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I am a senior at Illinois State University and will be graduating with a Bachelors of Science in Education in May 2012. Starting in January I will be student teaching in a 4th grade classroom at Coal City Intermediate School. I have then chosen to take the opportunity to student teach in England starting in March. I am very excited for both of these opportunities, as I know they will both help me learn and grow as an educator. I am also interested in learning about the English culture and seeing how their schools systems may be different from those that I have been surrounded by my entire life. I am excited for what the future holds and I know that these experiences will help make me a great educator.

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Initial Reflective essay based on Self-Assessment Survey


As an education major at Illinois State University, I know I am here to strive and discover all the necessary qualities I need to be a successful teacher. By taking the self-assessment survey, I can see what types of virtues I already feel I have a good grasp on, as well as those that I need to continue to learn about. Three of my areas of challenge are exhibiting sensitivity toward the varieties of individuals and cultural diversity, having a wide general knowledge and a deep knowledge of my content area, and showing an understanding of what affects learning and appropriate teaching strategies. Throughout the next few years, I plan to work on these demands placed upon me by society, and work through the challenges to develop the appropriate qualities. Generally speaking, exhibiting sensitivity toward the varieties of individuals and cultural diversity is not something that I think about every day. After taking the assessment survey, I feel that in order to be confident in dealing with this virtue, I need to learn more about individual and cultural differences. Although I feel like I work well with diverse people, I should educate myself more when it comes to diversity. While a student at Illinois State University, I will continue to interact with diverse people, as well as learn more about different cultures so that I know about their background. By learning more about diversity, I will better understand cultural differences, which will in turn allow me to interact more comfortably with others. Because people are culturally diverse does not mean they should be treated any different, and I think that being more knowledgeable about the situation will allow me to interact with everyone equally. The next virtue that I find to be a challenge is having a wide general knowledge and a deep knowledge of my content area. Although I consider myself a well-rounded person when it comes to general knowledge, I do find it a challenge to have a deep knowledge of my content area. As an elementary education major, I am taking classes to prepare myself to be able to teach all subjects at the elementary level. It is difficult to have a deep knowledge of my content area because most of the elementary level content is not something I have seen a whole lot since my own elementary school days. Because of this, I do struggle with this virtue; however, I also have specific plans to attain this virtue by the time I am a college graduate. I plan to take all of the necessary classes that will educate me on the required material and allow me to feel comfortable when learning it. Also, I feel that by doing my clinical experiences, as well as student teaching, I will be exposed to the material and even gain some insight knowledge on creative ways to teach it. By the same token, the third and final virtue that I find challenging is exhibiting an understanding of what affects learning and appropriate teaching strategies. At my present stage of development, I feel that with each class I take I learn more about strategies and how different teaching techniques affect students. Through this, I’ve learned that I do not know everything I need to know, and I have the potential to continue to grow and learn more. Specifically, I know I can further develop by continuing to allow my professors to educate me on their knowledge and experiences, as well as learn additional teaching strategies and how they will affect my future students. By being more educated on the virtue, I will be able to take what I learn, and rather than find it a challenge, I will be confident that someday I will be able to develop appropriate teaching strategies as well as know what affects the learning of students. All things considered, I do have some challenges when it comes to my development as an educator. However, I have some specific plans to overcome these challenges, and I hope that with these plans I will have gained some insights on how to better exhibit sensitivity toward the varieties of individuals and cultural diversity, have a wide general knowledge and a deep knowledge of my content area, and lastly, show an understanding of what affects learning and appropriate teaching strategies. With all these things in mind as I progress through my education, I will be able to grasp some great teaching techniques and overcome all of these challenges.

Links to Parent/Educational Resources:
U.S Department of Education School Resources for Parents Education.com Discovery Education USA Government