Section Two:

Teacher Candidate Background Experiences

Introduction
The journey leading to this point in my life has been one filled with opportunity and
support. I have been surrounded by teachers, mentors and family who have fostered in me a
desire to explore, learn and share what I have learned with others. My family instilled in me a
sense that anything is possible with hard work and perseverance. They supported and encouraged
me while I learned how to problem solve and work as part of a team to get whatever job needed
to be done on the farm. All the while teaching me that a positive attitude will get me further than
a negative one. The teachers I had during my early education continued to hone my skills as a
learner encouraging me to take leadership roles and allow me the opportunities to put them to
use. My education was an education of possibilities and this was fostered by the teacher and
mentors I had in my life. As you will see it is them that put me on the journey I am on right now.
Educational Background
As I reflect back on my educational experiences the experiences that have the shaped me
as a person, student and contributing member of society are the times that a strong connection
was formed between myself my teacher/principal/mentor and my classmates. These experiences
come to mind quickly and over shadow the experiences that were less than positive, these are the
times I have to struggle to remember and its because of the influences of my educators and
mentors that allow me to have a positive outlook about life and not dwell on the unpleasant. I
consider my educational experiences over a wide variety of environments and not just the time I

spent in school, but also at church with my teachers and mentors, as well as the time I spent
growing up with a strong extended family on my familys farm learning from my grandparents,
uncles and my brother. These are the educational experiences that shaped me and have
influenced my educational and vocational path. Each of these parts of my education has left an
indelible mark that continues to guide me.
During my academic career the experiences, I remember are ones that allowed me learn
and understand in a way that was meaningful for me, allowing me to show my learning in ways
that allowed me to best communicate my learning. Yes, I still did drills and wrote tests but these
are only part of my learning. I was allowed to take leadership roles within the class and school
which encouraged collaboration with teachers and students alike. I was given the tools and
allowed to create, fail, learn from my failures and try again. Long before the Magic School Bus
and Ms. Frizzle, the mantra was take chances make mistakes. This was the mantra which my
grade 5 teacher tried to instill in me. He was well travelled, had a story for everything and made
everything come to life before my eyes. He was honest, respectful and gave 100%, expecting the
same from his students which for the most part we freely gave. As I look back on it now it wasnt
the learning that I remember so much it was how he made me feel about learning. We felt like we
could conqueror any challenge. We wanted to explore, travel, and read because thats what
students did. As I said early, I was very fortunate to have been taught by some exceptional
teachers, but my grade 5 teacher is the one who I recall before thinking about the many other
experiences I had.
Second, my elementary vice principal was another person who allowed me to take on
leadership roles within the school but also encouraged me to be active in the community through
sports, scouting and Kiwanis youth to engage with other young people to do community projects.

He showed me that teaching was much more than just standing in front of some students, but it
was being part of a larger community. Through him I was exposed to some exceptional people in
the community who were teaching others, children and adults alike the importance of community
and challenging everyone to make it better. I took part in community cleanup projects, Christmas
toy drives and paper drives to raise money for community youth projects. I learned from him that
teaching was more than just the classroom and held endless opportunities.
My first teachers however were my family and they left an indelible mark on me and
from a young age fostered sense of curiosity and wonder that has lead me to the place where I
am now. As the youngest, my grandparents, mother, uncles and siblings all taught me what I
needed to learn to function, growing up on a farm- lessons of self-reliance, team work, problem
solving and a respect for those who were teaching me these important lessons. I was allowed to
take on problems and solve them to the best of my ability, getting guidance and support when I
needed it but also given the confidence in to fail and try again. I was allowed to risk, take
chances fix my mistakes, but I also mentored in all the skills I would need to do these tasks
beforehand. The collective wisdom of a community set me on this path and it is these skills,
values and knowledge that I hope to pass along to the students I will be fortunate enough to work
with.
These experiences on the surface seem very different but are linked immeasurably by the
caring and mentoring of each of my teachers. The lessons I learned about perseverance, my selfconcept and the value of others set me on my present journey. It truly does take a village to raise
a child and I intend on being part of that village.

Work Experiences
As I stated earlier, I have been fortunate enough to have been given multiple
opportunities to teach in many different ways, in many different venues to many different people.
One of first times I realized I wanted to be a teacher was when I was in my early twenties and I
was working as a youth ministry coordinator for the Lutheran Church In the southeastern United
States. I was tasked with coordinating and supporting youth ministry programs in local churches
in four states. I provided leadership training opportunities for youth and adults, lead bible
studies, gave talks on the importance of active youth ministries as well as supporting campus
ministries on university campus in the south. This is where I learned to build relationships, plan
and implement learning opportunities for a variety of audiences getting son critical feedback
from my supervisor as well as the people I was working with. The churches I worked with had
high expectations of what they wanted to achieve and this feeling was heighten for me because
predecessor had set the bar high and was still working in a similar role within the organization.
She had mentored me and our mission was clear, to revive a dying youth ministry movement for
the Lutheran Church in the south, many churches were losing youth membership at an alarming
rate. I not only needed to energize and motivate youth but pass on that skill to many adults trying
to do the same.
My experiences varied from planning and implementing youth weekend retreats to
facilitating evening drop in groups for local youth. I also needed to meet and plan with local
church leaders, present the larger youth ministry vision to small group as well as at Sunday
morning services. These responsibilities allowed me to learn and develop the skill I needed to
plan implement and evaluate the events that I was involve in all skills that will help me become a
competent motivating teacher.

