Section Two:

Teacher Candidate Background Experience

Introduction

The experiences we have over our lifetime shapes who we become. Section two

is about me as a teacher candidate. In this section, you will learn more about my

educational and work experiences, field experience and philosophy of education. You

will learn about the moments that have led me to where I am now, the people who have

had the biggest impact on me and how my experiences, interactions and research have

developed into my philosophy of education. It is through this section that I hope you the

reader can get a true sense of my passion for the field of education.

I cannot remember the moment in the past where I chose teaching. Truthfully, I

dont think I ever did. The education field was not in my original plan; I didnt choose

education, education chose me. My journey has not been a traditional one, nor has it been

easy. During my freshman year of undergrad, I was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus

Erythematosus: an autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to attack parts of

the body. There were periods in my educational journey that I fell incredibly ill do to my

disease, causing drops in my GPA, and even causing me to have to leave graduate school

once before. However, through the trials and tribulations of life and the diagnosis of a

chronic illness, there have been many who have inspired me to continue, and to follow

my heart and passion.

Educational Experience

As a child, I was always playing school. Whether it was with my friends, family

or stuffed animals, I was continually reenacting my school day from the prospective of

the teacher (I even had my own chalk board). However, when it came time to choose a

career path, I ignored my innate desire to teach, and followed the expectation of others.

My very first inspirational moment was a spiritual one. At the end of my sophomore year,

I found myself needing to find a new major. As I was sitting in church, meditating on my

situation, I heard very clearly Teach. You will teach and I havent looked back.

Thinking back to the educators that I have had over the years that have had a

positive influence on my decision to continue on this journey, this first person that comes

to mind is my head start teacher who I will call Mrs. H.

Starting school at three years old can be a difficult and emotional situation for

children but not for me. From day one, I was very enthusiastic and eager to learn.

Although this was a program for underprivileged children, I was slightly ahead of my

classmates. Mrs. H never held me back or forced me to be on task with the others. She

took the time to give me activities that were on my academic level. I can vividly

remember moments during nap time where Mrs. H would pull me to her table while the

others remained asleep to do extra activities.

As a pre-service teacher, I now know how important it is to have differentiated

instruction and how much time it takes. Mrs. H never made it seem as though it was a

chore. She truly cared about my progress and even encouraged my mother to have me
tested for gifted and talented education. It was because of Mrs. H that I ended up in the

elementary program I graduated from. Mrs. H nourished my natural curiosity and love for

learning, and I truly believe she had a very large part in who I have become and why I am

now a teacher candidate.

The next person that comes to mind is my 5th grade teacher. For the purposes of

this paper, I will refer to her as Mrs. C. Every once in a while you develop a special

relationship with the people you come in contact with; Mrs. C was one of those people

for me. She is by far my favorite teacher ever. Not only did she have a special

relationship with her students, but with the families as well. My mother always felt

comfortable calling her with any concerns, but also to celebrate achievements.

As a teacher, she was no-nonsense! She was strong but caring. It seemed as

though she knew what we were thinking and what we were going to do before we did it.

Behavior problems didnt exist in her classroom, and if for some reason, you thought you

wanted to act out she would simply glance up at the giant paddle hanging on the wall

engraved with the phrase Attitude Adjuster (we knew she wouldnt, but was afraid she

would). Her expectations for us were always higher than we thought we could reach, but

somehow, we always did. And even though she was tough on us, we were happy and

even to this day; we talk about how much we loved having her as a teacher.

As a pre-service teacher, I now know that the reason we were so successful in

Mrs. Cs class was not only because of her high standards for her students, her belief in

our success, but also her classroom management skills. Her belief in me inspires me to

this day.
Work Experiences

My educational work experiences began in 2009, when I got my first job in a

local childcare center while I was earning my bachelors degree in Early Childhood

Development. Over the next seven years, I worked in several different childcare centers,

working my way up from teacher assistant to director in training, with a year as a teacher

aid in Buffalo Public schools as well. With all of my experience working with children,

there are a few experiences in particular that gave me a glimpse into the teacher life.

