Breanne Beatty

ED 3505 D
17/09/2019

WHAT DO I BRING TO THE PARTY?

I have always loved school, the passion for learning has been there ever since I can

remember. I enjoyed reading, and still do. It is something that has always relaxed me, and let me

escape from reality for a few minutes, or hours, each day. The sciences are another subject that

have particularly peaked my interests; biology and chemistry especially. I was very privileged to

be able to share these passions in a few ways, the first being in high school leadership class. I

had the opportunity to go into a local elementary school during all three years of high school, and

share the love and importance of literacy. We helped support the Calgary Reads initiative by

working one-on-one or in small groups with kindergarten to grade 3 students each week. It was

very rewarding seeing the improvement week to week, and the excitement that came with us

entering their class. The second most impactful moment was sharing the research I took part in

during various conferences over the past year. With this came the opportunity, not only to share

what I have been learning, but also gaining experiences public speaking. These experiences have

helped reaffirm that I want to be pursuing a career in this profession, and has allowed me to gain

valuable experience sharing my passion for learning, reading, and science with others of various

ages, education levels, and interests.

Another attribute that I possess, and believe will be a good skill to have as a teacher is

empathy, and patience. I have not always possessed these qualities to the level I have today.

Rather it has been something to continuously grow over time. I have worked with special needs

youth and adults for the past five years. My first occurring during high school, then through my

job for the past three years. Through working I have experienced many unique situations, many

challenging, and many more rewarding. This job has pushed limits, and has taught me many
 Breanne Beatty
ED 3505 D
17/09/2019
valuable lessons. My level of patience has increased drastically, the amount of empathy, and my

ability to calmly assess a situation has also increased. I think the most valuable thing I learned

from this job has been how to listen. Advice in many situations may not even matter, but what

matters to others is if they feel heard or not. That has been something that has been a work in

progress, as many people’s first reaction is to try to find a solution to whatever problem is being

faced. Through experience I know that just the process of listening can sometimes be enough, or

even what people prefer.

The last attribute that I will be discussing today is regarding inclusion. Inclusion in

schools is very important to me. It gives unique opportunities each day to learn more, grow more

as a person, and practice skills needed in day to day life. A lot of schools I went to growing up

did not value this idea to the same degree. There was a lot of separation, not just during class, but

even in classroom location at the school. During my ED 2500 practicum I was able to witness a

much more inclusive set up in classrooms, and fell in love watching the student-student

interactions and student-teacher interactions. I hope to be able to emulate the same things I saw

in that grade 4 classroom, in my future classrooms and jobs.

There are many other traits, or experience I could discuss that lead me to where I am

now, and what makes me believe that I will succeed with the profession I plan to pursue. There

are also many things that I would like to further work on. I feel that teachers are forever learners.

They grow as people and as educators with each student that comes into their lives. I feel that

with the passion, empathy and patience, and fundamental beliefs that I have, that I will not only

enjoy this profession, but also be good at it. I also look forward to every opportunity that I will

have to add on to my collection of skills to better my self both personally and as an educator.
Breanne Beatty
ED 3505 D
17/09/2019