I have also been privileged enough to have worked in the educational system as a Child
and Youth Worker for the past twenty three years. During that time, I have had the opportunity to
work with exceptional students from ages 6 to 21. My responsibilities have included developing
and implementing behaviour support plans for students who have not been able to manage their
behaviour independently, planning implementing and assessing social skills programs for all
students, including those with exceptionalities and assisting in the development and
implementation of IEPs for students who require them. As my skill set has developed I have
been included in many aspects of student instruction such as being a member of the school
multidisciplinary team, part of a collaborative teaching team, implemented lesson plans for
teachers who have been unable to complete them. These are but a few of the opportunities that
have lead me to my present path of becoming an educator. The excitement I feel on a daily basis
working with students only grows as my involvement in the educational process increases.
These are, but a few of the motivating factors that have influential in guiding my decision
to become a teacher. Other experiences such as running groups and programs for at risk youth,
being a part of professional development that is focused on positive educational mind sets has
also reenergized my enthusiasm to become and educator to name only a few. I as look back on
my professional career, it has all been building to now.
School Observations
My classroom experiences were as varied as the students I observed. As I stated earlier, I
have had the great privilege of working with and observing many teachers with different styles,
educational philosophies and classroom management skills. Educational practices have changed
since I began working in the field of education from a more teacher directed sit and get, to where
we find ourselves now, a collaborative, inquiry focused classroom, which is also another reason I

have chosen now to change my role in the classroom. It is a shift that reflects my own
philosophy of education. During my field observations, I observed both in primary and junior
classroom with grades 1 and 2 in primary and 5 and 6 in junior. Observing four different teachers
allowed me to see how they have organized their classrooms to encourage and foster the
collaborative learning process. Two of the educators were very comfortable allowing this process
to occur while the other two were less comfortable with it. The first two teachers had set up their
classroom to allow for multi-skilled working groups and have a created a culture in their class
where this can occur. In observing this though this mind set is a fragile concept that continually
needs to be reinforced and modelled on a regular basis. For students who have varying degrees
of exposure to this classroom style, it does not come naturally. I think it is important to note also
that both of these teachers are continually involved in professional development and often are
asked two facilitate staff development opportunities for other schools.
The two other teachers, also very skilled in the pedagogy of teaching are not as
comfortable with the collaborative model and run their classrooms very differently. Desks are
also arranged in groups, but these groups are ability groupings that remain fairly static.
Instruction is still very much teacher driven and inquiry opportunities are very directive. Students
in both settings are moving through the curriculum, but seem to be grasping the concepts at
different levels. Both the primary and junior students who are in the more collaborative
classrooms appear to have a richer understanding of the concepts as well as students appear to be
taking greater ownership in the educational process. These students when asked are better able to
discuss and explain their thinking. These students are the ones who are also incorporating a
Growth Mindset (Dweck, 2006) into the individual schemas.

Classroom Application

In reflecting on the practices that I would take away and use from my classroom
observations, I feel there are several I would use. With that being aid however I think the most
important tool I will take away with me and try to implement ( I think it takes lots of practice) is
a Growth Mindset (Dweck, 2006) in the classroom. Create a culture of Yet, in a community
of learners. With this framework, I will try to replace an ever increasing fear for mistakes with
mindset of learning and growing from our mistakes. Within this community, I would foster
collaboration in the way I set up my learning environment as well as implementing cooperative
activities within my day plan to strengthen the students skill and confidence in working
collaboratively. Ron Berger in his book An Ethic of Excellence extends this growth mindset
idea by emphasizing the importance of critical feedback being given by both peers and teacher in
the creation of a final product, allowing the students to feel that they can and should have
multiple drafts of a piece of work before its ready to be handed in. As a teacher, it will be
imperative that I allow my students this time and dont impose undo time constraints on them, as
I feel the need to cover curriculum, allow authentic learning to happen. This mindset piece is the
foundation for everything else in the class to grow from.
A big part of this mindset is, I believe creating a learning environment that supports this
community of learners. Desks would be in moveable groupings and students would be
challenged to sit with a group that would best support their learning. I realize that it is the
tendency for all of us to sit with our friends or the people we are most comfortable with, but I
also believe that if you teach why its important to surround yourself with the best supports and
hold that out as the expectation the students will be able to do that. The class will also have areas

