My name is Cecelia Jackson and I have been attending Portland Community College

since fall of 2013. I am expected to graduate summer term of 2017. I was inspired to become an
educator through the instruction of my second grade teacher. In the past I was able to
volunteer in the life skills classroom at my high school for two and a half years. I also
volunteered as classroom assistance in the Migrant Summer School in 2015. For six months I
was a teacher at a Montessori school. It was all of these experiences that led me to this degree
program and in the hardest moments of achieving this degree these experiences kept me on
track of achieving my goals. I am currently in the process of completing my second practicum
and completing the last few courses for my program.

I have many goals within the field of education. Next fall I intend on becoming a tutor
for students with learning disabilities. I would like to be able to work with students four
evenings a week. This portfolio would be a great resource to show the parents of the children I
will be working with next year. After I get my bachelors degree in English and possibly an
education certificate from Portland State University I will think about becoming a Para
substitute and if I dont I will volunteer in a classroom. Then over the course of the next two
decades I will work on becoming a Para and achieving my masters degree in education. Im not
sure if I will get my masters degree in special education, but I definitely want to work with
students with special needs or English Language Learners.

In this portfolio, I have demonstrated my passion and dedication to the field of

education. I have showcased my best work, the areas where I have learned the most, and most
importantly the areas in which I need to improve. I have shared my beliefs on educational
principles such as student advocacy, informal assessment, and my focus on designing and
implementing effective lesson plans. I have never worked this hard for anything as I have
worked for this degree and the professional and personal development that I have obtained
with it. Developing this portfolio has been one of the most emotional and rewarding journeys I
have ever gone on and I very grateful for it.