Section Five: Teacher Candidate Reflection Guidelines

Introduction

Teaching, to me is a very enjoyable and rewarding career field. I am passionate for

teaching and will let that shine through each and every day by enjoying every teaching moment

to the fullest. I enjoy working with children because they are full of energy and have creative

imaginations. Just as how I want to be able to influence their lives, they inspire me to be a better

teacher. I want to be that one teacher that students will remember because of how I value them in

their learning process and challenge them to try harder. In this section of my portfolio I will be

reflecting on my experiences working on this portfolio project and my educational experiences I

have had during my time at Medaille College and what I will take away from this experience

which will make me into a better more 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

Putting together this portfolio has been an enlightening experience because it gave me the

opportunity to glance back at my journey. I have grown and developed so much within my last

three semesters at Medaille. I have learned many valuable lessons and feel that this portfolio

project really helped me pull all my work and experience together and reflect on what I have

done and what I want to work on in the future (TEAC/CAEP Claim 2: Pedagogy and Best

Teaching Practices). There are many learning experiences that I have been fortunate enough to

experience through the Masters of Education program from Medaille. My experience with the

instructors at Medaille furthered my perception of what characteristics an effective teacher

possesses by demonstrating what a caring educator does, how knowing your content makes you a

stronger educator and using many instructional techniques, for example; technology, cooperative

learning, games, read aloud and visuals (movies and power point presentations) just to name a

few. From the introduction to the conclusion this process has been beneficial but at the same

time challenging. Summarizing my educational and work experiences, completing school

observations and composing my philosophy of education have all given me a clearer picture of

the reasons I want to be an educator (TEAC Claim 2: Pedagogy, Best Teaching Practices for

Diverse Learners). I tried to choose artifacts that would enable you to acknowledge my strengths

and showcase my teaching effectiveness and ability to be a caring educator. Throughout this

portfolio I have demonstrated my knowledge of the curriculum and professional standards and

my ability to create lessons which incorporate the content in those standards (TEAC Claim 1:

Subject Matter). Below are some of the experiences that I feel have helped me the most with

developing a strong and insightful Pedagogy, an understanding of subject material and courses

and experiences that have made me a more caring educator.

One of the courses I took at Medaille College that I found very insightful was the

Diversity and Culturally Responsive Teaching course. Even though I haven’t worked in very

culturally diverse neighborhoods, this course showed me that there are always ways to pull in

diversity into my lessons and classroom, from the books I share, the photos I post in the

classroom to the different music that I share with the class. These are all ways that I can make

sure that every student is represented in the classroom (Claim 3: Caring Educators). The

Transitions Roots to Present course I took first semester gave me some background knowledge

on theorists I wasn’t quite familiar with and explained how the educational system we have

today was formed (TEAC Claim 2: Pedagogy, Best Teaching Practices for Diverse Learners).
This course provided me with valuable lessons on proper formatting for papers and lessons on

how to properly compose educational surveys to research educational or personal interest topics

(TEAC Claim 2: Pedagogy, Best Teaching Practices for Diverse Learners). I especially enjoyed

learning about the Dignity for all Students Act or DASA. Which is a piece of legislation in New

York State that ensures equal treatment within the educational system (TEAC Claim 2:

Pedagogy, Best Teaching Practices for Diverse Learners). Also during my first semester, I took a

course called Research in Education. We learned about the Research Method, which was all very

new to me. I had never thought of doing research on my students. This course showed me how I

can take the data, which I collect from my students and reflect on the outcomes to have a better

learning environment for my students. (TEAC/CAEP Claim 2: Pedagogy and Best Teaching

Practices & Claim 3: Caring Educators). The Early Field Experiences course I took was also very

enlightening. Living right here in Buffalo, I never knew that this Saturday school existed. This

course allowed me to see teaching done at a private school mixed with many different cultures

and the differences that that entails (TEAC Claim 2: Pedagogy, Best Teaching Practices for

Diverse Learners).

Developing lesson plans was also a huge process that required deep thought and

consideration of my students. When I first started writing lesson plans, it would take me hours to

ensure I was meeting all the needs of my students. At times I felt as if I was lost and just couldn’t

do it. But as I continued to practice the skill of writing lesson plans, they soon became easier. It

is important when developing lesson plans that you know and understand the abilities, strengths

and challenges of your students, as well as their particular needs and your knowledge of the

subject matter content (TEAC Claim 1: Subject Matter). I have never been comfortable speaking

in front of adults. But with my experience here at Medaille, we were required to do

presentations and instruct our lesson plans in a mock classroom setting (TEAC Claims 1:

Subject Matter; Claim 2: Pedagogy, Best Teaching Practices for Diverse Learners; TEAC Claim

3: Caring Educator). This has helped me become more comfortable and natural when presenting

in front of others.

