Section Two: Teacher Candidate Background Experiences

Introduction

A lot of the experiences in my life have led me to pursue a career as an educator. Upon

reflection, I think almost unknowingly at first, it started very early on in my life as the oldest of

four siblings. I very quickly took on a teacher role for my siblings. I would make them sit on the

floor in front of me as I taught them what I had learned in school that day or read a book out loud

to them before bed. As time went on, I continued to help with homework and extra-curricular

activities. Especially as I got older, I never really complained about having to do these things

because I enjoyed it so much. Being eight years older than my youngest brother, I enjoyed

watching him have that “aha!” moment when he finally understood a math problem, writing

prompt, or anything else related to his homework. As I continued to gain experience working

with children, and as I watched other educators that inspired me, I resolved that teaching was my

passion, and what I wanted to make a career out of.

This section will present the most valuable experiences and learning opportunities that

fostered my pursuit of being a teacher. These experiences will be based on other educators who

have influenced me, as well as the learning opportunities from my educational background, work

experiences, and school observations. Lastly, this section will end with my educational resume

and concluding points.

Teacher Candidate Educational Background

There are several people and experiences from my time in high school through to my

post-secondary education that have impacted me most in my childhood and later periods which

motivated me towards becoming a school teacher. My first experience with a person who
motivated me to become a teacher was my grade eight teacher. For purposes of professional

dispositions and confidentiality, this teacher's name will be Mrs. O. Mrs. O first sparked my love

of literature, but also showed me kindness and a real interest in my future. When it came time to

think about what high school I wanted to go to, Mrs. O encouraged me to challenge myself and

apply for a higher-level academic program called the International Baccalaureate (IB) program at

a school out of my district. She thought I needed a challenge and thought this program would

provide me with just that. She helped me with the application and with the entrance essay I had

to write to get into the program. Her actions and interest taught me that teaching is not just about

the province or state-mandated content we are required to teach our students. But that teaching is

also about our students as individual persons, their strengths and interests, and challenging them

to be the best version of themselves. Mrs. O motivated me to be a teacher and supporter for

another student, the way she was for me.

My academic background primarily consists of the study of law and English literature,

and further reinforced my desire to be a teacher. While those two subject focuses for a Bachelor

of Arts may not seem to be directly connected with teaching, it was the opportunities to present

to and teach my peers that I enjoyed the most, thus, reinforcing my love of teaching others. The

requirements for a lot of my classes, especially in English literature, were to read books and

present to the class our findings of theme, setting, characterization, or other aspects of literature.

Researching, preparing, and finally presenting information to share with my peers was always

the most enjoyable and gratifying part of my education. I especially enjoyed when something I

said or presented prompted questions from other students because it meant I was able to get them

to think more deeply about a concept or idea. This experience has shaped some of the goals I

have as a future educator. I hope to present content in such a way that it sparks further interest
and gets them to ask questions that pull them deeper into learning new content, and to encourage

students to take ownership of their learning. Also, one of the courses I took as an elective course

towards my focus of English Literature was a Children's Literature course. This experience was

three-fold; it first opened my eyes to the depth of knowledge and content found in many different

children’s books, as well as how to look for said content. Furthermore, it helped me learn more

about what kinds of children’s literature books to choose, and why. And lastly, it provided me

with many resources, concepts, and materials I can use in my future classrooms. I, therefore,

have access to many resources that I can use based on my student’s specific interests and needs

in the classroom.

Overall, my academic background taught me the importance of taking time to invest in

people as an educator, as well as higher-order thinking and research skills. It allowed me to

practice speaking in front of people and provided me with confidence in sharing content with my

peers, and students. I can take these experiences gained from my educational background and

apply them to my classroom one day. Being able to apply these experiences will also always

serve as a reminder of some of the reasons I wanted to become an educator in the first place.