The first work experience that truly gave me an idea of what being an educator is

like was working as a teacher aide in Buffalo Public schools. This was my very first time

ever working in an actual school building. Before this, I had only been working in

childcare as an aide with babies. This particular school is unique because it exclusively

services children with cognitive and developmental disabilities. Many of the students in

the building did not speak, walk or write. The school serviced students from kindergarten

through the age of 18. Although I was only one of many aides and assistants in the

classroom, I was responsible for a small group of students that I pulled for math and

reading/writing (for those students who could). Looking back, this experience prepared

me to differentiate instruction, pull small groups and to understand different learning

styles.

Another thing this experience prepared me for was working as team in the way

many grade level teams do. The teacher we worked with most of the year was a long-

term substitute. Since he started in the middle of the school year, we all planned together,

came up with ideas together, modified curriculum together and taught together.
 My time as a lead teacher at a suburban childcare center was an extraordinarily

beneficial experience along my journey to becoming an educator. It was the first time that

I was in charge of a class. Although those children were toddlers, they were still my

students. It was also my first experience looking at NYS guidelines and writing lesson

plans based on those guidelines. New York State releases Early Learning guidelines for

Early Childhood educators to prepare children for school. Using those guidelines, it was

my responsibility to create age appropriate lesson plans that would ultimately prepare the

children for school.

This work experience also gave me a taste of curriculum writing. Prior to starting

at this position, the teachers at this center never used the early learning guidelines to

teach our youngest students. Instead, they did what was (in their opinion) age appropriate.

I was the first teacher to use these guidelines, and therefore, I took it upon myself to

create a curriculum for the fields smallest students, toddlers 18 months to 3 years. With

the curriculum that I created, the students were learning far more than before; according

to the parents and center directors.

School Observations and Classroom Applications

The experiences that we have, positive and negative, in the years preceding the

beginning of our careers have the ability to shape the kind of educators we will ultimately

become. It is important to be in constant reflection of what we do, hear, and observe as it

relates to our future endeavors.

Over the years, I have been lucky to be able to have some incredible experiences

working with children both in the past and during the current semester. My experiences
have ranged from before and after school programs in the suburbs to subbing at a charter

school in the inner city, and everything in between.

My time at a suburban before and after school program was interesting and

provided a unique perspective. The before and after school program is a program that is

run within the elementary schools in the Williamsville school district, and has recently

expanded to include a few schools in Cheektowaga and private schools. The program

services children from Kindergarten to Fourth grade. This program is unique in that

program is run within the school once traditional school hours are over. The children are

dismissed from their teachers to the cafeteria of the school where the staff members then

sign them in. The children are provided a snack upon entering the cafeteria, as well as

homework help for the first hour of program. Once the first hour is over, the children are

transitioned into the planned activities for the day. The staff members are responsible for

coming up with activities such as games, gym activities and art.

Considering that the program takes place within a suburban school district, there

was very little cultural diversity. The majority of the children, school staff and program

staff were of Caucasian decent, with a few exceptions in the staff, including myself.

During my time with the before and after school program, I had two different

positions. The first position was as a team lead. As a team lead, it was my

responsibility was to move the group of children I was assigned from one activity to the

next. It was also my responsibility to come up with one activity per week. The second

was as the assistant site manager (ASM). My responsibilities included but were not

limited to making the scheduling for staff, training, assigning team leaders to groups and

so on.
 With this experience being so early in my career development, I was able to get a

small sense of what it is like to plan activities/curriculum for a week or month at a time, I

was able to, in some sense, experience team planning. My time as the ASM afforded me

the opportunity to stretch my administrative wings and explore a different side of the

business I was in.

Having this kind of experience, especially prior to actual classroom time, is

incredibly important to pre service teachers in my opinion. I was able to: spend time with

different grade levels every day, experience what each grade level was learning in various

subject areas through homework help, get comfortable with being in a school

environment with an outsiders point of view, become familiar with a school year

schedule and much more.