Second semester was also full of beneficial classes which furthered my knowledge and

lead me down the path to being a better educator. A course that I found helpful was the

Technology course I took at Medaille College. Technology is constantly evolving and it’s very

important to include it in the classroom as much as possible. During this course I was given the

opportunity to design a website, research apps and learn how to design and operate the Smart

Board application. My Smart Board presentation is one of my favorite artifacts included in this

portfolio. I had so much fun looking at the curriculum and developing age appropriate activities

to present as well as making my lesson more engaging and therefore more effective

(TEAC/CAEP Claim 1: Subject Matter). The Foundations of Education course that was also

taken during the second semester was beneficial as well because today’s teachers need to be

well versed on the handling and teaching of children with special needs since many of them are

in the regular classrooms with IEPs today (TEAC Claim 2: Pedagogy, Best Teaching Practices

for Diverse Learners). It is important to be exposed to some of the disabilities prior to your

entrance into the classroom as a teacher because it will enable you to recognize children

suffering from undiagnosed problems so that you can get them the help they need.

Overall, I feel Medaille College has prepared me to be an effective teacher and prepared

me situations and difficulties I will encounter in my classroom and teaching career (TEAC Claim
3: Caring Educator). Medaille College has prepared me to be a caring, competent school teacher

who is firmly versed in subject matter, and who know how to meet the needs of diverse learners

through effective pedagogy and best teaching practices.

Reediness to Become a Teacher

This program at Medaille College has allowed me to develop the skills and confidence to

be an effective teacher. I cannot wait to get back into the classroom and be able to teach. One of

my strengths that I bring to the classroom is my passion for teaching. After years of schooling

and development courses, I have finally reached my goal. From receiving my A.A.S. in Early

Childhood Education from Villa Maria College of Buffalo. To continuing my education journey

to receive my B.A. in Early Childhood Education from SUNY Empire State College. I can

finally see the light at the end of this long journey. Now here I am standing on the cusp of

completing my Masters of Education from Medaille College. With all my experience, dedication

and hard work I am confident to say that I am ready. I am a teacher who knows the subject

material. I am a teacher who has a strong and informed pedagogy and best teaching practices.

My background in Early Childhood Education and working in the field has given me many great

opportunities to learn and grow as an educator. This has given me the opportunity to develop my

classroom management skills. I have learned that if students know their expectations of being a

student in your class, you will have a lot less issues to begin with. I have also learned that when

you show students that they are important and that you care about them, they are more inclined

to listen to you.
 I now possess the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities to develop effective lesson

and unit plans for teaching engaging lessons that encourage student learning. I now realize that

students are all individuals with different needs and desires and that it is my job to learn who

each of my students are so that I can prepare lessons that are relevant and interesting to them. I

have now spent months learning to interpret New York State curriculum standards in order to

prepare effective lessons. I have witnessed the use of many different motivational strategies

throughout my time in the classroom that I plan on using. One of my strengths that I will bring

into the classroom is my passion for teaching. I will demonstrate this by knowing my content

applying best teaching practices and pedagogy and showing my students that I am a caring

educator. This is all done by making learning fun and enjoyable. Instead of reading material

straight from a textbook, I would make my lessons fun and engaging by making them as

interactive as possible. I will focus on being able to plan, instruct, assess, re-teach, address the

needs of all learners, knowing my content, as well as integrating technology throughout the

curriculum.

As a teacher, I want to make a difference in my students’ lives. I want to make them feel

special, safe and secure while they are in our classroom. I want to be a positive influence/role

model in their lives because you never know what the students are experiencing when they are

not at school. I want to create a safe and secure learning environment where they are not afraid to

take risks and make mistakes without being judged. I will bring a positive outlook with me

where ever I go. It is important to bring a positive attitude into the classroom each and every day.

We all go through things in our personal lives but I feel teachers need to leave their personal

lives outside the school. Our students deserve our very best and if we are having troubles in our
personal life, we don’t want it to reflect in our teaching. Positive energy is contagious and it is

our job to spread it around. If you smile at someone most likely they will smile at you back.

Another aspect of how I bring positivity into the classroom is the way I provide feedback to the

students. You need to focus on what the students do well, their strengths and compliment that

skill.

One quality that I possess is my ability to adapt and change. In reality, things do not

always go according to plan. Teachers must be flexible and able to adjust your lesson plans and

go along with the flow. Students do not know what your lesson plans are, so if you change them

because a particular part or activity is not going well, they will never know. The important thing

to take away from that situation is to reflect of the process. Effective teachers are constantly

reflecting of their day, what went well and what you would do differently next time. Being a new

teacher, I will keep a journal, where I can write about my day. This will help me in my teaching

by reflecting on my work and educating myself on what I believe to be my weaker areas will

make me a stronger educator.

Conclusion

It has been a journey to get here but I am so happy that I followed this path. I had so

many great learning experiences throughout my time working as an educator. My work

experience has allowed me to develop my pedagogy, as well as work with some very good

teachers and educators. My Early childhood Education degree has helped me understand child

development and my Master of Education from Medaille has helped me develop my technology

skills, as well as given me a strong planning skills. I am excited to start this next adventure.
 I am an individual with high moral standards and as an educator I will maintain a high

level of professionalism when collaborating with students, parents or co-workers. I intend to

engage in ongoing professional development so that I do not stagnate and am able to

continuously improve myself throughout the years. I intend to be a lifelong learner and I believe

that I should instill these values and beliefs in every student that passes through my classroom.

My ultimate goal is to ensure that every student I have had the pleasure of teaching knows that if

they are determined and set their mind to it they can accomplish whatever they set out to achieve.

My motto will be to press onward and never give up!