Section Five:

Teacher Candidate Reflection

Teaching is one of the most rewarding careers I can think of. I remember growing up,

looking up to my teachers and wanting to be just like them! (the good ones, anyways!) It is a

dream come true to finally be finishing up my career as an academic student and moving closer

to my goal of becoming one of those teachers I looked up to. My goal is to inspire my students,

and be that positive influence that fuels that fire to continue their education and follow their

dreams. I know what it is like to struggle with school work, to feel like youre not smart, and

its horrible; my goal is to eradicate that feeling from as many students as I can. In this section, I

will be reflecting on my experiences at Medaille and DYouville and what I will take away from

this experience that will make me an effective teacher. I will also address how I met the demands

of the TEAC Accreditation claims. This will provide evidence of my readiness to begin my

teaching career in the field of education.

Portfolio Project/Teacher Education Learning Experiences

This portfolio, though very demanding, has allowed me as a student to reflect back on

how far I have come during my time as a graduate student. From my first day at DYouville,

until now, a soon to be graduate at Medaille, I can honestly say that I have developed so many

skills that I never thought I would. During my time as a highschool student and an undergraduate

student at Western University, I can honestly say that I worked hard, but I never truly loved

school. I found some classes interesting, and I liked most of my teachers, which in turn, made me

want to learn more, but I lacked a passion for the material. Being an education student, I have
never felt so strongly about the quality of my work, or felt like I have belonged in a program

more. The instructors have made this all possible for me. They are so willing and able to

challenge us students but most importantly make sure we understand the content and do

everything in their power to make us successful, they proved to me what it means to be a caring

instructor (TEAC Claim 3: Caring Educator). They all were very knowledgeable about their

content that they were teaching and modeled effective best teaching practices and pedagogy

(TEAC Claim 2 Pedagogy, Best Teaching Practices for Diverse Learners). They truly practice

what they preach.

One class that has really influenced the way I am going to teach and has taught me so

much is my Technology in the Classroom class with Mary-Beth Scumaci. Out of all my classes

in my graduate program, I can honestly say that this class has taught me so much, everything

from opening my eyes to the possibilities of teaching utilizing technology, to leaning about

technology myself! Right now, I am working on finishing my teacher website, which is a great

experience in itself, but it is also a tool that I can use throughout my career as a teacher, whether

it be to keep a level of transparency with parents, or to have homework resources available for

my students wherever they are. Technology offers us such diverse tools to help all different kinds

of learners, whether it be through IEPs, interactive games on a smart board, or even doing

research on Ipads, learning how to utilize various learning tools will benefit my learners and

allow me to teach using the best practices. (TEAC Claim 2: Pedagogy, Best Teaching Practices

for Diverse Learners).

Another class that stands out to me upon reflection is my Needs of the Exceptional

Learner class at DYouville. This class really opened my eyes to the diversity of special
education students. Before this course, when somebody spoke of special education, I would

immediately presume they were talking about IEPs, literacy issues, things that presumably made

a student struggle in the classroom. Taking this course, I was given the opportunity to witness

various aspects of special education, such as gifted students who require more work or work

that could possibly be more challenging for them. I accumulated 15 observation hours in order to

conduct a study in this course, where I observed a young boy with Autism. I notice how much

this boy truly struggled in a classroom setting, but another thing that I noticed was how much his

actions affected the other students in the classroom. Though this teacher was not the only

educator in the classroom, keeping the students focused on the material at hand was such a

challenge for her. This course, and my observation hours really opened my eyes to Claim 2:

Pedagogy, Best Teaching Practices for Diverse Learners and TEAC/CAEP Claim 3: Caring

Educator).

Throughout my time at DYouville and at Medaille, a concept that was always driven

home was Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT for short). In theory, it seems simple to take

into account your students upbringing while teaching them. But it is not just that simple. In the

class that I am in right now, Culturally Responsive Pedagogy: Shaping Culturally Inclusive

Classrooms, I have never learned so much about the struggles and stereotypes that effect

minorities life- inside and outside the classroom. It is not enough to know about stereotypes, but

to understand and study the cultures that are present in your classroom, and take them into

consideration when trying to form a relationship with the students. More importantly I am

learning that CRT is a pedagogy, which recognizes that students bring with them a collection of

different experiences and cultural references; it is important as teachers to include them in all

aspects of the students learning. Making the content relevant to the students experiences, prior
knowledge and learning styles is vital to the learning process because it makes learning more

appropriate and effective for the students. CRT is such an important aspect of being a teacher,

and I believe that with the knowledge I have accumulated through this graduate program, I can

be that for my students.

