Personal Narrative: A Career As An Early Educator

This semester I am a junior at the University of South Florida and am working to complete a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Biomedical Sciences. I am seeking a job within a medical related setting, and while searching for opportunities on campus, I found the Teaching Assistant position opening in the Pediatric Department of the Morsani College of Medicine. After reading about this position and its expected qualifications, I feel as though my skills, experiences, and educational background would be fitting to this vacancy.

Normally in a good childhood, a child will grow up well educated and wanting to be a role model for younger children whereas a child with a bad childhood might follow in their parents’ footsteps and be a bad influence to others. In an article written by Victoria Carr, Lawrence J. Johnson, and Connie Corkwell, it is explained that “One of the most important aspects of any early childhood setting is the quality of its leadership. Leaders set the tone and are critical to the development of a nurturing environment that supports families and staff, who then encourage children to flourish” (Carr, Corkwell, Johnson 1). They explain that a good or bad childhood is influenced by the role model in that child’s life. A role model can be a parent, a neighbor, a teacher, even a sibling. To the child, they want to grow up and be like their role model. These role models are teaching future “Leaders [to] inspire those they supervise to find their own voices,” or unfortunately to take revenge upon the people who did not help them (Carr, Corkwell, Johnson 2). A child needs someone to look up to because they need direction; it is up to a role model to show the child right from wrong so they can learn and become a leader in the

When I worked as a tutor/mentor for City Year in the Bronx, New York, I was in charge of collecting my whole team’s data. Our data included hours spent tutoring, classes attended, and the number of tutoring sessions. Having the ability the use Excel’s formulas to total each corps member’s weekly progress was indispensible. I could organize each person’s statistics on a different worksheet and still have every corps member on the same workbook. With Word, I would have had to create a different document for each corps member. And this would have increased my data input time substantially. Additionally, the organized structure of each cell on an Excel workbook made the aesthetics better for my teammates. Also, had I known about the Fill Handle

Becoming a middle school teacher changed how I felt about what kind of teacher I want to be. When I graduated from college in 2009, I was sure that I wanted to be a 4th or 5th grade teacher. I had student taught in 5th grade, and I really enjoyed it. I immediately began applying for elementary teaching positions. Thankfully, a position opened up in the district I lived in, student taught in, and where my children attended school. I was so excited because a position was open in 5th grade! I could work with the teacher I student taught with, in the grade I student taught in.

The concepts of “curriculum and pedagogy begins with an examination of the underlying philosophies theories and principles” (Waniganayake, Cheeseman, Fenech, Hadley & Shepherd, 2012, p. 98). These concepts help to shape an individuals idea of how they can create an environment that better suits themselves, their team of workers, the children and their families. Pratt (as cited in Davis, 2015, p. 80) offers to readers that the importance of developing a culture for equity, positive relationships and community adopts the importance of being valued in any contributions you make to sustain a collective body of learners. Being a leader is one who works together with their team and achieving their goals as well as promoting reflection and learning. The meeting that has been organised is to guide educators to “shape and influence what happens in the future” (Waniganayake, Cheeseman, Fenech, Hadley & Shepherd, 2012, p. 98), by discussing what it means to work together as a team providing alternatives in the way we all can communicate and develop endless outcomes for children's

Tuesday, September 12, 2017, I eagerly interviewed a fellow co-worker, Patricia Britt, a kindergarten assistant teacher at my school, New Hope Elementary. She has been a paraprofessional for almost twenty years. When asked to define the term 'paraprofessional', Britt replied, "An underpaid teacher who does just as much, if not more, in the classroom as the certified teacher but doesn't get recognized for it." In a sense, Britt is undoubtedly correct. Most of the time, assistant teachers are considered not as important or not as valuable as certified teachers. Assistant teachers can perform the same duties as certified teachers, but do not get compensated for it nor recognized for all the hard work put into the task.

