ECS 101 Autobiographical Paper

       As I was growing up I was always convinced I was going to be a nurse. I sometimes thought of being a teacher but I was intrigued by how nurses cared so much for their patients and did everything to help them. Throughout some of my life experiences like working with kids, going to a community school, and meeting a life-changing teacher, it made me realize that teachers care and help people just like nurses but in a different way.

       These experiences helped me realize that being a teacher was just what I wanted and made me start to develop my teacher identity. I have always loved working with kids. As soon as I was old enough I started to babysit anytime I could. I loved being the leader and loved being admired by kids as their role model. I love how kids are so optimistic and honest. Kids are usually always excited about school so as a teacher I would love to make it fun for them and a memory to keep. As a teacher, I want to be remembered. I want to make a difference in children’s lives. The active part of working with kids was something I also loved. Kids always kept me moving no matter what. Since I loved the active part a lot, I assisted a grade three to grade five pom team with two teachers. I loved it! It was so fun to teach them dance choreography and work with them to improve their technique. After I assisted that team, I started working at the World Waterpark. After about two years of working there, they started a swim club. I was so excited because I had all my certifications and I knew I wanted to teach swimming lessons. I got two preschool swim classes. It was so fun to teach and create with games to play with the kids. I think since working with kids I have become more creative and excited to be a role model. Kids make me want to be a better version of myself to be the best role model I can be. I think as a teacher I would be a great leader and very fun.

      When I was in elementary school, I attended a community school. Growing up, I was not as fortunate as some kids. My parents did not have a lot of money so it was tough at times. At the community school, we got free snacks, free lunch, and free field trips. I admire this school and how they helped the less fortunate. This school made me feel included and that I was cared for. I think this experience had made me want to make changes within some school systems and help kids who are not as fortunate as others. As a teacher, I want to focus on being fair and including everyone. I never would want to make a kid feel like he wasn’t good enough because he could not afford lunch or field trips like the other kids. I want to teach kids how to be fair and how to treat others as their equal. We are all human beings. I want to make every child know that they matter. I also think that moving and going to a school that was not a community school made me realize how much schools can cost. I had fees for all of my option classes, field trips, and lunches, snacks and bussing to school. Going to a community school made me thankful to have had the perspective of going to that school to see how nice it was and not only for me but it made my parents less stressed about paying for my school.

      During all my years of going to school, I have had a lot of teachers but one has always stuck with me. Her name was Mrs. G, she was my English 30 teacher. My English 30 class was a girlhood class so we focused on feminism/sexism in literature and we read only female authors. She enlightened me on these topics and made me much more aware of sexism and feminism. All of the literature she shared with us was so powerful and meaningful. The literature she taught us made me think differently. Men and women are equal and should be treated that way. She enlightened me on many issues in the world with how women were not being treated as equals to men. She taught me how to properly write an essay and she made me confident in my writing. She also gave me confidence speaking on feminism. When I become a teacher I want to also enlighten kids on feminism and sexism on lighter topics. I want to teach kids how to treat each other equally and to include everyone. When Mrs. G marked my writing; she didn’t say that it was just bad or good. She marked and then gave you two stars and a wish. The stars were things that you did good on and a wish would be something you needed to work on for your next writing piece. She also always took the time to help you with improving your writing. She would have one on one with any student that wanted help.

      In conclusion, I think these three experiences have opened my eyes to the greatness of teaching. They have also been critical to me in starting to emerge into the teacher I want to become. I think these experiences have helped me grow as a person and as a teacher candidate. I am so excited to start this journey to becoming a teacher. I am thankful I can look back on these experiences to remind myself why I am becoming a teacher.