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Section Two: Teacher Candidate Background Experiences
Introduction
This section of the portfolio project will reflect the process of shaping and refining my
values toward education and my growth as an educator. My educational, volunteer and work
experiences have helped my devotion to teaching and learning to grow stronger. As I continue to
educate myself and work toward my teaching goals by spending time in classrooms and working
with students of various abilities and with innumerable interests and learning styles, my ability to
plan, instruct and assess student learning improves and becomes more easily integrated in the
day-to-day routine of teaching while my ability to integrate technology into the classroom in
meaningful ways becomes easier and as such engages the students in their learning. I continue to
develop personally and professionally, learning from my mistakes, my successes and my failures
and from the experiences and advice from colleagues, mentors and peers whenever I can.
Furthermore, my ability to build meaningful relationships with the students remains at the
forefront of each experience as I learn how to engage each student, to support students who are
struggling and to enrich students who are already excelling. Section two of the portfolio project
will give insight into these experiences that have shaped me into becoming a future teacher as
well as the variety of educational, volunteer and work experiences that have taught me valuable
teaching and life skills which have further strengthened my love for education. This section also
contains my philosophy of education. While it is rooted in my emotional connection to what
teaching and learning means, it is also a work-in-progress. I believe that a philosophy cannot be
static, but must change to reflect new knowledge, new experiences and new academic theories.
While this philosophy is a strong reflection of who I am now, it, like this portfolio, will change
as I change.

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Education and Work Experience
Educational Background
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inlawwascertainthiswasthelandthatwouldhavetheopportunitiesthatmygrandparents

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wantedfortheirchildren(andgrandchildren,thoughwewerentevenafleetingthoughtyet).
TheirfirststopwasMontrealandaneighbourtheretoldherthatEnglishschoolwouldresultin
moreopportunitiesformymom(whowasabouttobeginhereducationhere).Mygrandmother
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ofwhatshewasteaching,mygrandmotherperseveredandworkedhardtostayastepaheadjust
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thechallengespresentedtothem.
As a child I always knew that I wanted to be a teacher. When the children on my street
got together to play school I always took the role of the teacher. Perhaps because I was the
oldest and had the most knowledge to share with the other kids, or perhaps because I simply
liked the idea of having control of the room and all eyes on me. Whatever the reason, this game
of make-believe was my first teaching experience and one that has remained with me all these
years later. I knew nothing about theorists or pedagogy; I taught my friends what I had learned at
school the way I had been taught and the way I wish I had been taught. Little did I know that I
was already enriching my friends education by providing them new and unique opportunities to
learn even these basic skills. This was social learning. This was not only about playing makebelieve, but it was about creating a fun learning environment where none of us really even
realised we were learning.
My own teachers were caring, patient and knowledgeable and created a classroom setting
were everyone could learn. The instilled in me the love of learning and the ability to set goals
and persevere until I achieved my potential. For ten months out of the year the classroom was my
home and my classmates were my family. Despite my junior kindergarten teacher visiting me at
home before the first week of school, and my grade three teacher taking us on a nature hike that
ended up at her home where she had a picnic prepared for us, the feeling of family was never

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more prevalent than in Mrs. Cs grade seven class. To my recollection, Mrs. C was by far the
most patient and calming teacher, a characteristic that was a great benefit at a time when the
hormones and emotions of students ran rampant. During the first week of school, she
administered a personality test of sorts that aimed at determining the learning styles of the
students. This was my first introduction to Howard Gardners Multiple Intelligences. She told us
then that she would do everything she could to teach us all based on our interests and our
learning styles, and she did. Before Mrs. C, I dont ever recall differentiation of lessons to benefit
the variety of learners in the classroom and the innumerable strengths (weaknesses) and interests
of the students. Mrs. C could measure the level of understanding formatively like none other,
providing the opportunities for enrichment (for example: students could write letters to the editor
of the local newspaper for extra credit) and for differentiation (for example: students were given
options for how to complete culminating projects rather than all using the same media types) as
necessary. She used natural lighting almost exclusively claiming that it would improve mood,
alertness and vision not to mention that it is clean and more environmentally conscious than
artificial lights. I believe that my own environmental consciousness stemmed from this learning
environment. She was strict, methodical and organised, yet never had to raise her voice (in fact,
it was more likely that should she need to regain the focus of the class that she would continue
teaching, but more quietly).
It was this year that the horrible events of September 11, 2001 occurred. As we were
about to head out for recess, Mrs. C called us back into the classroom to tell us about what had
happened in New York City. Not one to pass up a teachable moment, she used it as a learning
experience. We connected this hate with other hateful events in history, we broadened our
knowledge of religion (many for the first time since we were taught Catholic doctrine

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exclusively at our Catholic school), and we learned that simply because a place in the world is
geographically distanced from you does not mean that you live lives that are isolated from each
other. On that day much of the world changed, but more importantly for a 13 year old, my world
changed. My class developed empathy and a connection to the world rather than just to our
community.
Several years later it was time for me to take the steps toward becoming a teacher. Out of
high school I applied to University, a decision that felt more like going through the motions
rather than something meaningful. Only weeks before my applications were due my father
passed away. One of our last visits together consisted of going through university brochures. It
didnt feel right for me to be going through the process without him by my side. Additionally,
though I knew where I hoped my final destination would be (teachers college and a track
towards becoming an elementary educator) I had yet to figure out the path that I wished to take
in order to get there. The first three years of my undergraduate degree were filled with
introductory classes that did little, if anything, to build meaningful connections between the
student and the subject. Unlike elementary and high school, I was a number not an individual,
and taught by professors who essentially lectured to the back wall of an auditorium. There was
no time to answer questions unless you could make (the often-inconvenient) office hours. There
was no discussion or engagement with other students. There was no thought of the Multiple
Intelligences and learning styles of the students in the room and unless you were an auditory
(lectures) or linguistic (textbook reading and essay writing) learner there was little to set you up
for success. In those three years I changed my program several times. Eventually I settled on
languages and environmental science. The classes were small, the teachers knew you and were
willing to clarify information or help you individually during class time. There was opportunity

