a team but not as useful when trying to narrow down a doctoral proposal.

What road will I take? Where might this journey lead? 

Time will tell. 

But for now, I am standing at the divergence, staring into the distance, trying to decide.

And I am listening for Frost’s advice.