My fundamental goal for returning to college for a second master’s degree after many years was increasing knowledge beyond the sort I could get from self-study or on-the-job experience. As a classroom teacher, I felt I had fallen into a repetitive learning pattern and sought an appropriate environment where my learning experiences could be extended and enriched. I teach outside of the US, and needed an online program that could meet my requirement of portability backed by academic services that supports my online learning needs. I chose Illinois online because of its proven success with online education and its reputation as a first rate university. I completed the CCTL program in 2008 and have since enrolled in the eLearning certificate program. It has been an easy decision. I feel like am a part of the Illinois experience- a member of a vibrant learning community. The program establishes a learning environment in which I have an opportunity to connect my everyday experience to my conceptual practice so that they become useful in my daily role as teacher. In each of the different courses the learning objectives and structured learning activities differ, but the overarching goal is my increased learning. The result is a personal experience in two ways; in my making sense of the subject matter by actively building knowledge, and internalizing what it means to think as experts do. Both have implications for making me a better educator. Professional growth is varied and complex, it is under continuous construction and, what I discovered at Illinois, depends in large part on the notion of care for the learner. Thanks Illinois!