Work Experiences

John C. Maxwell wrote, "Students don't care how much you know until they know how

much you care." This became evident to me during my time working at a summer camp for

youth called Camp-Mini-Yo-for 6 years. This job provided me with experience working with

youth outside of the traditional school setting, however, it helped learn so much about youth and

how they respond to adults and people they trust in different situations. While I did not teach

school-specific content, I did teach them concepts about the outdoors and teach them skills for

different outdoor activities. I noticed that the better I got to know the youth, and the better they
got to know me, the more they responded to questions and the more they showed an interest in

their task at hand. This work experience helped emphasize the importance of relationship

building and how that can make instruction more effective and have a significant impact on

student learning. This job provided me with experience working with many different children of

all ages, and from different backgrounds, and families. This experience showed me that getting

to know our students and caring for them, impacts how we teach as well. Knowing our students

means we can adjust our instruction to better suit their needs. Being exposed to so many different

children during my time instructing them at camp, allowed me to practice adjusting my

instruction based on what I knew about the youth, and what I knew about how each one learned

best. This pertains to Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences where he says students

learn in different ways and we need to accommodate that as educators (Gardner 2008). Some

may be more visual, while another auditory, or kinesthetic and we should have multiple methods

of instruction for that reason. My time working at this summer camp enabled me to practice

preparing multiple methods of instruction that I can apply to my lesson plans as a teacher.

Perhaps some of the most impactful experiences I have gained are from my time as a

volunteer teaching assistant in grade one and two split classes for the Upper Grand District

School Board. I assisted a teacher in her classroom particularly in math subjects and during her

art lessons. The teacher I assisted provided an amazing example of classroom management,

getting students to think critically, and getting students excited about math. For example, this

teacher used a classroom management strategy that also taught the students about the idea of

delayed gratification. She had a very large jar of marbles at the back of the class, as well as a

bowl for every student with their name on it. When they exemplified good behavior or performed

well on something, they could go get a marble and put it in their bowl. However, when they
showed inappropriate behavior or were disruptive to the class, they had to take a marble out of

their bowl and put in back in the jar. This system motivated students to want to do good work

and behave appropriately to receive more marbles. Also, the collection of a certain amount of

marbles led to different rewards. The more marbles they had, the bigger the reward. This,

therefore, taught them the concept of delayed gratification because they would often decide to

wait longer to collect more marbles to receive a bigger, more valuable reward in the end. This

simple strategy is something I will use in my classroom one day and have seen first-hand that it

is very effective. Through my time working with this teacher, I learned about the formative and

summative assessments she used for different subjects, as well as the way she approached

answering student's questions. She often redirected the question to the entire class to see if other

students could think of an answer to the question, or a solution to the problem for their

classmates. During my time working with that teacher, I also gained experience working with

students of different learning needs. I worked with a student with autism and a student who was

an English language learner. I learned about accommodations made during instruction and in

worksheets and activities to help these students.

Both of these work experiences taught me so much about the importance of knowing my

students, having effective classroom management strategies, and working with students of

varying needs and learning abilities. These work experiences have greatly influenced my values

and practices as a teacher candidate and future educator.

School Observations

In addition to the experience I have gained from working with the Upper Grand District

School Board, I learned a lot from the teachers I was able to observe during my field placements

in the first and second semesters of my program at Medaille College. This next sub-section
explains in detail some of the very rewarding experiences I have gained through my interaction

with teachers and students during my two field placements. Furthermore, I will explain how

these experiences add to the improvement of my classroom teaching and learning, and how I will

employ the outcomes of these experiences into my classroom instruction.

During my first field placement at a school in Williamsville Central School District, I

was able to observe the teacher and students while she was teaching a literacy lesson in a grade 4

classroom. Specifically, they were reading a chapter book together and learning about what it

means to be a good reader. I also learned and got to practice listening to students read aloud to

listen for fluency and then ask questions for comprehension. From observing the teacher and

receiving guidance from her when practicing one-on-one with students myself, I was able to

learn to look for visual clues of a child's reading progress, as well as learn about effective

questions to test for reading comprehension. I also learned and received tips for a checklist the

teacher created to keep track of which students she had seen that week and how to track their

progress or mark things they could work on. It was enlightening to see this type of formative

assessment and how she used it to direct her instruction for the next day’s literacy lesson. I also

learned a lot more about SMART Board technology as this teacher used it frequently for her

math lessons. She was able to draw on the smart board to show them different ways to solve a

math problem, and she got the student’s excited about participating because they loved coming

up to the front of the class to write on the SMART BOARD.

