Autobiographical Paper
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Teaching is Fulfilling
Life is meant to be lived with goals and dreams that you will do anything to achieve. I am a huge believer in living life to the fullest and following your passions. One of the biggest goals in life is to invest in a career centering around helping others and giving back to my community. As a leader within my community I situate myself in Treaty 4 and acknowledge the traditional lands of the Cree, Ojibwe, Saulteaux, Dakota, Nakota, Lakota. I consciously pursue teaching knowing it is a professional landscape where I can positively transfer ethical leadership, provide connection, and help others with new learning. Pursuing teaching seems to be the choice that I can do what I love most, which is to help others!
While conversing with my cousin a few years ago, in June 2019, she asked me what I wanted to do after graduating from high school. With confidence, I said these five words. “I want to help people.” She said, “Yes, I could have guessed that you want a career in that field.” Next, my younger cousin Domenic walked into the room. It is important to note that Domenic has always been a soft-spoken kid. My cousin stated that Domenic had recently spent time with a speech and language pathologist supporting him at school.” From that moment forward I made efforts to better understand the incredible impact that individual educators and specialized programming within our schools can have on contemporary learners. It was at that moment that my path to become a teacher was illuminated, reminding me that all children deserve to be supported, and have every opportunity to learn. This memory was the first stepping stone paving the way toward my professional and educational pursuits today.
While attending primary and secondary school my teachers were never just teachers, they were the people who helped me grow into the person I am today and taught me valuable things that supported my own learning and leadership. Most importantly, my teachers were leaders themselves; they were, and remain to be, the type of people who promoted transparency. In this way, I felt that I could always be open and honest around my teachers, honest in a way where I could tell each of them about real struggles in my life, personal or educational. On one occasion I can recall having an extremely emotionally distracting day at school. While my teacher Ms. Benoit discussed our new assignment, which was to write about a moment in our lives that has shaped who we will become, I can remember feeling frightened to write about a ‘less than perfect’ life experience; however, I understood while exploring this paper that my teacher would accept my transparency, my honesty, and support me through any of my struggles. As my secondary studies continued, my relationship with teachers strengthened. My relationship with Ms. Benoit helped me to know that as an educator in training I too could become a healthy leader for my students so they have someone to talk to about their worries, stressors or when they are in need of a smile. Having this bond formed my second stepping stone, leading me to pursue post secondary studies, as it reminded me that I have the capacity to be there for all my students while they navigate challenging times that will undoubtedly shape who they will become.
In my formative years I volunteered at my church every Wednesday, working with children, ages 5-14. My love for expressive arts positioned me to work in the craft room and help out wherever needed. I have always felt drawn to work with young children as I feel inspired by their imaginations, creativity, and energy. During this time I can recall helping out a boy named Broden. Broden always liked craft time and getting his hands messy, especially with glue. Although he did often struggle with following directions, I always understood what Broden was saying or feeling beneath his frustration, stammer, or slurred use of speech. As time has passed Broden has developed and become a much more calm and open young person. Helping Broden was my third stepping stone leading me to a career in teaching because of it’s undeniable connection to my heart and passion to become a strong teacher for all of the students I work with. It taught me about the power of helping kids to see themselves from strengths based perspectives to reduce their insecurities.
Pursuing the path of becoming an educator with a focus on primary teaching, with an overall goal of becoming a speech pathologist felt like a natural decision for me to make. With this in mind, I feel like the next four years will pass by quickly, as it can be said that when you love what you do, it will not feel like work at all. I look forward to deepening my personal strengths as a passionate and compassionate educator for my community, serving to enhance the lives of my students in every way imaginable. I strive to continue to be a person who makes all learners feel both comfortable and safe to be themselves, helping them grow and change in a world that is continually growing and changing.