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Running head: AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL

Autobiographical
Ammie Fisher
Dr. John Hurley
EDUC 201: Foundations of Education
Fall 2013




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Autobiographical Essay
Since childhood I have always known that someday I wanted to be a teacher. I have
always worked with the public and enjoy working with people. Certain events in my life have
finally lead me to fulfill my dream. After a horrific car accident in 2001 that left me unable to
work for a couple years, I went back to work substituting at our local High school, Jr. High
school, and Elementary school. I had forgotten how badly that I wanted to teach someday. After
being hired on full time as a paraprofessional a couple years ago in Special Education, I knew
where my heart was and that I wanted to be a special education teacher. There is no greater
feeling in the world than teaching and helping these special kids.
Educational Background
I grew up and attended elementary school in Iona, Idaho. I was not always a great
student, but my third grade teacher Mrs. Johnson, had a huge impact on my life. I remember her
class like it was yesterday. She read a book to our class called The Secret Garden, I loved it
when my teacher would read to us. That was my favorite time of the day. Sometimes when I
close my eyes and think about it, I can still hear her reading to our class. I think that is the reason
that I like to read today.
I attended Bonneville Jr. High school my seventh grade year. This was a very big
adjustment for me. I did not like going to the big school. I was always kind of shy, and didnt
make friends very easily. I lost interest in school and kind of floated by. This was my first
experience with city life and I can honestly say I did not care for it.
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I moved on from Jr. High to Bonneville High school, this was a horrible experience for
me. Being as shy as I was I did not do well in school. Speech was a required class, I could not
get up in front of the class to give a speech, there for received an F, as was the same in a
couple other of my classes. My parents looked into a program the school offered at night. I
attended a different district, would take classes at night but would still graduate with a diploma.
That was the best thing that ever happened to me. I attended school with kids that I could relate
with and that could relate to me. I graduated on the Honor roll.
The teachers at Skyline night school had the biggest impact on my life. They helped me
to believe in myself, made me believe that I could do anything when someone believes in you.
This made me believe that one day I would be able to fulfill my dream to teach. I think that is
why I like Special Ed. In our district we also help the students that need just a little extra help.
We get to visit classes that some kids are struggling with, and help them give them that little
push that they need to believe in themselves. I love to be able to help boost their self-confidence
and to let them know that we all believe in them. I want to be a teacher who has a positive
influence in the students lives. I want to be the kind of teacher that impacts students



Lives, like the ones who did mine. I feel that because these teachers believed in me, I could
become anything I wanted.
Work History
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When I was thirteen years old, my grandfather built and opened a restaurant. I went to
work there after school and on weekends. The great thing about this was that it was a family
owned business and quite successful. I grew up working with my grandparents, my aunts, my
mom, and many of my cousins. I was of course too shy to wait tables at this point, so my
grandfather taught me how to cook. I have many fond memories of this time in my life. And to
this day I still love to cook. I worked there until I was eighteen and had another job offer. I went
to work at a place called Idaho Barber and Beauty. This was a supply house that carried
everything you can imagine, we sold hair products to salons and Barber shops. This was a great
experience for me and I met and made a lot of great friends while working there. I worked there
for 13 years.
In 2001 while on my way to take my two kids to daycare, and then go to work, the three
of us were in a horrible car accident. A pickup did a U-turn in front of us and us T-boned him
doing sixty-five mph. That day changed the rest of my life. My son who was two almost three
was hurt very badly, and could have lost him. My Daughter that was four and a half was hurt but
not as badly as her brother. I had several broken bones and had to have four surgeries. We were
laid up for quite a while. I stayed home for the next four years and raised my kids until all of the
physical and mental pain was gone. This is when I started working at the three schools where we
live, and at this point I knew I still wanted to teach and make a difference in peoples lives. The
school I work at now is an elementary/ middle school, in a small town with a population of about
750 people. I drive school bus in the mornings and afternoons, and work in the classroom all day.
I know all most every student in our district and feel very blessed to be able to go to work every
day loving what I am doing. I am so thankful that my kids have grown up and attended school in
a community that is so united. They love school and have made so many good friends.
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I think that the variety of jobs that I have worked, has helped me over come so
many fears I had as a child. Working with these kids in the middle school and elementary school
is something that I have always dreamed of doing, now my next dream is going to be to have a
classroom of my own, to be the best teacher I can be, and make an impact in these kids lives. I
feel that the struggles that I had growing up will help me to be a better more understanding
teacher. Although some days are totally exhausting, I know that tomorrow will always be better,
and what I dont teach these children they will teach me, I learn something new from these
children every day.

Reasons for Choosing Education as a Career
Since childhood I have wanted to be a teacher, I have always wanted to make a difference
in someone elses life. It has took me most of my adult life to start to accomplish this dream. I
am working as a paraprofessional in Special Education now, my goal every day is to be a great
role model for these children, to help give them the self-confidence they need to succeed, and to
be someone they trust and look up to. I hope that I can make as much of an impact in their lives
as they do mine. I find nothing more satisfying than working with children.
When I was hired on as a paraprofessional in Special Education, a coworker of mine not
only made a huge impact in these childrens lives but also mine. As I watched Ms. Melony with
these kids I knew that I wanted to be the kind of teacher that she was. I learned so much from
this wonderful lady, about so many things that affect these kids in the Special Education room,
from behavior issues and how to handle them, to how important it is to boost their self-
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confidence with a few positive words. Many children with whom we work with do not have a
good home life, and I want to be someone who can make a difference in these kids lives.
Service and/or Extracurricular Activities
At this time I am not involved in any extracurricular activities or service. I am a single
mother of two teenagers that are very involved at school. My daughter is a senior and also cheer
captain, my son is a sophomore and plays football, basketball, and golf. I am working full time. I
find that there is very little time for much else right now. I do drive school bus for our district, so
on occasion I do get to take a trip and support our school kids in what they are doing, whether it
be football, basketball, cheer, or just a field trip with our younger school kids.
Professional Goals
My professional goals is to finish getting my teaching certificate and specializing in
Special Education. I hope to achieve this goal in the next couple of years. I would love to be able
to stay in our school district to do my student teaching, and continue to work with these
wonderful kids that I already work with. I have lived in this small town Ririe Idaho for the last
eighteen years and love calling it home, so my long term goal is hopefully to have my own
classroom in this district for many years to come. I would love to start and finish my career in
this school district and community.






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