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to collaborate with your peers on a variety of assignments, or to discuss and debate some topics.
This was what teaching and learning was supposed to be like! The students were involved and
active in their own learning. This was something I needed to make sure that I always had as a
student, and something that I could always provide for my future students.
When it came time to apply for a graduate program it was easy to narrow down the
options. I knew what I needed from my instructors and I knew I could not settle for anything
less. I wanted my instructors to be able to practice what they teach. I wanted instructors who
got to know me as a student and as an individual just as they say it is important for elementary
teachers do with their own students. I wanted small classes where I would be able to grow
socially, emotionally and intellectually, and where my classmates were also colleagues and
friends. My education was and is as important as my future career and I needed to ensure I got
the best from it, and that I put the best into it! Since beginning the Masters of Science of
Elementary Education for Canadian Teachers at Medaille College I have not once been
disappointed by the education I have received. I feel like I receive everything I need from an
instructor and so much more! I am lucky to be able to learn from competent instructors who
teach based on real classroom experiences rather than just from knowledge of pedagogy.
Experience is the best teacher, after all, and when you dont yet have experience the experiences
of others are the next best thing.
Another thing I love about this program is how it provides me with double the
opportunities of a graduate degree taken in Ontario. Not only are the student teaching placements
longer, allowing you for more teaching opportunities and the time to really get to know your
your students, but receiving New York State and Ontario certifications is a benefit to any teacher
in this oversaturated job market. It also provides me with different classroom experiences, a

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variety of educational standards and the ability to compare what is working in different regions.
Knowing that this program is preparing me for real life as well as for the certification
examinations is a comfort. Knowing that I can then take my certifications home, or throughout
much of the United States is a blessing!
Work Experiences
Since I have always known that my calling is to be an educator I have tried to centre
many of my work experiences around children whether in child care or education. Like many
pre-teen girls, I began as a mothers helper around my neighbourhood, playing with the
younger children on my street while their parents were still around the house. Soon after, I began
babysitting for neighbours and family friends. I never felt like I was out of my element or that I
didnt have control, it was just a natural thing for me to do. It is weird for me to think back about
my early days babysitting, I was just a child myself, yet people trusted me with their children.
Those children are grown up now, some even in university, but I try to keep in touch as often as I
can to see how they are doing. When babysitting became somewhat of a juvenile job I realised
I had to find a better way to merge my love for children with my career ambitions. I began
tutoring and have never looked back. I may not have my own classroom, but I have constant
exposure to curriculum, different teaching approaches and different learning styles. I have a
group of students with different strengths and needs and I have developed my teaching and
differentiation skills because of this. This section will talk about my tutoring experiences and
how they have helped me to develop as an educator. This section will show how tutoring for me
is not just a job but a rewarding learning experience.
When I was in high school I began working privately as a tutor. My first student was the
younger cousin of my best friend. We already had a relationship due to knowing each other for

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many years, which made her feel comfortable with having a tutor. It was easy for her to talk to
me about what she was struggling with and it was easy for me to know how I needed to teach it
to her (as well as to recognise when to change my approach or simply move on to something
else). This was the beginning of a career in tutoring that has lasted nearly ten years.
I currently tutor six students of various ages, with vastly different academic interests and
abilities and well as with different learning approaches and styles. What I love most about being
a tutor is that the student is able to get the one-on-one or small group attention that they need
(some more than others) in order to understand and engage with the material being covered. I
have learned skills for differentiating instruction and teaching the subject in a way that makes it
comprehensible and, more importantly, meaningful to my students. I have learned the importance
of skimming over or simply checking in on areas that the student is most comfortable and
focusing time and energy on the areas that are most crucial or that the student is having the most
trouble grasping. When you are working one-on-one or in small groups as I do, it is easy to
recognise those strengths and weaknesses and cater the lessons to each child individually.
Another thing that I love about being a tutor is that the more experience I have, the better
my tutoring becomes. I have developed assessments, enrichment activities and different teaching
styles to match each of my different students; some of them want to be able to talk to me, some
want to be able to relate material to real life or know where this knowledge will lead them
academically, some of them just want to get homework time over with. It is my job to help them
find the most efficient way to show what they know and are able to do. It is my job to use
diagnostic assessments in order to determine what the needs of my students are and to develop
my strategies to reflect and address those needs.

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My longest student is now completing grade seven, we started when he was in grade 4.
He is a prime example of the student who wants homework time over with. Homework time
often consists of 10 minutes in the bathroom, 10 minutes looking for a snack then a minute of
stretching between every homework questions and another minute arguing about how much
needs to be written. Despite this he is a very smart boy and when you give him the opportunity to
orally answer any question without the expectation of ever having to write it down his answers
are inspired. Having said this, he has come a long way in 4 years and being his tutor I get to go
along for the whole ride. Im not just preparing him and moving him along an assembly line of
sorts (as it sometimes feels for teachers who often lose touch with their students once they are no
longer in their class), I am preparing him, going back and reviewing with him and challenging
him through every step of his education.
I would be lying if I said I loved every moment, many days are stressful and I am ready
to walk out. There are many days when I feel like I am not getting through to him no matter how
I try. Those are the days when I uninspired to return, yet I preserver because I know I am making
a difference, even if only by miniscule amounts at a time. I have seen this childs knowledge
grow, his ability to reason become more profound and his explanations reflect the thoughts of
someone who is engaged with the relevance of the material. He has grown from the boy who just
wants to get homework time over with into the young man who has specific skill sets and
interests and cares about his work and doing his personal best. I have seen him go from not
knowing his times tables to actually asking me for long division questions when we have extra
time. It is those little moments that prove that what I am doing is worthwhile. I wont change the
world, but I have helped to teach somebody something that will make a difference, at least to
their academic life!

