Chadron State College Education Department

Professional Dossier
Kelsey Empfield

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Kelsey Empfield
Table of Contents
Revised Autobiography .................................................................................................................2
Revised Personal and Professional Goals ....................................................................................4
Revised Philosophy of Education .................................................................................................5
Revised Why I Want to Be a Teacher and My Impact ...............................................................7
Original Autobiography ................................................................................................................9
Original Personal and Professional Goals .................................................................................10
Original Philosophy of Education ..............................................................................................11
Original Why I Want to Be a Teacher .......................................................................................13

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Revised Autobiography
When I graduated high school I desperately wanted to know what I was going to do for
the rest of my life. I had an entire world full of possible career choices in front of me and I did
not want to settle on one. Besides, at eighteen years old I didnt feel qualified to make this
colossal decision for myself. I decided to enroll at Western Nebraska Community College and
begin their General Studies program after graduating from Scottsbluff Senior High School in
2011 with high honors. After taking all the general education courses, I found myself in the same
predicament I was in the year before: What do I want to do with the rest of my life?
Despite having coached 23 Club Softball for six years and helping with junior high
school youth group, I was hesitant to choose teaching as a career. I did not want to choose
education simply because I could not find a better major. To stifle this fear I enrolled in Intro to
Professional Education, hoping to learn what the educational field had to offer. Much to my
surprise, I became enveloped in the world of education. I looked for ways to bring up education
in conversation. As a Western Nebraska Community College Student Ambassador, I thoroughly
enjoyed speaking with prospective students and their families about education. I became a Know
How to Go Ambassador so I could talk with junior high school students about education. I
educated myself about education on the national stage and at local schools. My new passion for
education spilled over into my college life. I wanted to take an active part in education through
student activities. I began a Circle K Service Organization on campus, became Student
Government President, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society Historian, Student Representative to
Western Community College Area Board, Student Ambassador, and a member of The National
Society of Leadership and Success.
In 2013, I earned an Associates Degree in Art, graduating with high honors from
Western Nebraska Community College with accolades including: All-Nebraska Academic
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Medalist, Coca-Cola 2013 Community College Academic Team Bronze Scholar, Coca-Cola
Leaders of Promise Scholar, Western Nebraska Community College Presidents Honor List, and
Western Nebraska Community College Board of Governors Award. After my experience with
Intro to Professional Education, I decided to major in English Education when I transferred to
Chadron State College.
English was always one of my favorite subjects in school but it was not until I began
studying literature collegiately that I developed an appreciation for it. Even though I liked
reading and writing, becoming immersed in literature changed my perspective entirely. As an
English Education major I have fallen in love with reading and writing. I maintain a writers
notebook, pursue independent reading despite my course workload, and post on my blog to
connect with other English educators across the world. I discover so much about myself when I
reflect on life and articulate those reflections through writing. It is important to live as a reader
and a writer so my students will see how English class is applicable to life. This year I became a
member of The National Council of Teachers of English and traveled to their national conference
in Boston. This experience along with my position as a writing assistant at Chadron State
College has allowed me to gain insight to teaching writing and reading. As a writing assistant, I
help my peers and enrich their writing lives. I have the opportunity to help create lifelong writers
and I eagerly look forward to the day when I can create lifelong readers and writers of my own
students.


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Revised Personal and Professional Goals
Professional Goals
1. Instill a passion for reading and writing in my students in order to create lifelong readers
and writers.
2. Complete a masters program in English.
3. Continually pursue professional development and publish a mentor text for English
teachers.
Personal Goals
1. Balance personal life and professional life.
2. Be a lifelong reader and writer.
3. Remember the moments that have led me to where I am while helping as many people as
possible along the way.

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Revised Philosophy of Education
Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education.
- Martin Luther King Jr.

