My Educational Experience As A Future Teacher

During the months of September and October this semester I spent time at two different schools in four different classrooms. Being able to observe different classes and teachers at Westside Junior High and South Live Oak Elementary was a very new and exciting experience for me since I can’t say I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. My experiences at these schools gave me a better insight into the differences between schools, classrooms, and teachers. The purpose of this field experience was to get 10 observation or tutoring hours in an elementary or junior high setting. I chose to observe a

Field experience has shown me many things and has given me pointers on what to do and what not to do in my teaching career. It has shown me the natural talents I have for teaching. Teaching is my dream career and having this experience has only shown me the

My decision to be a teacher did not come easily to me. This choice was dependent on a reflection about what I was passionate about and how I could make a difference. I have chosen to become a teacher, as I believe teachers have the ability to provide future generations the stimulation for one of the most significant roles in life; to become a lifelong learner. Many teachers that I have had during my education have had a positive impact on my decision to grow and develop the skills that are fundamental to pursue a successful teaching career. My aim is to be a part of an honorable profession with the optimism that one day I will become an efficacious teacher who can provide future teachers with inspiration, as my teachers have provided for me. Through personal educational experiences and peer-reviewed academic literature, I am able to shape my approach to my pre-service teaching, as it will influence my future practice. As a teacher, there is not just one singular approach to educating students; there is a need for flexibility, diversity, adaptation and reflection.

Prior to my observation, I was eager to have an opportunity to observe a class for an entire school day. While I certainly have a background working in school settings, I have never been able to focus on understanding and evaluating the different aspects of the school day. For my observation, I was placed in an inclusive fourth grade class. Two co-teachers ran the class of eighteen students.

“Anything that gets your blood racing is probably worth doing,” said Hunter S. Thompson. A passion is something that motivates you. Something that pushes you in life. Ever since I was little I loved playing softball. Now as a Senior I am still continuing my love for softball by playing on varsity. Another thing I love is being able to impact a person's life. I plan on doing this by becoming an elementary school teacher and continuing to be a volunteer firefighter. I'm passionate and motivated by softball, continuing to be a firefighter, and becoming a teacher.

Going into this observation project I didn’t know what to expect, nor did I know what type of school I was going in. I’ve observed schools back at home but I know that schools run and operate different in other states. So I decided to go with an open mind. I’m so happy that the school and Mrs.Delk was so welcoming. Before I went into Mrs.Delks first grade class, I already and in mind that I want to teach older children. So, I just want to see what I could take from the children, the classroom and the teacher.

Ideally, when I graduate, I would like to enter the credential program at Cal Poly Pomona. As an English Education major, I feel like this is the next logical step for me as I seek to move forward on my path of becoming a teacher. The opportunities that await me in the credential program truly excite me because I have always found my studies of English Education to be very rewarding and purposeful. I have found this to be especially true now because I am currently in the process of conducting observation hours at local high schools in Pomona as part of my English Education curriculum. When I am in the classroom, I immediately feel a sense of joy, purpose, and productivity. Outside of the classroom, I do have experience teaching as a leader for a club on campus; I am a Woman’s Bible Study Leader for Cal Poly Cru and I have found this experience of teaching college students to be the most exciting, challenging, and rewarding experience I have ever had the pleasure of being a part of. It can become overwhelming as doubts and deadlines tend to sneak in on me from time to time, but I know that being a teacher is worth every ounce of pressure because of the positive impact that a teacher has the ability to make on a student. There is an incredible statistic that states that “On average a teacher affects 3,000 children over the course of their career” (Bickley). This opportunity stirs my heart like nothing else because when I was in high school, I had an incredible teacher named

During the observation time I was placed in a first grade classroom. Walking into the class I began to look around and smile, there was so much color all over the classroom I could not help but feel happier. The teacher immediately stopped the class and told us what they were doing that morning and had each student introduce themselves to us. They went around and stated their name and then went back to their math workbook. When they were finished with their math worksheets they were then able to pick something to do around the room. That included reading on their own, getting to use the iPad, working on the computer, etc. Some students were together while others chose to work on things independently.

I have worked with many special needs children in my years as a camp counsellor. Having this opportunity to observe a classroom with a variety of special needs children allowed me to see what I need to incorporate to make my classroom to accessible for everyone. Here is what I learned during my observation.

To other people, playing piano seems normal and ordinary. I used to think it was a hassle and time-consuming, and I have gone to the point where I wanted to quit so many times. However, the responsibility of being the church pianist fell into my lap, and I realized that I needed to be independent. Before, I would rely on my piano teachers to tell me what to play. I only ever played at home, never for a huge crowd. No one, except my family and my teachers, had heard me play before. When I lived in New Hampshire and the previous church pianist left for college, I realized that it was my turn to take her place. I felt that I needed to be independent in order to prove to myself what I was capable of achieving in my abilities as a pianist.

As a college student, I felt pressured to make a choice on what career path I wanted to pursue, but I did not know exactly what I wanted to do. I changed major a couple of times before finally changing to Early Childhood Education, and I am glad I did. Although I was fairly sure I had reached the right decision by partaking in my education class, I was reassured during volunteering for my field experience hours. After proceeding through my field experience hours I have become a better teacher candidate because of the gains accrued about effective teaching characteristics, teaching methods, and the connections formulated from class material to my field practicum experience.

The book Drive was able to make me realize when looking at my future career, I need to ask myself, “What will make me happy for the rest of my life?” and not “What will make me rich?” Daniel Pink the author of Drive makes a solid, science built point regarding motivation 3.0 in his book. For the 21st century, we are in need of more people that allow themselves to have autonomy, purpose and mastery in their life. To become successful and achieve happiness in their careers. Able to look at my future career as a specialist instructor/teacher in a different point of view. After reading the book I was able to understand how I can apply some of these methods to achieve my goals and also be happy in my career. Most of us look at our future and think we need to select a career that can offer us a 6 digit year income, without understanding if that career will bring us satisfaction.

When I interviewed the students their responses were the typical answers that you would expect from a student. When I asked what makes a great teacher, they responded by saying the following: Professional appearance, enthusiastic, responsible, and compassionate. Responsibility plays a huge role, when it comes to being a efficient teacher. When I asked the student to elaborate on what he meant by responsibility he spoke about how teachers should respond to emails throughout the day. As I mentioned previously in the teacher interview questions portion, part of being a teacher means bringing work home. My English teacher spoke about how he brought his work home. Tests and essay need to get grades so unfortunately as a teacher sometimes

What are you going to be when you grow up? That’s the question every child is asked their entire life. When I was young I would answer Veterinarian, then teacher, and now archaeologist. Growing up I loved being around animals and I still do, so I wanted to take care of them but then I learned I would also, as a veterinarian, have to put animals down. As soon as I learned that I decided I couldn 't do that job. I began to search for another perfect job and since both my grandma and my mom have worked in a school my entire life I settled on becoming a teacher. It sounded like a fun job, I knew what to expect and was familiar with my elementary school because my family worked there. I spent a lot of time there before and after school helping

I am excited by the prospect of teaching outside the United States and believe that I have the experience, skills and disposition to be a great international teacher.