for students to work independently away from distraction and have tools available to assist this
such as head phones that dampen sound as well as recorded quiet music with head phones to also
allow the person to focus on their task. A big part of this community is that students take
ownership for their learning and are aware of the strategies that best support their learning. That
being said while each of us have a preferred learning style or modality it is important to
challenge the learners to learn using other styles and modalities. Gardners Multiple
Intelligences (Gardner, 1983) are important to keep in mind, but I believe it is equally important
in having a growth mindset to be open to using and working with other intelligences. Ultimately
It still comes down to how the teacher manages their classroom and this starts well before the
students enter the class on the first day in the planning and preparation. What is the tone I am
going to set? What vision do I have for the class? How am I going to engage the students?
Preparation is the key set the bar high and the students will rise to the occasion (Harry Wong,
2012).
Philosophy of Education
As one develops as at teacher your personal educational philosophy continues to grow as
you are exposed to various educational theorists and philosophies. Essentialism, Progressivism,
Perennialism, Existentialism, and Behaviorism all have aspects that can be used to together to
make one an effective teacher. Having a philosophy regarding education and your pedagogy
allows me to focus me skills during the planning stage so that my students receive effective
meaningful instruction, which in turn allows me to assess their true knowledge and abilities. To
be able to understand and blend philosophies ensures that the needs of all students are being met.
Using a constructivist lens it allows me to anchor my pedagogy in the vision of preparing
students to be productive in the 21st century.

The curriculum.
The curriculum will be grounded in 21st Century Learning, students use educational
technologies to apply knowledge to new situations, analyze information, collaborate, solve
problems, and make decisions. Utilizing emerging technologies to provide expanded learning
opportunities is critical to the success of future generations. Improved options and choice for
students will help improve student completion and achievement. Students will also have
instruction in social and life skills as well as be coached in advanced citizenry skills equipping
the students to be leaders in the community as well as critical participants in the politics of the
day. Using the Democratic Educational theories proposed by John Dewey and championed by
educational advocate and thinker Amy Gutmann (Corngold, 2011) these objectives will be met.
Learning.
Learning will be a balance of inquiry based learning, exploring the big questions while at
the same time gaining mastery the basic skills to scaffold the rest of the students learning.
(Berger, 2003). Students will be encouraged to take charge of their own learning and be
expected to produce a year end portfolio of their cumulative work for that academic year. These
portfolios will be shown to a panel of community members for additional feedback and
evaluation. Students will be expected to work collaboratively with other classmates offering each
other different perspectives on the same subject (Dweck, 2008).
Students will also be required to develop and complete a parallel learning plan of their
own choosing. The individual learning assignment will incorporate the concepts learned in class
but will be a topic that has captured the interest of the student. This is an effort to have the
students take greater responsibility for their own learning (Dweck, 2008).

The learner.
The learner will be an integral part of the school community being involved in both
school and classroom planning. Students will be challenged to be active members of the school
community by being student mentors for less able students as well as being actively involved in
the character education with in the community. Students will be will be taught and empowered to
not only be responsible for their own learning and social behaviours but also be encouraged to
hold their peers accountable as well (Cleveland, 2011).
Students will be expected after learning the process to take charge of their own learning.
They will be expected to meet with the teacher biweekly to review their learning goals and
progress.
Assessment.
Assessment will occur on ongoing bases through observation, conferencing and direct
feedback on a daily basis. The focus will be on students creating portfolios of the work
throughout the year of all their projects encompassing the learning themes of the year. Feedback
will be given to the students on their work after presenting their findings to small and whole
group sessions. Students will be required to collaborate with others to produce finished projects
on monthly themes with cross curricular themes (Berger, 2003).
Classroom management.
I see classroom management as a combination of several educational theories, developing
a classroom mindset and culture that fosters cooperation and collaboration. In a 2012 article by
Harry Wong titled Managing your classroom for success he starts the article comparing
discipline and management by asking the question do Fortune 500 managers discipline their
employees or manage them? Far too often people including educators think of classroom

management as discipline, when nothing could be further from the truth. Classroom management
he goes on to say starts well before the first day of school as the teacher prepares for the arrival
of the students. It involves planning and foresight about how the classroom culture and
community are going to be cultivated and nurtured (Harry Wong, 2012). In the classroom,
students will be expected to monitor their own behaviour as well as be equipped to give critical
feedback to their peers. Classroom meetings will be held on a weekly basis as well as on an as
needed basis to address student conduct and any conflicts that may arise. Classroom conduct will
also be tied to the schools culture and will be reinforced by all staff members who all have a
vested interest in the students success (Berger, 2003).

