1. Running head: AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY<br />Autobiographical Essay<br />Name<br />Professor John Hughes<br />EDU 201 Foundations of Education<br />Online Section: Spring, 2009<br />Autobiographical Essay<br />Growing up, some of my teachers were really amazing, and I wish I could say as much for the rest. Some just seemed to know what they were doing, while others cared more about themselves than their students. This made me want to be a teacher and started paving the path of my education career. In addition to my educational experiences, my work history, the service and extracurricular activities, my reasons for choosing education as a career, and my professional goals are laying down the asphalt for my teaching path.<br />Educational Background<br />I attended all of my elementary and secondary schooling in Soda Springs, Idaho. I started pre-school when I was three-years-old at Mrs. Burnham’s Pre-school. After one more year there, I started kindergarten at Thirkill Elementary where I also attended first and second grade. Third grade through sixth grade I went to Hooper Elementary, and I finished seventh and eighth grade at Tigert Middle School. Ninth through twelfth grade, I attended Soda Springs High School. Right after graduation, I went to Idaho State University for one year. I took three semesters off to get married and start my family. Now I am back in school at the College of Southern Idaho where my current level of education is a college sophomore. <br />I have taken many classes that have contributed to my overall educational experience such as computer classes that have made me technologically inclined, speech where I learned good communication skills, and peer-tutoring where I got my first feel for teaching. In my educational experiences, I have learned to work well with different personality types as well as people from different cultures. I have experienced different methods of teaching that I can apply as a teacher such as working in groups, working indoors and outdoors, and doing large class projects that involve hand-skills. In my education, I have learned good communication skills that will be essential to me as a teacher so I can communicate with students, parents, administration, and the community.<br />Work History<br />When I was in third grade, my parents bought a sno-shack where I was employed during the summer for four years. It was there that I learned responsibility and the value of a dollar at an early age. When I was fifteen, I started working at A&W/Taco Time. I hated it. It gave me the incentive to go to college and get a degree so that I wouldn’t have to work at a place like that for the rest of my life. During my senior year, I worked at the hometown grocery store. It was like the community “watering hole.” I learned first hand the advantages of being involved and having an identity in the community. Currently, I am teaching at En Pointe Ballet and Jazz Academy where I am beginning to learn teaching methods and learning to master the art of patience.<br />All of these experiences have contributed to my development as a professional educator. I have learned the value of hard work, which I can apply to my teaching career as well as teach the students the importance of hard work and a job well done. I have learned the magnitude of education and its importance and will be able to convey that to my students. Since I have a genuine love for education, they will feel that, and it is my hope that it will inspire them. Through my work experiences, I have come to realize that everyone is different and that each person is completely entitled to his or her individuality.<br />Service and/or Extracurricular Activities<br />In my hometown, we have a huge community fundraiser called “Stone Soup” where the community gets together and has dinner and a show. Soup is provided by the local grocery stores and the dance studio in town and the school choir provides the entertainment. The money that is raised that evening goes to the school to help pay for students who want to participate in extracurricular activities but don’t have the means to. As a young child, I performed, and as I got older, I was a server and took tickets. I was also part of food and blanket drives. I donated to these as well as made posters and delivered them. Service was a large part of my adolescence and has shaped my life for the better. <br />I was really involved in service learning during my schooling. While I was at Hooper Elementary, I was part of an amazing music program, which I am partial to because my mom was the teacher. This program taught character development. From a young age I was taught values and self-esteem which established the foundation of who I am today. In high school, I was involved in cross-country, dance team, basketball, track, Business Professionals of America (BPA), and National Honors Society. In cross-country, I learned endurance which I have been able to apply in all aspects of my life. Dance has taught me teamwork, unity, and because I was a captain my senior year, leadership. I learned computer skills and professionalism in BPA.<br />Reasons for Choosing Education as a Career<br />I’ve thought about being a teaching since I was a child. My mom was a teacher, and she inspired me. Although I always considered teaching, I also considered many other professions like cosmetology, accounting, marketing, office technology, communications, and even not pursuing a profession. I decided to be a teacher because I’d like to make a difference in children’s lives. I also think that it is a good family job because I’ll be in school while my kids are in school and I will have the summer to spend with them and go on vacation. I also enjoy being proactive in the community. <br />One of the greatest rewards in teaching is making a difference in the community and in individual lives. It will be a rewarding career because I will develop the trust of students, and hopefully, I will be a part of their lives long after they have left my classroom. It also offers a pretty good job security, as long as the economy is good, as well as great benefits like summers off. Although the pay could be better, I anticipate that the intangible rewards I will get will make up for the tangible ones.<br />Professional Goals<br />One of my long-term professional goals is to create a successful learning environment. To accomplish this I will use different methods of teaching that will allow students to use all the different areas of their mind. Another one of my long-term goals is to establish a respectable identity in the school. I will accomplish this as I give respect to students, parents, and other teachers, and in return I will expect respect.<br />Teaching students to understand concepts and not just memorize them is one of my short-term goals. To do this, I will ask application and critical thinking questions that initiate cognitive thinking skills. Another one of my short-term goals is to get students actively involved both inside and outside of the classroom. I will do this by having an authoritative classroom and applying Howard Gardener’s Multiple Intelligences Theory. I will also incorporate all clubs and events so students are aware of all of their options, not just sports.<br />In conclusion, I think that my experiences will contribute to my professionalism and understanding as a future educator. Although I haven’t come to an absolute conclusion yet about why the educators in my life were so different, I have begun to realize that it was their experience that determined how they taught. I know that my educational and work histories, the service and extracurricular activities, my reasons for choosing education as a career, and my professional goals will help shape who I will be as an educator in the community.<br />