I was also able to observe different classroom management strategies and classroom

procedures the teacher had in place for her class. For example, she kept sharpened pencils at the

back of the class that students could go grab instead of disrupting the class by sharpening his or

her pencil during a lesson. She also had a bathroom policy in place where students would sign in
and out to go to the bathroom. When a student was distracted or being disruptive, she would

place her hand on their desk or take away the distraction without having to stop what she was

saying during her lesson. I learned that this was a way of managing behavior without having to

completely stop a lesson or activity. In addition, I learned about several morning procedures the

teacher had in place so that the students knew exactly what to do when they came to class in the

morning. Through conversation with the teacher, she told me that she found that having

procedures set up at the beginning of the school year that her students would practice in the first

couple of weeks of school, helped in preventing behavior problems and helped with overall

classroom management.

During my second field placement at a school in the Buffalo Public Schools District, I

observed and practiced strategies when teaching students with IEP's or who were absent

frequently and behind in learning content. Through observing the teacher, I learned about a lot of

different accommodations that can be used for a student with an IEP. I also had the opportunity

to work on activities and worksheets with students who had fallen behind due to being absent for

some of the school year. This emphasized to me the importance of keeping track of all student's

needs and using formative assessments and activating background knowledge to see where each

student is at with their learning, and then how to adjust a lesson accordingly. Perhaps the greatest

thing I took away from my observations in this grade 3 classroom was how the teacher

incorporated different cultures and diversities into almost all of her lessons. The classroom was

made up of students from all different backgrounds and the teacher made sure to be inclusive in

her lessons through the use of the examples in her lessons, as well as the books she used for her

literacy lessons. This was a great learning experience for me to ensure that I am including

diverse content when developing lesson plans and activities for my students one day.
Classroom Application

What all of these experiences have taught me is that I need to invest time in

understanding my student’s personalities, learning styles, and learning needs. This is important

as it pertains to teaching lessons as well as when assessing students. Educational theorist Robert

Marzano writes about the importance of differentiating assessments for students based on their

learning development (Marzano, 2006). He also writes about the importance of frequently

assessing students to be able to adjust lessons accordingly.

I have also learned about the importance of classroom management and setting

procedures in place for students at the beginning of the school year. Harry Wong writes about the

characteristics of a well-managed classroom. Some of these include the following: “students

know what is expected of them and are generally successful. There is relatively little wasted

time, confusion, or disruption. The climate of the classroom is work-oriented but relaxed and

pleasant” (Wong, p. 1). All of these characteristics work together in a classroom when there are

procedures set in place for students when it comes time to bathroom procedures or what students

should do when they are finished their work. Harry Wong also emphasizes that "classroom

management has nothing to do with discipline… the behavior will rarely become a problem

when effective teaching is already taking place. On the first day of school, you can begin

teaching the procedures and routines you will use” (Wong, p. 2). I noticed not only the

importance of creating procedures within the first few weeks of class, but also the importance of

modeling and practicing these expectations with students so that there is a mutual understanding

of what is expected in the classroom. This develops a rapport with students and sets an example

for them in and out of the classroom environment. It would be unrealistic to expect students to
act appropriately if their teacher was not exhibiting those behaviors themselves. In setting

routines and procedures in place as well as modeling, educators realize the responsibility in not

only teaching students academic skills but also social and emotional skills.

Another way my experiences in the school observations I mentioned above have

informed my teaching practices is that effective classroom management creates a safe learning

environment for students. Learning starts with the learner, but the learner needs to feel safe first

and foremost for any learning to happen at all. Classroom management strategies like the ones I

have observed during my field placements will help students feel safe and confident in their

school environment, which will promote student learning and development.

Philosophy of Education

My philosophy of education has been heavily influenced by the experiences I have had

and the theorists and theories I have mentioned in section one of this portfolio. It is further based

on my personal beliefs and perspectives about the various aspects of education. My philosophy

of education will include my perspectives about curriculum, methodology, and theory that is

supported by my observations and evidence-based practices about the teacher, learning,

assessment, and classroom management.