The teacher.
All teachers will be part of a professional teaching college that has high minimum
standards for membership in the college. Teachers will require a minimum of a Bachelors
degree as well as at least a Bachelors of Education. Teachers will be required to actively pursue
professional development. Teachers will be required to mentor less experienced teachers and be
part of teaching communities that seek to improve teaching practices. Teachers will be
supervised on a monthly basis establishing yearly professional goals and will be evaluated every
two years by an administrator whose sole job is to maintain the highest of teaching practices.
Teachers will also be hired not only on the educational experience they have but the real
world experience they bring to the job, such as travel, other vocational experience, hobbies and
other interests. These two factors culminate to produce a well-rounded educator with the skill
and vision to guide students to a productive full future.

Being guided by an educational philosophy allows the teacher to understand and use the
most current educational theories to support and enrich the students learning. It ensures
consistency in the instructional model so that the students know what to expect and are
motivated to learn. Having a clear educational philosophy ensures that students are receiving a
fair and equitable education allow all students to be successful.

Resume
Working in a caring profession has given me the opportunity hone and transfer my skills
across many settings. My ability to build relationships while working with many different groups
has been invaluable and has put to practice my understanding of current theories and
philosophies to assist learners to reach their full potential.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Overview

More than 23 years experience as a Child and Youth Worker both in the
residential and educational settings. Extensive experience working with
exceptional children.

Experienced residential supervisor of an eight bed residential treatment home

Extensive experience working with staff of multiple skill sets and experiences
High awareness of community resources and ability to utilize networking
effectively
Effectively organize and facilitate training opportunities for people with varied
levels of skill
Working knowledge of current board policy and procedures for
Paraprofessionals

______________________________________________________________________________
Areas of Expertise

Crisis Management
Awareness of mental health issues
Facilitate skills training for exceptional youth
Work well within deadlines
Develop and maintain professional relationships
Knowledge of Microsoft Word and various educational software programs
CPI Instructor

______________________________________________________________________________
Professional Experience
Waterloo Region District School Board
Child and Youth Worker
1999-Present

Support students with various exceptionalities behaviourally and academically

Assists in the development and implementation of Individual Education Plans
Communicate with families, school personnel, medical professionals and
community agencies to support and plan for individual students
Facilitate anger management, social skills and anxiety programs
Maintain records of students participation in skills development programs
Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team to ensure the success of exceptional
students
Assist in the development and implementation of Safety Plans, Behaviour
Support Plans and Differentiated Support Plans
Facilitate CPI training for Board staff
Identify abuse or neglect and use Board /Family and Childrens Services
reporting procedures
Communicate with Administrators, Parents and Community Agencies to
advocate on behalf of the students educational, emotional and medical needs

Stratford Childrens Services Residential Supervisor

Pioneer Youth Services, Residential Supervisor

1998-1999

Manage the day to day operation of a six bed residential treatment center
ensuring all ministry of community and social services regulations are met and
exceeded
Ensure the care and treatment of six residents with multiple needs
Provide scheduling, supervision, training and support for four full time
residential staff through staff meetings, daily communication and regular
supervision
Communicate regularly with executive director on the operation of the residence
Develop and implement Plans of Care, Behaviour Change Plans for residents of
treatment home
Ensure residential staff manage their individual case loads
Communicate with Families, Social Workers, Community Agencies and School
board personnel to ensure the residents needs are being met on an ongoing basis
1989-1998

Manage the day to day operation of an eight bed residential treatment center
ensuring all ministry of community and social services regulations are met and
exceeded
Ensure the care and treatment of eight residents with multiple needs
Provide supervision, training and support for four full time and several part time
residential staff through staff meetings, daily communication and regular
supervision
Communicate regularly with the Program Coordinator on the operation of the
residence
Develop and implement Plans of Care, Behaviour Change Plans, for residents
of treatment home
Communicate with Families, Social Workers, Community Agencies and School
board personnel to ensure the residents needs are being met on an ongoing basi s

Facilitate NVCI training

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Education
Wilfrid Laurier University General Arts 2014

See references attached, further reference will be furnished upon request.

Conclusion
As the sum of all my experiences have lead me to this place in time, they have also
prepared me to be a caring and thoughtful teacher able to plan for, implement, and assess student
achieve. My educational philosophy has developed and continues to develop as I work in
education. It has been influenced by many relevant educational thinkers who strive to improve
student learning. The emphasis on a Growth Mindset (Dweck, 2008) fits very well into my
own philosophy of life and is one I have tried to include in all my interactions. As I live my life
from day to day prepared to make mistakes this enables me to not only live in the present and be
aware of all opportunities that avail themselves to me, but lets me plan and set goals for the
future always keeping my long range plans in mind. A Growth Mindset allows me to convey to
my students that the possibilities are endless and they need to cease every opportunity to be all
they can be, to reach their fullest potential.