Running head: Autobiographical Essay 1

Autobiographical Essay

Sarah Pederson

College of Western Idaho

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Autobiographical Essay

I have much experience working with children. I look forward to my career as a teacher,

and am only sorry that it took me so long to decide on it. I believe I have much to offer in a

classroom and can’t wait to have one of my own!

Education Background

I was homeschooled for my entire elementary and secondary scholarly career, with the

exception of half of my 9th grade year, which I spent in a private Christian High School run by a

local church. My first year of post-secondary school was spent at a Christian School in Florida,

known as Pensacola Christian College. My homeschool experience was under the curriculum

published by the high school associated with Pensacola Christian College. My current level of

education is post-secondary.

Work History Service and/or Extracurricular Activities

My work career began in high school. During the summers, I was a Lifeguard. My role

was to watch children swim, make sure they and their parents observed and followed all rules,

made sure children could pass a swim test, and clean up once the pool closed down. Occasionally

I would teach a child to swim also. During this time, I also worked as a camp counselor for my

church summer camps. I taught Bible lessons mostly, but life lessons such as responsibility,

respect, and courteousness were not unheard of. I also began working in the nurseries and

Sunday school programs for my church. Master Club was my favorite. Here I had my own group

of children that I taught, sang songs and played games with, and provided snacks for, as well as

corrected in their behavior. This experience allowed me to have one on one experience talking
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with parents and/or guardians about their child’s performance, as well as behavior, during the

classes.

My extracurricular activities included Martial Arts, Boy Scouts, and 4H. In 4H, I was

able to teach newer members skills to gain marks of accomplishments. I have gained a Black

Belt in Tae Kwon Do, which allowed me to gain experience teaching young children Martial

Arts. I have worked as a teacher and a counselor in several church camps and programs also.

In more recent years, I have been given the opportunity to observe a public-school

classroom through a friend. I have also substituted for our church school when my mother was

sick. This experience, in which I taught science to high schoolers, is what inspired me to teach

High School students. I have however, had extensive classroom experience with younger

elementary and middle school aged children through a professional martial arts school that I

work at. Though we are not teaching traditional curricular subjects such as English and Math,

this physical-activity extracurricular based job allows me to practice working with students of all

ages in larger groups and also one on one. It exposes me to many different types of students,

parents, and teaching styles. I also receive training on this job in how to teach parents to help

their children learn and maximize their time with the teachers. I am currently also working as a

nanny, which gives me one on one time with children on an almost daily basis, ensuring that I

balance children’s needs with parent’s wants and goals.

Ethical Reasoning in Education

One ethical issue that I have come across concerns the teacher/student relationship. Many

teachers that I have had or have known have refused to have personal contact with their students

via text message and personal emails. Others will share their personal Facebook page and cell
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phone numbers as a way to meet their students in the middle, where the pupils communicate

best, while still maintaining a professional though friendly relationship. This is a topic of

controversy, but in each case, I have found that the true deciding factor of this dilemma is how

well the Educator knows the Pupil and his or her family.

In designing a solution for this issue, I decided to approach it through the orientation of

Virtue Ethics. Aristotle listed character traits that he identified as virtuous, among which are

truthfulness and friendliness. However, the list can be adjusted slightly depending on the culture

and background of an individual. For example, patience is often associated with virtue, although

this aspect of character was not on Aristotle’s original list. At any rate, the belief of Virtue Ethics

centers around moral rules that are learned and practiced in everyday life. Integrity I believe is an

aspect of virtue, as well as friendliness. To the Teacher struggling with the issue of how to

appropriately and professionally communicate with his or her student’s whist also protecting him

or herself as well as the pupil, I would say that the situation stems predominantly from how close

of a relationship the educator has with the student’s family, specifically the parents. Some

Teachers may have no issue with texting an older high school student whose parents are personal

friends of the educator in question, while a student whose parents are not as familiar with the

teacher may not be as comfortable with the situation.

However, maturity also plays a large role. Common sense dictates that a forty-year-old

teacher who frequently shares personal text messages with a middle schooler is suspicious at

best. But if boundaries are set in place, the teacher can not only protect him or herself, but also

their student. Trustworthiness and honesty are both excellent example of virtue, and if the

Teacher is open and honest with the parents about the communication, better yet even including

the parents in the conversations, both the educator and the pupil can be protected. If the Teacher
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likewise does not send a message unless the student first sends one, and only answers those

which are clearly related to the classroom discussion or homework, protection barriers have once

again been set in place, and integrity reigns supreme.