That early exposure has been incredibly helpful in many ways. Due to that early

experience, I was able to figure out what grade levels I am most comfortable with. That

experience also provided many opportunities for networking with school staff, teachers

and district officials from many different schools within the Williamsville school district.

It was truly an invaluable experience.

Being a substitute teacher has afforded me a unique opportunity to experience and

explore the world of teaching while also having an observers point of view. Being a

daily substitute and being able to go to the same school every day is practically unheard

of. I have the opportunity to work with every grade level, from Kindergarten to Grade 8,

on any given day; occasionally more than one in a single day.

The local Charter School is an inner city school that services children from

several school districts in the Western New York area. The school has over 900 students,
of variable ethnic and religious backgrounds. The majority of the school population is at

or below the poverty line, leaving 71% of the students eligible for free or reduced lunch.

The average class size is approximately 28 students to 1 teacher.

My first experience was in a second grade class, consisting of a total of 25

students. 13 of those students are girls, 12 are boys. The class is a mixture of cultural

backgrounds, including African American, Hispanic and Caucasian. There were plenty of

opportunities for me to practice my best practices in this classroom.

I first noticed the behavior chart on the magnetic cabinet. The chart is large and

colorful and provides ample space for all students names. The chart consists of six

colors; red, orange, yellow, green, purple and pink. Each color has its own meaning and

connotations associated with it: Red-Call home, Orange-Danger Zone, Yellow-

Warning, Green-Ready to Learn, Purple-Star Student, and Pink-Role Models. Each

student has a clothespin with his or her name on it and every morning, all of the students

start on green and can move up or down depending on behavior, work ethic etc.

The next item available in the class that allowed for best practices was, the cup of

student sticks. The students in this second grade class were each given a large popsicle

stick with a person on the top. The children were encouraged to color it to create a self-

representation on their stick. On the bottom portion of the stick, the students name is

written. The sticks are/can be used to call on students when questions are asked, allowing

all students to have the same chances to be called on. When using the sticks, I continued

to pull them until the cup was completely empty, then refill the cup and begin again. This

guarantees that all students are called on, eliminating teacher biases. During this

experience, I also got to use the NYS Common Core math modules for the first time.
Beyond being able to use best practices, I believe this part of my time in second grade

was the most valuable.

The next subbing experience I had was as a reading intervention specialist. This

experience was slightly different because it is not traditional classroom teaching. The

reading intervention specialists work with students in Kindergarten to second grade. The

specialists pull groups of children (4-5) at a time for 30-minute increments. The students

are grouped based on reading level and receive instruction based on level and ability,

using the Fountas and Pinnell Leveled Literacy Intervention System or LLI. During each

session the students start by re-reading the book they read the session before, both

independently and as a group. Next is word work in their journals, where they practice

the literary skill associated with the current lesson. Then they read the book the book for

the lesson of the day. After the picture walk and popcorn read (where the students

randomly pick a friend to read the next section or page), the students pick their favorite

page in the book, copy the page in their journals and draw a picture.

This experience was incredibly valuable as a pre-service teacher. It is not often

that a new teacher is able to use a reading program prior to starting at a school. Although

it is entirely possible that the school I ultimately end up at wont be using the same

program, having experience using one in general will be a huge plus in the hiring process,

as well as in practice. The next two experiences that I had were very similar. I was an

observer and substitute in both fifth and sixth grade social studies.

Both of these teachers, in my opinion, are great role models for classroom

management and best practices. Walking into a middle school classroom can be daunting

and downright scary, but both of these teachers have strong routines that do not allow too
many chances for shenanigans. On both occasions, the students were able to use multiple

modalities of learning during their lesson. There was a time for independent work, group

work, and also time to use technology. The seating was arranged so that there was no

student with their back to the board or the teacher in both classes; the groups were

arranged with a mixture of ability levels for team activities.

Both of the teachers run their classes with a great deal of student responsibility.

The students are held responsible for their own behavior and how it affects the classroom

environment. The expectations for the students are high, and they are expected to meet

them on a daily basis. As part of that student responsibility, in each class session (classes

rotate every 45 minutes), there are designated students who are in charge of passing out

supplies and (due to strong classroom management) there is an understanding that those

students have a responsibility and do not need to be asked to do so. Because both of these

teachers had such well-designed classroom procedures, stepping in and taking over for

these two teachers in the absence was effortless.