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I am in my third year of tutoring for another family with three school-aged children.
Originally I came in to help the eldest, a grade seven student who is on the autism spectrum. The
family had just moved from Michigan and she was understandably overwhelmed. Academically
she had to learn an entirely new system of measurement and even some new spelling, but
socially she was now isolated from the few friends she had been able to make. I tried to make her
transition to having a tutor smooth by talking about her interests, administering various
assessments to see where she was academically, observing what she was able to do
independently and later challenging her to expand on these answers to think about what she was
leaving out by not answering the hidden questions. Homework time is still a chore, but it is no
longer stressful for her. Often times before I have even arrived she has already begun her work.
This makes focusing our lessons easy for me because I can see what she understands (based on
how she shows her work/ reasoning) and see what areas need to be refocused (based on answers
that are wrong, incomplete or need to be substantiated).
She is not one to ask for help, neither are her siblings, so I have to be a little nosey or
forceful in keeping them on task and up to speed with the content of their studies. Agendas and
google drive have become an important tool in ensuring the students are always on schedule with
what is to be done for school, as well as for planning out our week when there are large
assignments pending. After the eldest is set back on task I split the younger two up. Their
interests and abilities are exactly opposite, so I can start one working independently on the
subject where they are strongest and sit down to reteach the other in the subject where they are
weakest. The two are always eager to share everything they know. I am a proponent that teaching
is the best way of learning, a theory of mine similar to Vygotskys More Knowledgeable Other,
so I often have them help each other if it is something that I think they are strong and confident

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in. It gives the expert sibling something to be proud of, it allows me to hear exactly what they
know and where I need reteach, and it gives the struggling student a safe environment for
learning.
These three siblings couldnt be more different, which sometimes makes our sessions
difficult due to time constraints and different needs. Each time I leave I make sure to tell them
two things they each did well and one thing I hope to see them continue to improve on. I find
that the compliments improve their self-confidence (especially when it is in regards to something
they struggle with) and that the thought about improvement gives them a specific and tangible
goal to focus on. All too often we forget as educators that learning doesnt happen all at once or
for everybody at the same pace. We must praise any growth and set measurable and realistic
goals for all our students to strive for in order to make learning of any kind feel like it is
worthwhile.
These vastly different work experiences, from being a mothers helper to babysitting to
tutoring, have given me some tools to grow as an educator. They have added to my own life
experiences that I can use to encourage myself when I feel like I dont have what it takes to
succeed. They have provided me with a schema about pedagogy, teaching approaches and
management styles that can focus the type of educator I wish to become.
School Observations and Classroom Application
Classroom observations are an invaluable opportunity for learning what makes a great
teacher as well as what limits teachers from helping their students to achieve their full potential. I
have been privileged enough to be welcomed back to my alma mater to volunteer in various
classrooms as time has permitted me to over the last decade. My first experience was for a co-op
course during grade eleven when I was placed in a grade one classroom with a long-term/

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occasional teacher (LTO) filling in while another teacher was on leave for medical reasons. I
have since been placed in classrooms from grade one to grade five depending on the needs of the
students and the teachers. This section will contain various anecdotes related to my observations
and my learning experiences in some of these classrooms. More recently I have completed my
student teaching placements in two vastly different classroom settings. My first placement was in
a grade five class at a private school. I had heard that getting a job within the private system was
a lot easier than getting a job in the public or separate systems so I wanted to see what it was like
and if that was a teaching environment that I could picture myself being a part of. My second
placement was in a grade two/three split class at a public school. In my area to get into the public
board you have to do student teaching, volunteering and have a minimum of two principal
references all from within the board just to get onto the supply list, I was not about to pass up the
opportunity to check at least a part of this criteria off my list. These co-op volunteer and and
student teaching experiences vary greatly from one to the other. Each has given me great insight
into what a good teacher looks like and and how a good teacher acts. I have picked up ideas and
advice, learned classroom and time management skills, developed skills for planning, teaching
and assessing and realised how important every detail of the day can be for student. This section
will share my growth because of the mentors I have been blessed with over the years.
My co-op placement took place during 2006. By grade eleven I had made up my mind
that being a classroom teacher was what I wanted to do, and I decided that the best way for me to
reach that goal was to begin having real classroom experiences where I could observe and
participate from the teaching side of the classroom relationship. I knew that I would be gaining a
practical learning experience, rather than something rooted only in theory or philosophy. Ms.
Picinin was a new teacher and shared with me many of her own experiences from university,

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teachers college and trying to find work as a teacher. She was young, energetic and anxious to
share whatever knowledge she could, both with the students and with me. I had the opportunity
to observe lessons in all subject areas and even to teach or prepare activities for many of them.
The class was run on a constructivist approach. Students built upon the knowledge they had
begun acquiring in kindergarten and each day developed further, more detailed knowledge. One
unit where this was evident was their unit on fairy tales. The previous year they had learned
some of the classics (Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, Chicken Little), this year they
were expanding on the literary devices they had previously learned and were talking about the
morals and lessons that could be taught from these and other fairy tales. They learned about the
common elements in fairy tales and even used this list to create their own fairy tales that they
presented with puppets, props and backgrounds that they each created within their groups. Not
only were they building upon their prior knowledge, but they were using that knowledge to do
more than memorise the stories. Ms. Picinin utilised Blooms taxonomy to engage students
higher order thinking skills and have them work beyond the regular rote learning.
Many of the lessons would link back to students own lives in some way, usually through
show and tell or journal writing. In a lesson about Family Life, students brought in photographs
and keepsakes to talk about their family composition and even a little about family history. Each
student was eager to connect what they were learning about families to their own unique family
history. I think these lessons were great for providing meaningful connections between the
subject matter and real world applications. Students were also introduced to the idea of gathering
primary research. Students developed the ability to make connections between the stories,
histories and lessons about family life in order to compare and contrast the unique lives within
the classroom.