I am majoring in child education because when I was little I loved to teach. I was born with Cerebral Palsy: that’s a disorder in my brain that lacked oxygen when I was born, it only affects my legs to drag. I also was diagnosed with spinal bifida and that is a dysfunction that made me have a hole on the bottom of my spine and you can see it on the very bottom of my back and that The first thing I have ever taught was when I was five years old and my sister was a little as eight months old when I taught her how to walk. The next thing I taught was myself how to ride a two-wheel bike. I also have been teaching my brother math since he was three years old. Throughout elementary school, I was bullied because some

Early Learning Communities might be new to some, but it encompasses so much of what principals already believe in. For examples, learning starts early, supporting children to be prepared when they start school, developing appropriate skills and background knowledge, and making sure children are on grade level by the time they leave elementary levels grades in the areas of reading and math, but no excluding other subjects such as social studies and science. This is very essential to ensuring that early learning grade level students prepare in graduating from high school and pursue to their college or careers in life. We must improve the knowledge and practice of our principals, teachers, and students. Despite the importance of leadership development in

As I walk into the gloomy, boring, grey classroom, I set my big colorful books onto my desk. I then head toward the ugly, gritty, blue ugly colored chair to sit down and start learning. At least five minutes into class I’m already in my “La-La-Land” as the teachers call it, I then look around the room and look at random objects like the dirty, grey white board. And the hideous, black, metal cabinet. As I looked at those random objects I heard the teacher, “ Class pay attention over here!” She said angrily. I quickly looked over up at the screen by the bulky door and I look over at the furious teacher. She at least pressed the auto-focus button at least more than twenty times.

I remember feeling perplexed as early as the second grade as to why my desk always had to be in the back of the classroom, why my knees always hit the bottom of its cold, metal frame, and why it was always my job to get the class notebooks from the top shelf of the bookcase. Still, to this day, I do not remember ever signing up for the position of classroom assistant nor do I remember an election taking place, it was simply my allotted task. I also never understood why the cute outfits from Zellers and Old Navy never fit me. Was it really that hard to make longer clothes? Dresses magically transformed into shirts, pants into shorts, and skirts, well that was just out of the question.

Goal 2: During day 4 and rest of the field placement, participated in responsibilities in the childcare assuming responsibility of the agency supervising teacher facilitating giving comfort attachment and secure to the verbal and nonverbal communication.

Kindergarten was I big year for me because it was the first year of school. Of what I can remember is I was the biggest spiderman fan around. Actually my older brother one day convinced me he was real, so I thought that was just the coolest thing apparently. Me and my cousin Jackson were the oldest out of the cousins, so we started Kindergarten first, while my sister and his sister started a year after. I’m mentioning them because they were a big impact on me when I was younger. Everything we did me and Jackson always had to be on a team because we knew we were the top dog of the school. We were the best athletes by far, not trying to be cocky or anything, but it was the truth. To this day on the first day of school I can remember wearing

When I started my nursing career, my experience with the older nurses was not pleasant. For that reason, I wanted to leave the profession because of the way I was treated. They were mean, not helpful, unapproachable and had unpleasant attitudes. I was afraid to approach any because of the reaction expected. My past experience as a young nurse has motivated me to pursue a career in Nursing Education because I want to make a difference. As an Educator, I want to be approachable, supportive, and knowledgeable to the nurses I mentor. After completing of my degree, my goal is to transition to a Leadership role at my place of employment where I can utilize my skills as an Nurse Educator to the Care Managers.

I began Mrs. Auston’s interview with the first background question, tell me about your educational experiences in school. Mrs. Auston responded:

I love working with children and I have previously worked as a teacher’s aide for five years. I worked in all the classrooms from ages two to five years old. I loved every aspect of my job as a teacher’s aide from the everyday, mundane tasks of “wiping hanabata noses” and changing diapers to the more rewarding moments of helping a child calm down and find comfort when their parent says good bye in the morning. My favorite part of working with children is watching them accomplish a new task for the first time. It is so rewarding watching a child grow and being a part of that process. Another goal of mine is to provide support to families in times of stress or hardship. I believe that because of my unique circumstances and my own hardships,