I eagerly look forward to graduating in 2015 because graduation brings me closer to
enhancing, molding, and changing the lives of students. As a pre-service teacher, I
enthusiastically invest in my education because it will ultimately provide future generations of
students with a quality education. As a qualified educator, my goal is to positively impact every
one of my students by creating a classroom that prepares students for life.
Metaphorically, I picture my classroom like a baseball field. As the coach, I must provide
my players with the necessary skills to play the ball game. My classroom will be teacher-
facilitated and learner-centered. Yet, the ultimate responsibility is on the players; when the game
starts, the players are the ones who play the game. The students must take ownership of their
learning in order to develop character. This will challenge many students. They may strike out
but they have the choice to get up and play defense. Through blood, sweat, and tears the players
will decide how well they play. There will be failure and there might be resistance but I will
facilitate learning and help guide them as they learn about themselves as readers and writers. I
will provide tools to help them succeed such as examples of exemplary character through the
characters in literature.
Character development is central to both my philosophy of education and my life. Martin
Luther King Jr. said, Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education and my
education this far has shown me that character speaks louder than grades or essays. I continually
work on my character development and I will hold my students to the same goal so they will be
equipped to face life outside of the classroom. As a future educator, I understand educations
impact; one student has the opportunity to use their education and make a positive impact on the
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world. In order to positively impact every one of my students, I want to create a classroom that
prepares students for life. I have a dream that one day the world will be full of moral, upright,
and intelligent citizens, starting with my students and me.


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Revised: Why I Want to be a Teacher and My Impact
Often times I have wondered what drives me to pursue teaching as a career. To become a
qualified educator, I am moving away from home, sacrificing four years of my life, and spending
a good sum of money. Yet, in the midst of my schooling, I have fallen in love with reading,
writing, and education. I have become passionate about living a literate life and teaching others
to do the same. Because reading and writing reveals so much about life, it is now my goal to
create lifelong readers and writers.
I was first interested in teaching because I saw the fervor for life teenagers have. This
fervor is unique to teenagers but it is infectious. When I coached softball, I saw an energetic light
in the young girls eyes that made coaching addicting and exhilarating. As a teacher, I want to
show teenagers that they are not obligated to grow into adults who live a stagnant life. Instead,
through writing and reading they can hold on to their fervor for life. The world of literature and
English is an endless world of knowledge and writing, reading, and reflecting can make life
exciting and diverse. It is personally satisfying showing people how to successfully complete
tasks. Although I enjoy my work as a bank teller, it pales in comparison to teaching because
teaching someone about the world of literature is intrinsically motivating.
I want to be a leader in education and show other teachers that it is possible to positively
impact each individual student. As a teacher I will have a high set of professional values because
I must set the example for my students to follow. I am excited to be a professional educator
because I will have the opportunity to reflect on my teaching methods, lessons, and assignments
in the classroom. More importantly, I want to leave behind a legacy of relationships. Success in
life is measured by the quality of relationships cultivated. Educators have an incredible
opportunity to build relationships with young people and truly make a difference in their lives.
My classroom will be the place for diversity, communication, and critical thinking through a
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community of readers and writers. Cooperative learning groups will allow students to embrace
one anothers diverse perspectives and communicate with each other to complete tasks. Project-
based Learning will allow students to pursue their own inquiries while students become
independent thinkers. Assessment of student projects will not be solely based on data or
grammar. My assessment of their performance will encompass every aspect it takes to be a great
member of a team, including communication, goals, and reflection.
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Original Autobiography
I am Kelsey Empfield and I was born and raised in Nebraska. I enjoy a variety of
recreational activities such as reading, baking, hunting, biking, writing, and fishing. I graduated
from Scottsbluff Senior High School with high honors in 2011 and I will graduate from Western
Nebraska Community College in 2013 with an Associates Degree in Arts. Although I have
always enjoyed teaching and working with teenagers, I want to explore different career options
before I committed to one.
Although I am currently still undecided about obtaining a career in the educational field,
I am definitely interested in the field. This is partly due to my love for working with children. I
have found ways to work with children by coaching 23 Club Softball for six years and helping
with Vacation Bible School and helping with the Junior High youth group at Grace Chapel. I
especially enjoy being a cabin leader at Camp Maranatha. I find intrinsic motivation by helping
the teenagers during the week at camp and by the end of the week they teach me so much about
living and teaching. Through these various experiences, I have discovered that I absolutely love
working with kids. Every summer, I find myself anticipating softball season in order to coach. I
love coaching because I can never imagine what challenges will occur at each practice and every
game. Every day with children is a new day unique to itself.
The energy and love for life that kids possess keeps me on my toes and makes teaching
them even more enjoyable; their attitude is contagious and I cannot help but get excited about
working with them. I also love to teach because I love showing people how to do tasks. I feel
naturally inclined to detail steps and thoroughly explain directions when I teach. All of these
factors have combined in order to lead me in the educational direction with my future career.

