Stephanie Walters

ETEC: 424
Dr. Strassberg
March 19, 2015
My Educational Philosophy

My path to becoming a mentor, advising students at Navarro College, has been a

rocky journey, but has molded me into the direction I want to follow. I believe the first
steps walking into adulthood in the education field is learning the steps it takes to
become a college student. The type of students I want to mentor will be the freshmen
learning how to make their own schedules in a junior or senior level college. My job is to
make sure that when they leave my office, they know what path they want to follow and
how to be successful in college. My philosophy in the education field is to make a
difference with every student I mentor so that I can see them grow and blossom into
strong individuals.
The direction in my life was unknown until I met Renee Ramsey who mentored
me for many years as a student of Navarro College. She eventually hired me on parttime as a student advisor of which I found that I had a possible career that I could fulfill.
Working at a junior level college as an Advisor helped me to find my passion. I found
that I love to talk to students and hearing them tell me thank you for all your help
made me feel good knowing that I helped them accomplish their goals. The students
need that one-on-one time with the advisor not to be pushed in one specific direction,
but to see what available options are out there and to try to narrow down what path will
lead them to success. I have seen many students walk into my office extremely confused
like they didnt know where to begin. It is my job and duty as a mentor to lay out a plan
and show them different options of where they can begin. It is never too late to change
and redirect your path to meet your career goals. My mother is a huge example that it is
never too late to change your mind and redirect your path. She has two degrees of which
one is an associates in Education and a Bachelors in Counseling. However, it didnt take
long to finally realize that she wanted to be a nurse. She is now about to graduate this
year and be pinned as a nurse. She already works as an Intern with Methodist Hospital
and will extend her employment with them once she graduates. I am so proud of her and
she is another woman in my life that I strive to be like. I only hope that one day I can be
just like her. Strong, independent, and knows what she wants in life.
As a mentor, I want to challenge the students intellectually, but also inspire them.
The students need to understand this is not a hand out in life, I want them to grow and
learn how to be successful. As they continue to fulfill their requirements to complete
their degree, I will be their mentor; so I will need to make sure that they succeed and
show my support. Being an advisor is like teaching, but on a different level. They come

to me asking questions about the classes. They also ask many questions on which career
plans we offer, so in a way it is a chance to teach them a life lesson and to help them
make their own decisions. Its not a matter of where I will teach, but where I can mentor
and plant seeds to grow. Being the right kind of Advisor in the right school will take
looking at the college level and university, ready to hire someone as committed as I will
be to mentor students.

Texas Technology Standards and Competencies used for Assignment:

Standard I. All teachers use technology-related terms, concepts, data input strategies,
and ethical practices to make informed decisions about current technologies and their
applications.
1.3s select and use software for a defined task according to quality, appropriateness,
effectiveness, and efficiency;
1.6s perform basic software application functions, including, but not limited to, opening
an application program and creating, modifying, printing, and saving documents;
Standard IV. All teachers communicate information in different formats and for diverse
audiences.
4.4s demonstrate appropriate use of fonts, styles, and sizes, as well as effective use of
graphics and page design to communicate effectively;
4.6s publish information in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to, printed copy,
monitor displays, Internet documents, and video;