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After my co-op placement I took every opportunity to stay involved in the school
community. Over the next five years I went back as often as I could to volunteer. The principal
set me up with new teachers in different grade levels each year. She wanted me to be exposed to
as many teaching styles, classroom management techniques and approaches to pedagogy as she
could. She realised the value of having mentors with vastly different skills. She also wanted to
expose me to students with different learning styles, learning strengths and weaknesses and of
course behaviours. She realised the value of exposure to all types of children with all types of
abilities.
Over the years I volunteered several times in Mrs. Ss senior kindergarten class. Mrs. S.
was calm and nurturing, her students were rambunctious and eager to learn. A kindergarten class
is the greatest place to witness social learning and social development in action. Students arrive
in the class with varying degrees of background knowledge. Some can count while others dont
know how old they are, some know their alphabets and others can already read sight words. The
kindergarten teacher must differentiate for all these students while essentially sneaking teaching
and learning into playtime. Students begin using real world applications for concepts like
numeracy and literacy by integrating prices for items when they play at the restaurant centre or
creating dramatic presentations in the puppet theatre. Mrs. S. and myself would circulate the
classroom to play (make formative assessments) with the students. We would guide them to
integrate any of the recent lessons into their activities whether it was in creating signage for their
store front or identifying colour or shape patterns when using tangram manipulatives.
Students learned by playing, by applying what they were learning into a make-believe
situation. When other students appeared to be having more fun they wanted to join and learn
what it was that they were doing. The original group acted as the more knowledgeable other

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(MKO) and taught them the rules, assigned roles and showed them how to put the required skills
into practice. When students (or groups of students) were off-task, not applying newly taught
concepts or were altogether misbehaving, Mrs. S never had to raise her voice and rarely had to
punish. Instead, she would point out the students who were on-task, applying the necessary skills
and concepts and behaving well. She made an example of the positive behaviours, rather than the
negative ones. This social learning resulting in students wanting to emulate the behaviour that
warranted the positive attention from the teacher in the hopes that they would be the student who
was the positive example. On the odd occasion that a student was put into time-out, the other
students avoided him or her like the plague. No one wanted to be associated with the student
whose bad behaviour was put on display and perhaps more-so, no one wanted to be the student in
time-out. The ability of social learning to guide students in interpreting social cues and
navigating daily social interactions is especially important at the beginning of their educational
careers. Knowing what is tolerated and what isnt, and having appropriate exposure to both
positive and negative consequences is a valuable experience for students at this stage. Seeing
appropriate rewards and punishments, implemented for different behaviours was a good
reference point for when I begin teaching, should I end up with students that young.
Another notable volunteer experience was with Mrs. L in her grade three class. This class
was filled with students who had previously been in Mrs. Ss senior kindergarten class and it was
so fulfilling for me to see how they had grown in the years since I had last volunteered in their
class. Mrs. L. was a perfect combination of kind and caring and strict and organised. To this day,
when I imagine what my classroom may look like I imagine it similar to hers. Routines were
strictly enforced, not in a way that deterred from learning but in a way that made learning more
routine and accessible. Resources were organised and accessible and lessons focused on student-

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centred learning. At the beginning of a unit, students created inquiry questions that would show
what they already knew about a subject, and what they hoped to learn. They garnered questions
that they would try to answer and understand over the course of the unit. Students were allowed
to use academic and technological resources to help them answer these questions or to develop
knowledge in other subject areas.
Writing activities werent cookie cutter assignments either. Students wrote about what
was important to them as often as they could. Students were taught to use the dictionary to look
up the spelling and meanings of words and were encouraged to maintain their own personal
dictionaries with the words that they frequently used in their writing and encountered in their
reading. By doing this, the students were empowered to develop vocabulary that was meaningful
to them rather than memorising academic language or standard spelling lists.
One of my last volunteer experiences was in Mrs. Ts grade one class. I was placed there in order
to work with a young boy with many behavioural issues. He was undiagnosed, but his mother
was working with staff at the school to have him assessed so he could get the help he needed.
Until then, I was meant to be his support system. I walked through the halls and saw teachers I
had previously volunteered for, they all asked where I was headed next and when I told them
Mrs. Ts room, they could do little more than give me a sympathetic smile. I headed into that
classroom not knowing what to expect, what I saw was 25 lovely little faces and one boy angrily
scribbling in a notebook. I assumed this was my new friend. As I tried to get to know him he
showed me that notebook filled with terrifying drawings and gibberish script (which he dictated
for me). There was blood and violence, sadness and anger throughout. Was this just the artistic
style of a young boy, or were there underlying issues? He yelled and used language Id never

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heard from a six-year-old before. I left that room wondering whether I had what it takes to
support this student, and even more frightening to me, would I be able to do this for my career?
Determined, I returned the next day. We began to have a bond. I wasnt doing anything
differently than I would with any other student, I was just showing him kindness, patience and
compassion. He needed the opportunity to be able to get up and leave the classroom when he was
feeling stressed over overwhelmed and by having someone with him he was able to do this. We
would take a walk around the school and often go to work on our own in the library. I saw fewer
angry outbursts and more excitement to learn and be a part of the class. When students were
writing spelling tests we would work on his alphabet and when students were reading
independently he would pick a book he wanted me to read to him. On one such occasion, he
asked me to read the story to him three times, eventually even climbing to sit in my lap. Mrs. T.
was amazed that he wanted to read, and shocked that he had formed a respectful relationship
with any adult. I felt like in the few hours that I was with this little boy that I was making a
difference.
Eventually he received the special education resources that he needed. An educational
assistant (EA) was placed with him and I was no longer needed. I continued visiting the
classroom to volunteer for a little while, but I realised that he was having a difficult transition to
the EA and when I was there he wanted to work with me instead. I didnt want to undermine her,
especially since she had the experience and expertise that he required. As stressful as some of the
moments were with this little boy, Im so glad that I had the opportunity to work with him. I feel
as though I was able to make a difference in his life, even if only for a short while. I was
someone who cared and would listen to him. This was what he needed, despite all of his anger