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Original Personal and Professional Goals
Professional Goals
1. Graduate from Western Nebraska Community College with an Associate of Arts
Degree in General Studies with high honors.
2. Graduate with high honors from Chadron State College with a Bachelor of Science
Degree in Education with an English Endorsement.
3. Obtain a position as an English teacher at a local high school or middle school.
Personal Goals
1. Graduate from college debt-free.
2. Continue to volunteer in service organizations like Kiwanis.
3. Become a leader in a variety of college activities.


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Original Philosophy of Education
In developing my pedagogical strategy, I cannot simply pick one philosophy. My strategy
will be eclectic in nature and embody a variety of educational philosophies. Without a plethora
of angles that the students can relate to, any type of education will not intrigue or become useful
for the students. Certain truths should be found everywhere, especially within education. Yet,
eclecticism is not an excuse for sloppy teaching. Consistency needs to occur within the
philosophy of education.
First, I will incorporate perennialism into my philosophy. Perennialism is important
because it details human nature and underlies the changeless truths. The changeless truths will
forever remain pertinent within every grade level of education. Every student needs to
understand the human condition. This can be easily incorporated into curriculum because the
human condition completely encapsulates the human race. Perennialism sets the foundation for
further understanding of every subject matter. In order to prepare for life in todays culture, the
future generations must know about unchangeable truths as demonstrated through the philosophy
of perennialism.
Essentialism is also a philosophy I will incorporate. Essentialism allows the students to
take ownership in their own personal learning. As true essentialism states, this responsibility
relies on the teacher. The students are the learners while the teacher simply directs the learning.
In addition, the essential basics of life must be transmitted to students, and this remains a high
priority within essentialism. The challenge for the educator is determining the essential basics of
life that students should know.
Aside from perennialism and essentialism, I will also incorporate the romanticist
philosophy in my philosophy of education. Rational thinking skills are vital when educating
children and without rational thinking skills, an individual will not be able to function in society.
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It is important for children to explore their inquiries in order to gain a deeper understanding for
themselves and for the world around them. All too often in education, the instructors decide the
learning agenda while the students have no voice in what they want to learn. With a learning
facilitator, students will learn to problem solve. Problem solving is crucial because life is full of
problems and students must learn how to confront problems and find solutions.
Although adopting an eclectic philosophy of education seems intimidating, I see no other
way to teach students. Each philosophy of education has a great deal to offer students. Schools
need to foster motivation, curiosity, lifes essentials, and changeless truths. Without each one of
the philosophies, students would miss numerous learning opportunities throughout their
education. The next generations of the world need to experience many chances to learn about the
world and all four philosophies offer opportunities to enhance each students education.



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Original: Why I Want to be a Teacher
Educators have the unique opportunity to positively and significantly affect the next
generation and instill a love for learning in their students. Before taking Intro to Professional
Education, I was only considering a profession in education. I wanted to consider my career
options and narrow down my choices because I had many qualms against the becoming a
teacher. I did not want to become a teacher simply because I could not find a better career
choice. Yet, Intro to Professional Education has fostered my passion for education and I have
learned that teaching is a career that I will enjoy because I love teaching, not because I cannot
find a better career option.
A variety of experiences have helped instill my passion for education. For example, the
educators in my middle school and high school days were of the best. I enjoyed my schooling
because of my excellent teachers. Additionally, I have had the opportunity to watch firsthand
examples of great teaching throughout my observation hours in Professional Practicum. These
observations exposed me to the reality of education and, consequently, I now have a deeper
passion for teaching young adults and English education. I am now passionate about teaching as
a means to contribute to society in profound ways. There is no other profession that is as
intrinsically rewarding as education. Helping students to become great members of society and
think on their own will be an amazing experience. Surely, my generation has the power to
transform, not only our country, but also the entire world through education. I am encouraged to
see my classmates also becoming energetic and passionate about the challenges within
education. I am excited to contribute to the resolution of the problems in education and make
education an extraordinary safe haven for students.