My husband and I are going to start working on our Ed.D.s (???) next February.  I have to finish my principal certification first.  I’m hoping to take the test in December, but I might be pushed back to February.  :(   Anywho, hubby went to a meeting from Walden University.  We have 3 kids, so traveling is out of the question.  Online is good.  But, the big question is…what will people think when they see “Ed.D. – Walden University” on a resume?  One side of me thinks that online education is growing tremendously, so it probably won’t be a problem.  The other side thinks that people will think that I didn’t work hard for my degree.  But there’s really no other option.  I will only do a doctorate if I can work with my husband.  (not thinking of the money, just ignoring how much it will cost, don’t think of how in debt we’ll be)  Does having a doctorate outweigh it coming from Walden? (Did I mention that we don’t have to take a GRE and there’s no dissertation?)

After reading a post on The Principal’s Page regarding hiring teachers with online degrees, I thought I’d add to this post.  I received my master’s from Texas Wesleyan University via online.  I learned more in one class there than I did in my whole entire bachelor’s degree from University of North Texas.  Don’t get me wrong, I love UNT, but it was a typical read-the-book-written-by-the-professor-then-sit-in-class-and-listen-to-the-professor-tell-you-what’s-in-the-book.  After several years teaching, I learned that I had learned nothing practical to help me actually teach.  My master’s made me a much better teacher.  I had to be disciplined to get the work done on time and regularly met with a study group. (And I was pregnant and a cheerleader sponsor at the time.)  Now I am doing my principal certification online.  Because I work with administators, I can speak with them often about my coursework.  I don’t feel I’m missing sitting in a class.  So does going to a class and sitting there make a degree more valuable?  Or having to schedule your time wisely to get your work done?  I think the latter.