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and sadness he was no different from any child, he just needed to feel safe and accepted and
know that the school was a nurturing environment with people who truly cared.
I took everything I had observed and learned during these, and other, volunteer
placements with me into my student teaching placements. This is when it really counted! This
was where I knew I was meant to be and I wanted to show how I could link pedagogy with
theory; show that I had knowledge of planning and teaching the curriculum and could assess
student learning in a variety of ways; show that I would do anything to ensure that every student
had the opportunity to learn no matter their ability, learning style or perceived weakness.
These experiences provided me with an invaluable background knowledge which I was
able to utilise in my student teaching placements. My first placement was in a grade five class at
a local private school. This placement posed some very difficult challenges to me. The first was
the politics of a private school setting. I found it difficult to understand how business was taking
the front seat and pushing engagement, enrichment and even differentiation to the side. What
was important to so many (parents) did not seem to be the education itself, but the results (the
grades). This was not something I could understand. I set out to give work that would challenge,
inspire critical thinking and engage students. When students did not understand the point
(especially in activities that required students to think outside the box) they shut down. I made
it my goal to find ways to have the students be able to implement higher order thinking skills as
often as possible without discouraging students from trying their hardest no matter the result. I
chose to use Blooms taxonomy to guide my teaching practice because I believed this would best
engage the students in their learning. By providing them with opportunities to engage in their
learning by analysing, evaluating and creating rather than simply remembering, understanding
and applying the students are able to see real world applications for what they are learning.

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My greatest success was a cross-curricular Social Studies and Media Literacy project
where students had to choose a particular lesson from the Government and Responsible
Citizenship unit to explore in more depth and present it using a variety of forms of media of their
choosing. The requirements were simply that they choose a topic to research, an audience to
share their research with and a purpose to present. Once this was done, students chose an
appropriate media type to convey their message. Every student had the opportunity to shine
because they were able to pick a topic that interested them and a media type that they were most
comfortable using to demonstrate their understanding and share their information. Each morning
they asked for class time to work on the project, not because they were worried about getting it
done in time, but because they wanted to learn more and explore additional means of being
creative in their media presentations.
Secondly, there was a huge variation in academic abilities. I learned that in the past
students had been consistently told how bright they were, given less work when they
demonstrated success and allowed to coast through units with little effort. Often I found that
these same students were the ones who were most discouraged when they did not understand,
refused to ask for assistance and stressed over the results of tests. I didnt feel as though this
teaching practice was doing the students any good; it wasnt supporting students who needed it
and it wasnt challenging the students who had already proven themselves. Most importantly, it
wasnt holding any student accountable for their learning. I tried to instill a growth mindset from
the beginning letting the students know that I was always available to assist with any concerns
they had, to give additional practice or to differentiate problems as needed. During my lessons I
explained not just how but why we use the concept, highlighted areas of concern and even
showed students common misconceptions. Lessons were interactive, whether it was using

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technology to demonstrate (which always got students eager to participate) or using centres and
group work to to have students creating and competing with each other for review. I used bell
ringers, challenge questions and exit tickets to assess what students already knew coming into a
lesson, and what they had learned by the end of the lesson and used the results to guide my
lessons each day.
By the end of my placement, even those students who were once too proud to ask for help
were confident coming to me to ask questions because I would not make them feel dumb, but ask
them thought-provoking questions to help them arrive at the answers on their own. One girl who
was particularly low already had a morning tutorial scheduled with the Associate Teacher prior to
my arrival. She soon began asking if she and I could do the tutorial together instead. On those
mornings she would bring in homework questions that she had already tried to complete on her
own, or writing that she wanted help improving. There was growth in her confidence and even in
her abilities. There is nothing like the feeling you get when a student who didnt understand feels
comfortable and safe enough to ask you for help and shows improvement.
My second placement was in a grade two/ three spilt class in a local public school. The
demographic of this placement was vastly different from the first. The classroom was much more
culturally and economically diverse the range of academic abilities was very wide given the
spread over two grade levels. In this placement I quickly implemented the importance of
building relationships and knowing your students. I sat with them during nutrition breaks and
they confided in me, we had working snack where we talked about how to improve work,
where I helped to clarify concepts and where the students told me about their personal lives and
academic interests. The latter helped me to understand where my students were coming from

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academically, socially and emotionally and how I could use that information to support the
students learning.
During this placement I used differentiation to engage and encourage all my students. I
utilised the SMARTBoard as often as I could to target visual learners and allow for easy student
engagement. The students all loved coming up to the SMARTBoard to participate, some to show
off, others to play around. Whatever their reason, they were learning. They were showing off
what they knew, or working with their classmates to understand the concepts. Whatever the
subject, the students were completely engaged! Work was assigned as a mixture of independent
activities and group activities. Friendly competition was often a component in group work and
centres due to the competitive nature of the students in the class. In addition to considering
Gardners Multiple Intelligences, lessons were scaffolded upon each other. In each lesson I asked
the students to teach me about the previous lesson I had taught. If we could complete a single
example with ease, we moved onto the next lesson. This allowed students to have a refresher
lesson prior to teaching the new concept. When the new concept was taught, students could
easily connect it to what they already knew because it was right on the board in front of them.
Additionally, in my second placement I was exposed to a variety of needs. This class had
an autistic student who had an educational assistant (EA) with him all day, a student who the
staff agreed was likely on the autism spectrum but whose parents refused to acknowledge the
concern and insisted that he just needed more love, an ENL student and a newly arrived Syrian
refugee. The needs in the class were diverse and the adults and support staff (and there were
many of us) did everything to accommodate as many of them as we could. I was lucky enough to
have the opportunity to work alongside the EA and the autistic student on several occasions. The
EA was recording his routines for the EAs that will be working with him next year. I learned how

