Getting to know ME

Charity Dodge
College of Southern Idaho
 Getting to know ME
Within any life there are times where you learn, grow, develop, and shine. With the good
there comes bad, I like to not dwell on all the bad life has to offer. Instead be the optimist of the
generation and always look for that silver lining. I have learned, grown, and failed. In the years
of my life I have been able to continue to grow and learn every day and hope that I will continue
too. There have been struggles and times where life had held me under the water, there have
been times that I have fought to breath, and times that I was sky high ready for whatever new
experience was thrown this way. This is where you can see where and how I developed.
Educational Background
I attended both elementary and high school in the small town of Mountain Home. While in
school I attended many activities and took part of my fair share of them. Within school I was on
the debate team, ran and threw in Track and Field, enjoyed playing volleyball and softball. This
is where I learned, there is no I in team. As I continued into high school, I became serious about
where and what I would go to college for. This led me to the College of Southern Idaho, which
gives me the time and flexibility to continue my work as a paraprofessional. I am currently a
freshman in college here and plan to continue through till graduation at this school. With
working as a paraprofessional already in the school district I am learning new and exciting
curriculum with the children I work with. While continuing my education I have been able to
grow and teach the children I already work with better. I have already made changes to how I
react and teach. No child is the same and the way that they learn are as different as they are, they
can’t be clumped together and taught the same way. Doing this will cause stress and the idea that
they are failing, while in all reality you are the one failing by not teaching in a way that they can
learn. Which is why I am choosing to go a step farther and learn to teach in different ways so I
can teach in a manor that they will be able to learn.
Work history, Extracurricular activities, and service
While attending college, I work within the Mountain Home school district as a
paraprofessional. I can work one-on-one with a child who has needs that cannot be met by a
teacher as they have 15+ students that they work with at one time. I can also work with a group
of students that have those same need. Some of the children I work with have behaviors that I
have to watch for and help them through when they do happen. While other students have
medical issues that play a role in their lives that need monitoring while they are at the school. I
have to identify which is which and have a relationship that they can trust and feel like they are
safe as they would be if they were with their parents. On the off time that I have, I like to work
with the local Speech and Debate team. While there I help with reading and watching speeches. I
have been tossed into practicing a few debate rounds and helping judge on the weekend of the
tournaments. This is both rewarding because I am helping the future of the nation, but also
because they teach me something new every day that I work with them. In the community of
Mountain Home, we have a few organizations that I have donated too, but I also watch for areas
where they can help families in need. Being a foster parent I know how hard it is when life gets
tossed around and it is helpful to know that there are people that you can reach out to so that you
can have the help that you need, for what ever situation you are in.
Ethical Reasoning in Education
I strive to follow the six characteristics of ethical teaching by doing this I feel that any
student, colleague, or parent will feel more comfortable. In hopes that students will see that I am
not a supreme being, but instead just a caring person trying to teach and help them develop to
their full potential. I will continue to learn and grow as a person and a educator, weather it means
learning a new language, or speaking in a way that they will understand, I learned ASL, to be
able to connect better to students at a younger age. I have an understanding that hardships fall on
everyone, even children so its not always “tough love” that they need. They need someone to
understand and to care about how and why they are feeling the way that they are. I have a cool
head and patience that outstands even some of the tougher children, by reasoning and explaining
why we are doing what we are doing helps them to know that I can see the struggle and am
working to fix this with their help.
Considerations for an Educational career
I was in second grade when I fell in love with the idea of being a teacher one day. I was
surrounded by staff and teacher that did nothing but support and tell me that I could do anything.
I got serous about teaching when I had my first son. He gave me a sense of “I have to do better
for him” that is when I got my paraprofessional certificate. While I did that and fell into a deeper
love of teaching I knew, this is what I was meant to do for the rest of my career. When my
second son joined the group, I knew it was time to buckle down and get to work on my dream, so
that one day I could tell both of them that anything is possible if you really want it. I have the
ability to see past the behaviors and find the underlying problem that the child is facing. Some
are as simple as they just need a break, other are the home life that the student is in that are the
best. I have the knowledge to bring different teaching styles to the classroom, and the ability to
know which of the students would greatly benefit from them. I have passion and a love that is
deeply seeded into my past that make me want to help and watch all the students succeed, mine
and others. I have learned and been trained to deal with different behavior and adaptations that
any number of children could have, and to watch for the signs of those so that they can be helped
in a timely manner that is important to their learning abilities.
Profession Goals
In a few short months I hope to be better serving the students of my community in any way
that I can and to have the knowledge to do so. By doing this I know that I can become a teacher
that they deserve and want. In the long term I hope to be able to serve the children of my
community by giving them a teacher that is passionate and cares about them not just as a whole
but individually as well. I am planning to graduate College of Southern Idaho and move on to a
degree in secondary education within a few years, while still teaching the community of children
now. I hope that I will be able to get a degree for teaching in a special needs class as well as in a
regular classroom, so that I have an understanding of both not just one or the other. By doing this
I know that I can make an impact of the lives of the children and give parents a trust that their
children are getting the best education that they can.
In life there will always be someone who tells you, “You can’t”. I am working to become the
person to stand up and say, “I did”. I love working with the children in the Mountain Home
community and want to give back to them the amount of joy they have given me. I will be the
teacher that says, “You can do this, lets think of a way that will help you do it.” I am here to
learn, grow, and develop more for the needs of all the children that I have worked with and that I
will work with in the future.