The School

To begin, I believe that all children are unique and that they must have a safe, and

stimulating educational environment where they can grow mentally, emotionally, and socially. It

is my aspiration as an educator to provide students with this type of environment to help students

reach their full potential. I further desire to create a learning environment that will assist my

students to accept themselves for who they are and accept the differences of others and assist

them to express themselves in their learning, and with their classmates. Pragmatism asserts that
“to achieve the educational goal of growth, schools should not be just academic institutions; they

are social institutions to prepare students for democratic living” (Tan, p. 26).

The Curriculum

My approach to the curriculum will be with the student’s in mind; relevant to student’s

needs and interests, inter-disciplinary and integrated subjects and lessons rather than subjects

being strictly divided (Tan, p. 26). Following the philosophies of Pragmatism; “a philosophy

that emphasizes that children develop and learn as they explore and interact with their

environment,” (Gutek, Levine, Ornstein, & Vocke, p. 172) I believe curriculum content should

be derived from student’s interests and highly inter-disciplinary. The curriculum should be built

and focused on using “educational institutions as laboratories to test what and how we teach to

determine if it leads to the learner’s understanding and growth” (Gutek, Levine, Ornstein, &

Vocke, p. 172).

Learning

The nature of learning starts with the learner, and therefore, students need to be the

central focus. Instruction for student learning should be constantly adapted for student growth

and understanding. The Constructivism Learning Theory developed by Jerome Bruner (1961),

and later Vygotsky (1962), and Piaget (1980) is an “approach to learning based on the premise

that cognition (learning) is the result of mental construction... and those learning outcomes

should focus on the knowledge construction process and that learning goals should be

determined from authentic tasks with specific objectives" (Bada, p. 66). Students should be

allowed to construct their own understanding, and their learning should be hands-on, and active

instead of passive. Teachers need to take a step back to focus on the process of learning students
go through instruct of just the final product of learning. Similarly, learning should be

collaborative so that students can work together and learn from each other.

The Learner

To keep the learner in mind, it is also important to discuss how teachers can support their

students and the different ways in which their students may learn. Howard Gardner (2008) and

his Theory of Multiple Intelligences state that there are many ways in which individuals learn:

musical, bodily (kinesthetic), logical (mathematical), linguistic, spatial, interpersonal, and

intrapersonal (Gardner p.8-16). As teachers, we need to be aware of the different ways in which

our students may learn, and use this to inform our instruction, lessons, and activities. Being

aware of how students learn can ensure that we are educating all students fairly and equitably.

Assessments

Assessments are necessary for the learning process because they track students' progress

and inform the teacher of what a student has learned, as well as what a student may need to

improve on, or need more time with certain content. It is tangible evidence of a student

practicing what they are learning and ensuring lessons are effective. Assessments can show

patterns of student learning and show whether the whole class struggled on a concept and the

teacher may need to re-teach a lesson, or maybe it is a few students who struggling and would,

therefore, benefit from a mini-lesson or one on one time with a teacher or educational assistant.

Theorist Robert Marzano (2011) suggests that it is important to provide many different forms of

assessments and to provide assessments frequently. Marzano (2011) pointedly reinforces the

importance of formative assessments and giving effective feedback. Giving student feedback is

important and useful because it can be given formally or informally in one on one setting or in

groups (Marzano 2011). Marzano writes that feedback is vital because it is useful in informing
the teacher, the student, and parents to enhance learning as much as possible (Marzano, 2011).

When thinking about assessments to track student progress it is also important to think about

adjusting assessments for different student’s learning needs. If a student has a learning disability

or struggles more in a particular area it is important to set him or her up for success in the

completion of assessments by adjusting the assessments to fit their needs.

Classroom Management

Classroom management is an essential skill for all teachers to continually develop

because it has a significant effect on the learning environment and student achievement.

Classroom management is to be handled in several different ways to enhance student learning

and growth. Building rapport with students is an important aspect of classroom management to

have a strong relationship built on trust and open communication. Setting procedures and

routines in place early on in the school year and practicing these procedures can set up the

teacher and the students for success. Educational Theorist Harry Wong (2007) emphasizes that

classroom management is not about discipline but effective routines and procedures. Classroom

rules and procedures will be posted around the classroom so that the whole class can see them.