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important routine is for him, and it became especially evident on several occasions including
after the March Break, when the EAs switched from the morning to the afternoon and the
afternoon to the morning and when a full-time EA returned after taking a medical leave for the
majority of the school year. All of these changes in his routine resulted in a confused and stressed
young man. His reactions often involved tears and banging his chin on the nearest hard surface.
It was difficult to watch, but I was so impressed by the support staff who were always able to
calm him down with sensory activities, music or, his favourite, the iPad. The suspected autistic
student was harder to accommodate because he could not have an IEP without a doctor being
involved in his case. Instead, my associate teacher and I did what his parents had asked and gave
him more love. Between the two of us on most days there was someone sitting right next to him
for a third of the day. He could not remain on task, nor could he comprehend most concepts
being taught. It was heart-breaking to sit with him and listen as he had no idea what to do, let
alone how to do it. On one occasion when teaching two-digit subtraction I could tell he was
struggling, so much that he couldnt even answer as I broke down it into steps. I decided to see if
he understood the concept of subtraction at all by asking him simple one-digit subtraction
questions, and unfortunately he was unable to answer those either. It was extremely discouraging
to see supportive and caring staff trying so desperately to help, but more love can only get you
so far when it comes to education.
These co-op, volunteer and student teaching experiences exposed me to many different
classrooms with many different approaches to teaching and learning. Some experiences have
been more rewarding than others, some have provided me with more teaching opportunities than
others, but each has giving me instrumental learning opportunities. I believe that part of being an
educator is also being a lifelong learner. I have been able to observe different teaching styles,

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different learning styles, different classroom management techniques and different ways to build
meaningful relationships with the students and the families. Every class and every situation will
be different, but these experiences have given me an arsenal of tools to use to support me as I
begin my teaching career.
Philosophy of Education
As an educator, it is imperative to develop a philosophy toward education that supports
the aims of what I hope to accomplish while teaching my students. These aims are based on my
core beliefs of what education is (socially and academically) for teachers, students and their
parents, combined with my aforementioned experiences as a student and as an educator and on
the influence of educational theorists. It is meant to guide and shape my teaching practice as well
as strengthen the meaningful and lifelong relationships toward learning that I instil in each
student.
The School
The mission of a school should focus on the academic, emotional and social needs and
well-being of the students no matter their diverse interests, abilities and learning styles as well as
economic, cultural, religious and other backgrounds. The ability of a school to be a place for
learning primarily is central to the purpose of the school. The teachers must be receptive to the
needs of the student and be able to diversify lessons in order for students of different abilities to
achieve some knowledge and understanding from them. Personalised education is essential for
students trying to determine their abilities as well as their role within the community because it
helps them to realise their strengths and potential. While teaching to the variety of abilities and
learning styles is the mark of a good teacher, but a good school supports those teachers and
students by providing opportunities for further enrichment in academic interests. Teachers and

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students can work together in academic areas of interests (such as math club, book club, science
club etc.) where students can not only cultivate their awareness of a subject, but also form
appropriate bonds with educators who support their ambitions.
The school must also ensure that every student feels a sense of worth based on what
makes them unique. Cultural and spiritual days, as well as positive reinforcement for good deeds
done at school or within the school community foster a feeling of belonging and acceptance, and
promote further positive behaviours academically and socially. When students feel as though
they are accepted, the school becomes a safe place. Having a safe place is crucial for students
because it allows them to let go of the stresses of life and just learn. When this happens, students
can also begin to do well socially. For many students, hearing that they have done well or that
someone appreciates their effort is not only a great compliment, but also the motivation that an
individual needs in order to keep striving to become better. Emotional well-being is crucial for
all people and having an environment that nurtures it in everyone makes the tasks of learning and
fitting in to a community that much easier.
For some students, school becomes not only the place the go to learn, but also the place
they go to socialise and ultimately develop into members of a community. It is the role of the
school to create a community that students want to be a part of and that they want to represent
and to help students to flourish into members that the community would be proud to have. As
mentioned, one such way that the school can help to create a social community is by having
cultural and religious days where students can share aspects about what makes them unique. It
will help to reinforce the idea that although all the students may come from diverse backgrounds,
that they have come together to create a new, unique and accepting community. The school

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should be a place of tolerance, acceptance and understanding rather than hate, exclusion and
prejudice.
The Curriculum
Curriculum is at the foundation of effective schooling as it guides the teaching practice
by outlining the subjects, topics and objectives that should be taught to student and developed
upon throughout the school year. Curriculum is often reformed to address changes in teaching
practices (ie: the implementation of technologies in the classroom) or changes in the material (ie:
knew information, changing approaches). Curriculum typically is the knowledge and skills
which the students are expected to learn, but also may also include more specific learning
objectives that the students should meet through the process of acquiring the knowledge and
skills (ie: how to successfully use knowledge and skills learned and implement them in
measureable assessments).
Academically, I think that in younger grades emphasis should be placed on language and
communication and practical math skills. Younger students are often more ready and willing to
learn, so I think it is important to teach them the skills that will be most beneficial to them
throughout life. By incorporating life skills with academic lessons, you are setting your students
up with the basics that they will need to contribute to society. There will always be students who
do not see the benefit of sitting in a classroom all day, but even these individuals will find
something of interest when they can understand how to incorporate the lessons into their
everyday life. As students grow and mature, I think it is important to nurture a love for science,
mathematics and technology subjects. The world is moving away from service and professionaltype jobs, and towards a tech market and the curriculum should prepare students for where their
careers will likely take them in the future.