In the modern world where younger generations communicate largely by personal

message via Facebook and texting, it can be difficult for a Teacher to keep a professional

boundary in place while dealing with students. Obviously, a teacher is a councilor as well as an

educator, and therefore it is best to remain on open, friendly terms with young learners who may

wish to seek guidance from adults outside of the nuclear family, but need someone they can trust.

Success in the communication dilemma can be reached if the educator takes steps to protect

themselves and their students through integrity and honesty.

Considerations for Choosing Education as a Career

The reasons why an individual should or should not be a teacher in general is fairly

obvious. The most blatantly conspicuous traits that an individual who wants to be a teacher

should have are first a love of teaching itself, and second a genuine care and mindfulness for the

students. Someone who is considering the teaching field for the money or social standing or

career opportunity would profit more from looking into other jobs.

The third trait that a teacher needs to be is someone who is an effective communicator

and is open to alternative teaching and learning styles. He or she strives to be better and knows

that not everyone learns or teaches the same. Being open to different approaches insures that a

teacher’s students will be able to grasp the content of the class more effectively. A teacher needs

to understand his or her class content well enough that they can present it in multiple lights. This

will also allow the teacher to relate better to his or her students. Teaching is its own curriculum,
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and the most effective teachers realize that they can learn as much from their students as the

students can learn from them.

Fourthly, a teacher must be someone who is proactive rather that reactive, but also

flexible. An effective teacher plans ahead to best meet students’ needs and solve problems. They

do not wait for when a situation first arises to address it. There is no such thing as over planning,

only under planning. A teacher’s job will be far less difficult if they practice clear organization

and planning skills. This does not, however, mean that the classroom is not without surprises. An

excellent teacher plans ahead as much as possible but is also flexible when unforeseen issues

arise.

These are many skills that I already possess. I love to teach, and am doing so now. I care

when my students come to class disheveled or forlorn. It matters to me to make sure they

understand the material I am presenting, and that they walk away with a better understanding of

the concepts. I know that not everyone learns the same, and I desire to better myself for the sake

of my students. I like to be prepared, and am learning to plan ahead for classes so that I can be

confident and ready when a situation arises. It is for these reasons that I should be a teacher.

As for being prepared, I possess skills that will enable me to be in the education field,

though perhaps not as a teacher. Working as a tutor, a daycare or preschool teacher, a nanny, or

an online instructor are all possibilities. Conducting an after-school program and writing and

selling curriculums also come to mind. These positions all require very similar skill sets as a

teacher would have, such as communication and people skills and a knowledge of teaching and

learning styles, though they are not the typical classroom experience.

My confident public speaking skills, interactive people skills, and leadership in social

situations are wonderful skills for a business or management career. I am also a pleaser. I want
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what’s best for others and to make them happy, so it is easier for me to handle customers who are

discouraged or disgruntled. Being organized and a skilled multitasker, as well as having

excellent phone skills, allows me to be personable but also professional with customers and

employers/employees. The skills I have listed above as possessing in my person will serve me

well no matter what profession I decide to pursue.

Professional Goals

My long-term goals are, quite obviously, to become a teacher. I plan to attend BSU and

complete their teacher program as a secondary teacher. I don’t know for sure yet where I will be

teaching, only that I want my classroom to be in Idaho, specifically Meridian. I will be

graduating next semester in the Spring, and from there I will move up to BSU. I plan to have an

English Emphasis, with some sort of Literary or Writing Minor.

Currently, my short-term goals are to survive this semester. So far, I’m doing pretty well

balancing two jobs and full-time school, although I am always tired. But keeping busy keeps me

out of trouble, and an idle mind is the Devils playground as they say. I am learning a lot and am

excited to be moving on to BSU.

I am aiming for straight A’s this semester. By having straight A’s, my grade point

average will be boosted that much more and I will have greater success later down the road

getting into four-year schools. Not that I would really go anywhere else besides BSU, although I

have heard that the Nazarene College has a wonderful teaching program. For right now, though, I

am focused on great grades!