Additionally, I think it is important to discuss rules and procedures for the school year together

as a class, instead of the teacher just dictating the rules and procedures to be followed. This way

the students can also take ownership of classroom management and be held accountable for the

rules and procedures they helped to create for the year. Chaos typically ensues when students are

bored or unsure of what to do next. Therefore, there will be procedures made for when students

are done their work, or for transitions between subject-specific lessons, bathroom and water

needs, and independent reading time or any free time. It is also just as important for me, as the

teacher, to model and practice these classroom management strategies with my students. Setting
a good example and showing students what is expected is an important step in classroom

management.

The Teacher

An important aspect of being a teacher is understanding the gravity of the responsibility

we have to our students. Teachers should model both academic and social behaviors expected of

students. Knowing how to effectively communicate with students will build them up and help

them to be the best learners they can be. A professional educator should constantly encourage

students and find effective means of providing feedback that helps students recognize their errors

and reach the goals they set. Teachers should not only just teach content and expect students to

regurgitate that content but should allow students to explore and discover learning in experiential

ways in and out of the classroom. Lastly, teachers should be willing to communicate with parents

and guardians to get to know their student’s better and to work together to give the best

education to their students.

Teachers should also be properly educated in the field, including an undergraduate

degree, MSED and Teacher Certification. Through my courses so far, I have learned what it

means to be a caring educator and have developed my teaching practices based on the theories,

philosophies and practices I have observed so far.

Resume

My resume, that follows, will include several of the observations and experiences

discussed in this section thus far. This resume also includes additional experiences and

employment information, which apply to my teaching qualifications.

 Sierra Ducharme
996 Paisley Rd, Apt. 218, Guelph ON, N1K 0C4
647-920-2418
scd69@medaille.edu

CERTIFICATION:
 Seeking New York State & Ontario Initial Certification in Childhood Education, Grades 1 –
6

EDUCATION:
 Masters of Science in Education, anticipated December 2020, Medaille College, Buffalo,
New York
Current GPA: 3.92
 Bachelor of Arts in Law, Minor in English, Laurentian University, Sudbury ON,
Graduated with Honors June 2018

RELATED EXPERIENCE:
Pre-Student Teaching Experience: Hamlin Park Elementary School, January 2020 - Present
 Assist with the implementation of academic and recreational activities
 Assist students with assignments and group work
 Assist in marking student’s math and literacy worksheets
 Tutor small groups in math and reading according to homogeneous student grouping by
the teacher

Pre-Student Teaching Experience: Maple West Elementary School, September 2019 – Nov
2020
 Assisted in teaching a small group a literacy lesson
 Assisted students with group work and literacy worksheets
 Assisted with taking anecdotal notes while students would read out loud

Teaching Assistant: Guelph Community Christian School, September 2018 - December 2020
 Assisted teacher in a grade 2/3 split classroom
 Led math activities with small groups of grade 2 students
 Assist in marking student’s math and literacy worksheets

Assistant Director of Youth Program: Camp Mini-Yo-We, May 2015 – August 2017
 Created and implemented activities and programming for 70 youth ages 14-16
 Led a team of 6-8 small group leaders responsible for youth
 Led a training seminar to prepare youth for a 4-day canoe trip
TRAINING:
 Dignity for All Students Certificate, December 2020
 Child Abuse/Project SAVE Certificate, December 2020

TECHNOLOGY:
 SMART Board, Classroom Response Systems (“clickers”), Widgets

HONORS/AWARDS:
 Medaille College Dean’s List 2019

EMPLOYMENT:
 Server, The Works Restaurant, November 2019 - Present
 Shift Supervisor, Starbucks Coffee Company, January 2017 - November 2019

VOLUNTEER:
 Big Brothers & Big Sisters Program, September 2019 – Present

Conclusion

It is a rewarding experience to reflect on and write about one's educational journey.

Section Two of this portfolio demonstrated my educational background, experience, work, and

school observations that provide evidence of the time and work I have put into becoming an

educator. From there, these background experiences then applied to how I would use them for

classroom application, and as elements and influences of the development of my philosophy of

education. Lastly, this section concluded with my resume, as a summation of the skills and

experiences I possess that are relevant to the field of education.

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