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I think often times the hidden curriculum is just as, if not more important, than the
general education curriculum. Social and Emotional Learning is one common example of hidden
curriculum. It is a process by which students acquire and effectively apply the knowledge,
attitudes and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals,
feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make
responsible decisions (SEL Defined). If social and emotional learning is added to the
classroom routine more often and more effectively then students will be better equipped for
handling their feelings not only within the classroom, but at home and in society. It is a further
example of how what students learn in the classroom prepares them for the roles they will play in
real life and for dealing with the variety of situations that life throws.
Learning
The educational theorist that, thus far, seems to be the most meaningful in developing my
philosophy of education is Lev Semyonovich Vygotsky. Central to Vygotskys theory is that
social interaction is crucial for learning. I believe that the school is an academic setting as much
as a social setting. Students learn from more than just the teacher and they learn subject matter
that is more than just the curriculum. Mental development is directly related to the environment
the student is in when learning and the people that the student is surrounded by. Students learn
what they are exposed to in their culture and from their peers by internalisation of this setting.
Vygotsky proposed that the more knowledgeable other helps to direct and organize a child's
learning before the child can master and internalise it. This person addresses the gap between
current abilities and what they can guide the student to learn by recognising what Vygotsky
termed the zone of proximal development. This means of socialising is the interactive scaffolding
of knowledge as it becomes more complex. As the student understands one concept he is then

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more prepared to learn the next. This learning cannot happen without socialisation with others
who are more familiar with a given subject.
Additionally, using technology in the classroom is an interactive, modern approach to
teaching the same subject matter. Many children know how to work an iPad before they know
how to read, so implementing diverse modes of instruction and activity is simply logical in
catering to the interests and abilities of our students. Interactive and self-correcting learning
games give the students the feeling that they are simply playing when they are in fact learning.
Not only do students use technology to play and learn, but they also use it communicate.
Teachers can create webpages where students and parents can easily find resources, homework,
or safe and confidential means of communication. The ways technology can be implemented in
the classroom are numerous, even endless, and can have a plethora of positive academic
outcomes when appropriately implemented in a way that is accessible to all students.
The Learner
Young children have an open-mindedness and inherent eagerness to learn. During the
primary grades, students are moving from the pre-operational stage and into the concreteoperational stage (Piaget). Children learn in relation to what they already know about the world
and create representations of that understanding. They begin to reason logically and learn
through problems of classification. At this stage, children want to learn more about the world
around them, their minds are sponges and they all want to make the world a better place. As a
teacher, I believe that I am best suited to teaching the academic material in a way that will be
comprehensible and relatable to them. Children cannot comprehend the intricacies of a wetland
biome if they have never been to one, but by first teaching the individual components they can
create a representation of it in their minds. Additionally, this age group still relies heavily on their

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imagination to fill in the gaps between what they know and what they need to know. For this
reason, it is important to continually scaffold what the students are learning to increase their
knowledge of the world and their ability to logically relate to it and classify it.
As students move into the junior grades .
Every student has different interests and abilities. The school is a great place for them to
share these interests and abilities and to become the teacher as well as the student. The students
responsibility is to show up, ready to learn. When they are welcoming of knowledge and open to
learning the process is both enjoyable and easier to facilitate. However, we know that not every
student will come to class ready and willing to learn every day. It is on those days that the
responsibility of the student is to not distract others from their willingness to learn.
Assessment
Assessment is an important aspect of the education process as it provides information
about the effectiveness of instruction and helps to determine what individual students have and
have not learned. Gathering this information allows teachers to plan and adapt instruction to
better meet the students needs while determining what students have and have not learned
allows for teachers to reteach when necessary to the students who need it the most without being
unnecessarily repetitive.
Assessment conducted only after instruction is completed is not useful in improving
instruction because there is no way to judge the progress from beginning to end. However, by
incorporating assessment throughout the learning process and through a combination of
formative and summative assessments the teacher is able to see the progress that a student has
made over the course of the lessons being taught. Diagnostic assessments, such as pre-tests, are
important to determine what the students already know or remember about a given subject. This

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allows teachers to focus on areas where students are lacking or to enrich students when the
majority appear to be excelling. By giving diagnostic assessments prior to beginning a unit of
study, the teacher is best able to judge who will need additional guidance and who will be most
likely to work quickly. Additionally, this allows the teacher to determine where additional time
and effort may need to spent.
Assessment during instruction (formative assessment) can be useful for adapting
instruction to meet the needs of your students while learning is still taking place. It has the
benefit of providing immediate feedback to form effective instruction in order to improve
students performance, while assessments done after instruction (summative assessments) are
used for making final judgments about students learning and summarising overall student
achievements and progress.
Assessments are as much a tool for determining what students have learned (and it is
important that what they have learned is the focus of the assessment, not what they have not) as
it is a tool for evaluating the lessons of the teacher (and how well they are able to adapt to the
needs of the students). These assessments should not be approached in isolation, rather, the
teacher needs to use them to her benefit as she reflects upon her lessons and the process of
teaching and learning.
Classroom Management
The classroom management techniques are as diverse as the students sitting in the
classroom. The techniques used should complement the strengths and teaching style of the
teacher but must also complement the needs of the children. Current popular trends in classroom
management techniques are exclusionary discipline (where students are removed from the
classroom for disruptive and unwelcome behaviours as an example to deter other students from