Some might see my situation as unlucky, having to change schools, and become part of 3

different cohorts, but I have learned so much from my classmates, that I am thankful I have met

so many different kinds of people. Not only does everyone have different views and ideas about

teaching, but we ourselves bring in all different learning styles that I can watch and learn from as

well. Not only have these graduate students become my friends, but my colleagues, as we have

collaborated and learned together throughout these programs.

Another great aspect of this program is that the work that is assigned to us, will be helpful

throughout our careers. I have walked away from my graduate program with multiple lesson

plans and a well-rounded overview of the material in each subject matter. This is a great way to

demonstrate my content subject matter, as I am familiar with many of the grade level

expectations that I am interested in teaching. TEAC/CAEP Claims 1: Subject Matter.

Reediness to Become a Teacher

I believe that anybody can be taught how to teach, they can be taught to make lesson

plans that meet the curriculum standards, they can relay multiplication tables, and make tests and

write report cards. That doesnt make this person an effective or good teacher at all. I have a

passion for teaching and inspiring students that many people do not have. I have the ability to

connect with students on a personal level and develop a sense of trust with them. Teaching isnt a
profession that anybody can do effectively, and I think that the only teachers that should have

jobs are exceptional ones. For the first couple of years teaching, I am prepared to spend endless

nights creating lesson plans that engage my students and fit to their specific needs. I have learned

to effectively plan, instruct and assess my students while meeting them where they are. I am

prepared to alter all my pre-made lesson plans in order to be culturally responsive to the students

in my classroom at that time, because in the end, it is my job to make sure these students are

successful in my classroom and I will do everything in my power to make that happen.

Empowering students one of my main goals as a future educator, aside from teaching

them. When I was an elementary student, I lacked confidence in my skills and abilities as a

student, and never felt brave enough to raise my hand or ask for extra help. This lead me to poor

grades and an unwillingness to try in the classroom. Because of this I hated school and didnt

care to go. I know there are students who feel like I did 20 years ago. I want to show students

that they are brave, smart and confident in their learning. Creating a safe learning environment

for my students by managing my classroom with respect and interpersonal relationships is very

important. It is my goal to gain my students respect rather than demand it. I know that it will

take hard work and perseverance, but creating a relationship with each of my students is a goal of

mine.

I have been tutoring students in both French and English for over 10 years, and I have

noticed an alarming number of students who have difficulty with reading. Because students

usually came to be after school, I could tell that they did not want to read at all. They were tired

and already feeling unmotivated by their struggles with decoding words on a page. I developed

some great games to work with students on spelling and reading, games that they enjoyed so
much they would go home and tell their parents they played games the whole time they were

with me! Little did they know they were learning so much about reading and writing that after 6

months to a year, many of the students I worked with were on par with the reading level of the

majority of their classmates. Making learning enjoyable is a large part of elementary teaching. Of

course, all day cant be fun and games, however by making learning enjoyable, students are

excited for school and do not resent the idea of learning.

Conclusion

Though I have always been confident in my ability to work well with students, the

pedagogy that I have developed throughout my career as a grad student has allowed me to utilize

these aspects of my personality and pair them with the tools I have acquired to create a safe,

diverse, and culturally responsive classroom environment. With my ability to utilize various

technology tools, manage a classroom, meet curriculum standards and meet TEAC/CAEP

Claims (Claim1: Subject Matter; Claim 2: Pedagogy, Best Teaching Practices for Diverse

Learners; TEAC/CAEP Claim 3: Caring Educator). I have demonstrated these skills through the

incorporation of various artifacts that I have created throughout my time at DYouville and

Medaille. It is necessary that teachers understand and follow culturally responsive teaching,

dignity for all students act and educating all students. Every child has the right to a full

educational experience. In my lesson plans I demonstrate my knowledge of the curriculum

standards. These standards are guidelines that teachers should use when planning their lessons.