Being able to observe and emulate teachers like these two was an invaluable

experience for me. Until then, rarely did I feel comfortable going into middle school

classes; I found them intimidating. Being able to watch seasoned middle school teachers,

take notes, and practice with the same classes gave me a new sense of confidence. This

kind of experience would benefit all pre-service teachers; especially those who feel

intimidated by a certain grade level.

As a pre-service teacher, there are other experiences that can prove valuable in

our quest to become effective teachers. Our trip to Buffalo Prep proved to be one of those

experiences.
 Buffalo Prep was founded in 1989 and is an enrichment program for

disadvantaged, underrepresented but high achieving children from grades 5-12 in the

Buffalo area. It is a program that is an addition to the childrens normal schooling, and

often occurs on Saturday mornings.

The program, on the surface, doesnt seem as though it is very diverse but in fact

it is. There are students from various cultures, religions, backgrounds and areas of the

city. The teachers in the program are also diverse, not only culturally but in the way they

plan and teach as well.

Being a Buffalo native, Buffalo Prep is something that I heard of previously and

even knew a few people who were enrolled in the program growing up, but I never knew

what Buffalo Prep really was. On our first visit, I was incredibly surprised. We were told

that the middle school program is designed to get the boys and girls enrolled in the

private high schools in the Buffalo area. In order to get them used to the culture of these

schools, the students were separated by gender for their classes. That particular day, the

subjects were ELA and Science. Seeing as I attended an all girl private school in the

Buffalo area, I decided to follow the boys for the day.

The first class for the boys was ELA. The students had been reading The

Outsiders by S. E Hinton. In this particular class, the boys were reviewing the homework

questions for the chapters they were assigned to read. The teacher allowed the students to

pick a partner to go over the questions with and discuss their opinions with. Shortly

thereafter, one group of three young men began to talk loudly and were very obviously

off topic. The teacher went over to the group and quietly (almost unnoticeably) and asked

one of the boys to go work with a different student who had been working alone. After a
period of time, she brought the group back together to go over the questions whole group.

As the discussion continued, the teacher paused the discussion and decided to take

advantage of having visitors in the class. She asked the boys to pick one of the visitors as

a partner and continue the discussion that way. This experience was enlightening and

refreshing. The students were engaged and were noticeably enjoying the discussion with

both their peers and the Medaille visitors.

The next class was Science. On this day, the Science lesson was about the

properties of water. The lesson began with a short PowerPoint presentation for note

taking. The major part of the lesson was rotating stations of science experiments. The

first experiment required the students to carefully place drops of water onto a penny, and

see how many drops of water they can successfully drop onto the penny before the water

spills over the sides. The second, which was the class favorite, challenged the students to

skillfully place as many paperclips as possible into a cup of water, full to the brim,

without the water spilling out of the cup. It was thrilling to see the buzz of excitement as

these young men whirled around the room engaging in these experiments. It was a true

exhibit of how beneficial hands on learning truly is.

The second visit, however, was very different. For the second visit, there were

different teachers, and different subjects being taught. This time, the students were not

broken up by gender; instead, they were kept in one large group. Both of the lessons were

taught in the same room, back to back, with no break. The first part of class the students

were to be independently working on a research project they had been assigned. While

walking around and interacting with the students, it was evident that many of them were

not on task and were simply passing notes or talking to their peers. It remained that way
most of the session. The second portion of the class was a Social Studies lesson on

womens suffrage and rights. Again, the students were sitting stationary in their seats, and

relatively off task.

This experience taught me a very important lesson that all pre service teachers

need to know. It taught me that it is incredibly important to vary the teaching modalities

within a lesson. Students thrive best when they have multiple ways to learn. As an

educator, it is important to plan for all types of learning. Differentiated instruction does

not always have to be reserved for struggling students. Every student can and does

benefits in a positive manner from having differentiated instruction, even within one

lesson.