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repeating such behaviours), positive behaviour interventions and support (which reward
welcomed behaviours and uses disruptive behaviours as an experience to learn from), and
restorative justice (which aims at restoring relationships that are tarnished through unwelcome
behaviours and involves offenders and victims in the process of healing and making amends).
There is no single classroom management technique that works in every situation. I think that
implementing a combination of positive behaviour interventions, restorative justice and
exclusionary discipline can have the greatest effect on the school community as a whole. PBIS
reinforces the positive behaviours that we expect from students within the classroom and in
society. For students who connect behaviours with rewards this is the best way to promote the
continued positive growth. When PBIS fails, restorative justice triggers empathy in the offender
by facilitating cooperation and understanding between the victim and the offender. In extreme
cases, when undesirable behaviours persist, exclusionary discipline is a classroom management
method that deters others by removing negative influences from the school community. The three
work together to deter undesirable behaviours and to find resolution when they do occur.
The Teacher
While I think it is important for all teachers to have a Masters Degree in education and
thorough background knowledge in whatever subject(s) they are teaching, I believe that it is
more important for teachers to strive to be life-long learners throughout their teaching careers.
Being a life-long learner prepares teachers for changes in education ranging from theory, to
technology. Setting the example of life-long learning also sets your students up for success by
demonstrating how everything can be a potential learning opportunity. Life-long learning is, I
think, the most important aspect of having a growth mindset. Professional development seminars
and lectures keep teachers up-to-date on changing technologies, exhibit new teaching techniques,

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and share the results of classroom action research, from which the teacher may be able to garner
helpful tips in her own classroom. By being a life-long learner herself, the teacher can promote
this ideal within her students and encourage them to find a love of learning and cultivate it
throughout their lives, wherever they may be.
Teachers must work collaboratively with each other, operating on each others strengths
and empowering each other through their weaknesses, to get the lesson across most effectively to
the students (whether it is an academic lesson or a social one). Teachers should be supportive of
their students emotions and ambitions, never making them feel as though they are alone whether
by listening or by advising. Teachers should be honest, reliable and good role models. They
should be someone that the students (and sometimes more importantly, the parents of the
students) respect in the community. Teachers should promote a safe and inclusive environment
and enrich the lives of their students through academics, culture and a love of life and
community.
The roles of a teacher are multifaceted. She is the instructor, the therapist, the mediator,
the tech guru, the communicator, the compromiser, the mentor. But I think most importantly, she
is a catalyst for change. She changes the mind of her students. She changes the opinions of her
students. And if she does it all right, she changes the world, through her students.
Conclusion
This section of my portfolio has aimed at giving a thorough introduction of myself by
outlining my educational and work related experiences. I have talked about the individuals who
have taught me over the years and encouraged me to always work hard and follow my dreams.
These same individuals have supported me emotionally and academically. I have shared my
related work experiences as they pertain to education. My many years of working with children

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and tutoring are no substitute for actual classroom teaching experiences, but have set me up with
tips for supporting different learners. Being able to volunteer, observe and finally student teach in
a variety of classroom settings through different school boards, in different grade levels and with
teachers with different teaching and management styles has also helped me to determine where
my personal strengths, weaknesses and teaching and management style may lie. I have linked
these experiences to different educational theories ranging from Howard Gardners Multiple
Intelligences to Lev Vygotskys Social Development Theory to Carol Dwecks Growth Mindset.
In my opinion, no education theory is ever meant to be used in isolation and instead are meant to
complement each other, the educator and the student as they are used.
This section has highlighted the variety of ways that I use knowledge of my students
strengths, weaknesses and needs to direct planning of individual lessons and units, and how
during instruction I continue to address these needs and the unique situations presented each day.
I speak of the importance of using assessment not just to gage how much a student has learned
(definitely not to see what the student has not learned), but to guide my own reflection.
Reflection is crucial toward continued planning and instruction as it gives the teacher the
opportunity to look at the lesson or unit holistically, to judge what does and what does not work
and to guide future lessons based on these findings.
Engagement with the students, the community and meaningfully with the curriculum is
important to teaching effectively and building relationships. These relationships are crucial
because students who are accepted and who fell safe are more likely to think about learning
rather than whatever other concerns there may be in their life. Once this relationship is built,
allowing for the student to engage in their learning given real life experiences or examples is
often the best way for the students to learn, often without even realising it.

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Professional development is important for ensuring that the teacher is always up-to-date
with the latest trends and theories in education. Whether the development is in regards to
accommodating and supporting specific students within your class or school community or more
general knowledge about curriculum resources, pedagogy and theory there is always something
new in education that one can use to support their teaching style. It is important for teachers, I
think, to be up-to-date and have a working knowledge of changing approaches whenever
possible because you never know when you may need to implement something new to support
your students. Technology is one of the areas where our students are most interested and as
educators we need to be able to implement technology into the teaching and learning process.
Students are engaged and interested when they are using technology, demonstrating and showing
off for their classmates and using it to further support what they have learned or want to learn.
My philosophy of education is based on the culmination of these experiences combined
with my own personal and professional disposition. Each person is a product of their
experiences. The experiences spoken of in detail above are in many cases the experiences
outlined on my rsum. My experiences have not all been good, but even negative experiences
are opportunities to learn. I have grown as an individual and as an educator for the better part of
the last decade, yet not as much as within the last 2 years. My professional dispositions, the
attitudes I have toward my profession, my students and the members of my community are what
have guided me in making the best choices for my career. Since finishing my undergraduate
degree and beginning the Masters of Science of Elementary Education for Canadian Teachers at
Medaille College I have never wavered in my dedication to teaching and learning, and well,
learning about teaching. I have matured as an individual in this time as much as anything. I have
clear goals, ambitions and determination to look any challenge head on and overcome it!