Visiting Buffalo Prep also gave a great lesson on engaging gifted children. For

those few hours, we were immersed in some of the brightest minds in the Buffalo area.

The level of discussion and question asking was far beyond what is generally expected

from middle school students. So often teachers get so focused on their struggling students

that they occasionally forget about their gifted learners. It is equally as important to find

a way to keep your brightest students engaged and challenged. Buffalo Prep showed us so

many ways to do just that.

Philosophy of Education

As a pre-service teacher, one of the questions we are asked often is what is your

philosophy of education? To be completely honest, it took quite some time before I truly

knew what that meant, and what was being asked of me. Over the years, my philosophy

of education has evolved and changed as my love, appreciation and respect for the field

has grown. It is truly a living document. In the following section, you can find my current

philosophy of education.

The School

For as long as schools have existed, they have been seen as pillars of the

communities that house them. I believe the school building itself is the largest tool

educators have. From the beginning, the building should be built and arranged to best suit

the students and give them the best environment to learn in. Without the proper

environment, the students and staff are already put at a disadvantage as they walk through

the door.

The schools mission of the school should be to work for students. What does that

mean? It means providing the best possible education that will prepare the students for

the current world they live in. I believe schools should take a progressive approach,

growing and changing aspects of curriculum along with the technology and current

research; for example: using more technology in the classroom, flipped classrooms and

flexible seating.
The Curriculum

Curriculum should be child centered. Although the Common Core Standards lay

out specifics as to what should be taught and when, I believe it should be taught through

the interests of the students to help create meaning. Even though there are learning

standards provided with the Common Core, I believe that children should be prepared for

the world they are currently, and will be living in. Students should interact with

technology on a regular basis, in an educational manner, to introduce them to future

careers in the STEAM field.

Learning

Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its

whole life believing that it is stupid.

The definition of learning, according to the Webster dictionary, is the acquisition

of knowledge or skills through experience, study or by being taught. The acquisition of

knowledge is a personal, independent activity, and the thought of learning should be

treated as such. Learning should child centered and should be varied to accommodate

different learning styles. Learning is an action and should therefore be interactive.

Learners should be able to physically be a part of a lesson in some way (ie: getting out of

their seats, acting things out etc.).

The Learner

By nature, children are incredibly inquisitive and interested in learning new

things. They are naturally curious beings whose curiosity and inquisitiveness should be

nurtured and cherished.

 I believe that, with the rising pressures of core standards and annual exams, we as

educators have moved away from teachable moments, and using the innate desire of

children to ask questions and explore to teach. That is a shame. In my opinion, there is no

better way to activate student interest than to use the things in the world they are curious

about to teach the things they need to know. As an educator, I will slowly begin to re-

integrate this practice to better reach my learners.

Assessment

As educators, part of guiding our students through the journey of acquiring

knowledge is seeing what they already know, and making sure they are grasping new

concepts and creating new schemas. The way we do this is through assessment. Although

assessment is an integral part of the education process, I believe it should be as

differentiated as the learners themselves. Just as students have different styles of learning,

they too have different styles in which they show their knowledge. Offering a variety of

ways to show ones knowledge (ie: visual projects, writing a song, acting out a scene, or

the standard paper or test) will give educators a sense of the true knowledge of their

students.

Classroom Management

When it comes to classroom management, I rely heavily on the theorists and

experts in the field as well as observing teachers in their classrooms. As a pre-service

teacher, this is the area that is the scariest. It is easy to teach someone how to teach, it is

not at all easy to teach someone how to interact with students they have never met. In his
book The First Days of School, Harry Wong says that the only way to have good schools

is to have good teachers, and good teachers have classroom management.

Classroom management is a teachers toolbox. You know, the big red shiny ones;

sturdy and reliable, always there when you need it most and is a lifesaver when

something goes wrong. In that tool box a teacher should have their tools; the techniques

either learned or adapted to make a classroom work. Not every tool will work for every

job, and some you will only pull out of the box once in a while, but there are always the

trusty few that are your go to options in any situation.

Wongs tips for classroom management are ones that I can say whole-heartedly

agree with. He emphasizes the importance of establishing clear and firm expectations of

the students and getting the students into a steady routine from the second they come

through the door on day one. He also stresses the importance of spending the first week

or so practicing this routine before teaching is started. Once the routine has become

second nature to the students, they will know what is expected at all times at any given

time of the day. Effective teachers manage their classrooms, while ineffective teacher

discipline their classrooms(Wong, 1991).

I also believe it is important to take the time to get to know your students and

allow them time to get to know you. Building relationships with your students is also a

great, proactive way to get ahead of behaviors before they ever occur. As a substitute

teacher, I have caught myself asking, Why are the students so well behaved for teacher

A but not for me? The reason is because of the relationships built with that teacher.
The Teacher

There are many hats a teacher must wear throughout the day and their career as an

educator. The most important role, of course, is that of education facilitator. I see the

teacher as a guide through the journey of acquiring knowledge. It is our job to lead our

students to and through the things they need to know in order to create well-rounded

citizens.

Teachers are caregivers and support systems for students. It is very likely that we

as teachers see our students more than their parents do. The majority of their days, and

weeks are spent with us in our classrooms. Because of this, we become like their

caregivers and support.

Teachers are also teammates. It is important in the field of education to be able to

work with one another and share information and ideas. The goal is to work for our

students and to do what is in the best interest of them and their education. In order to do

that, we need to work together.

Teachers are life-long learners. Part of ensuring that we are doing the best for our

students, it is important for educators to continue to learn themselves. Taking classes,

professional development sessions and simply reading the latest research can all aid in

our pursuit of becoming better, more proficient educators.

Resume

My professional profile, or resume, highlights my educational and professional

experiences that contribute to my teacher candidate profile.

 Andrea Cox
730 Englewood, Tonawanda NY 14223
(716) 830-5878
[email protected]

CERTIFICATION: Seeking New York State Initial Certification in Childhood

Education, Grades 1 6

EDUCATION: Master of Science in Childhood Education, anticipated May

2018
Medaille College, Buffalo, New York
GPA: 3.3

RELATED EXPERIENCE:
Building-based Substitute, South Buffalo Charter School,
Buffalo, NY 2016-present
Assist students in the acquisition of knowledge in the absence
of their regular classroom teacher
Fill in for Intervention/resource specialists in their absence
If no one is absent, assist administration with daily school tasks

Assistant Site Manager, Just For Kids, Williamsville, NY 2012-

2013
Creating fun and engaging activities in the areas of art, science,
and physical education
Prepared and conducted daily age appropriate science
experiments with children K-4
Provided tutoring during the afterschool programs homework
help

Teacher Aide, Buffalo Public School District, Buffalo, NY

2012-2013
Assist with the creation and implementation of academic,
social, and recreational activities
Tutor small groups in math and conducting differentiated
instruction for students in need

TRAINING/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:
Engagement strategies in the math classroom
August 2017
Behavior Management
August 2017
 SMART Notebook training
June 2017
DASA Training
August 2017
Child Abuse Identification
School Violence Intervention and Prevention

TECHNOLOGY: SMART Board, Weebly teacher website, screen-casting and flipped

classroom

EMPLOYMENT: Building based substitute, South Buffalo Charter School 2016-

Present

VOLUNTEER: Literacy Ambassador, WNY Childrens Book Expo 2017

Conclusion

Everyone has a story; a journey they have taken that leads them to where they are,

and helps them become who they are becoming. This section of my portfolio was about

my journey. While reading this section, you got to meet some of the important people

who have inspired me, you got a glimpse into the experiences that I have had over the

years that have prepared me for my upcoming career. Creating this section allowed me

the opportunity to reflect on, revisit and remember the moments that and influential

people who have a hand in molding me into the person that I have become. Reflection is

a very important skill to have as an educator. There will be many times we will have to

look back at lessons, assessments, and even our own performances and have to decide

whether or not we serviced our students to the best of our ability. It is also an important

tool to teach our students. And who knows, maybe one day one of our students will be

writing about us.