Savannah Bakker

5th Grade – Bon Air Elementary School

Spring 2020
 Professional Portrait

 Resume (PDF will be uploaded separately)

 Autobiography
 Educational Philosophy
 Professional and Personal Development
Plan
 Savannah Bakker

Autobiography

When I was younger, I had the same typical, childish dreams like everybody else. I

started out with wanting to be a veterinarian but quickly realized that seeing anything resembling

blood made me queasy. I later decided that a dolphin trainer at Sea World was the way to go…

Nope. As I have grown and matured, I have started to realize what I am truly passionate about,

and that is teaching. I love working with children, and I always enjoy watching people succeed,

which is ultimately my reason for wanting to teach. I have witnessed plenty of examples of what

teachers should and should not look like. I will use my experiences to determine which qualities

I should work on, in order to become the best teacher possible for my students. As I further my

education at Indiana Wesleyan University, I look forward to seeing what else I will learn, and

how I will continue to grow as a person.

I was born and raised in Grand Haven, Michigan. Grand Haven is a little town with just

under eleven thousand people. I live with my mom, dad, and brother. My parents both attended

universities in Michigan. My brother recently started his college career at Indiana Wesleyan, and

I am so excited to have a piece of home here with me. Even though there has not been a history

of teachers in my family, nobody was surprised when I decided that was the career I wanted to

pursue. I was a proficient, hard-working student, and I enjoyed school most of the time. I had my

fair share of senioritis and praying for snow days, but I have always considered school to be a

privilege and understood its importance in my life.

I am inspired by the teachers who were encouraging and engaging throughout my K-12

schooling. My high school was not much smaller than Indiana Wesleyan, which greatly helped
as I transitioned to college. I was timid during elementary and middle school, and I did not enjoy

doing anything too far out of my comfort zone. During high school, I became highly involved in

the choir and theatre programs, and as a result, I broke out of my shell. I was in five musicals,

two plays, many choir concerts, and sang two solos during my time in the high school, and each

performance added to my confidence. I met many amazing people, including my drama and

choir teachers, who were consistently encouraging and positive. Singing and acting are two of

my passions that have helped me grow into the confident, outgoing person that I am today. These

activities have shown me what it means to be part of a truly loving, supportive community,

which, therefore, led me to attend Indiana Wesleyan, and become part of a similar environment.

From the moment I first went on a retreat at Indiana Wesleyan, I knew this was where I

wanted to go. It was (and is) my dream school: kind people, small campus, great community, and

just far enough from home that I can be independent and meet new people. Also, Indiana

Wesleyan has an exceptional education program that is helping to prepare me for my career as a

teacher. If there is ever a moment in which I am trying to doubt my calling, there is always a

lecture, a professor, or a conversation that brings me right back to teaching.

I have always had a special love for children. Since the age of nine, I have been

babysitting for various families and serving in the children’s ministry at my church. Kids have so

much love and joy to give, and their level of enthusiasm brings me great happiness. As a future

teacher, it is essential that I have positivity and adaptability that is compatible with the constant,

high-energy of my students. Throughout my school experiences, I learned what kind of attributes

I want to have as a teacher. My students are going to look up to me, so it is crucial that I have

patience, love, and encouragement to give them. Being a teacher might be difficult at times, but I

look forward to the challenges and great moments that come along with the position.
 Savannah Bakker

Philosophy of Education

My mission as a teacher is to provide guidance and encouragement to my students, help

them thrive in their strengths and passions, and show them they are loved. Many influences have

led to my decision of becoming a teacher. I grew up with great mentors and teachers in the past

that encouraged me to pursue the career, and my strengths have led me to believe that I can be

successful. I feel an immense amount of joy when witnessing others grow and succeed. I want to

make an impact on my students and create an engaging environment in which they can learn.

Within the classroom setting, I consider structure and order to be extremely important. I believe

that teachers should continue to stress the core skills including reading, writing, and arithmetic.

The core skills are fundamental for student learning and development. However, additionally, I

think emphasizing the individuality of students plays a critical part in helping them learn.

Students need to gain the core knowledge, but in the way they learn best.

The role of an effective educator is to encourage, pursue, teach, advise, and mentor her

students. I believe that the responsibility of teachers is to keep tradition alive. A teacher should

influence her students to pursue discipline and hard work and enable them to gain the core

knowledge that is necessary for their success. The teacher should have an attitude of discipline

and be able to effectively teach a standard body of knowledge, yet also adapt the curriculum to

best meet the needs of her students. In addition, I also believe the best teachers encourage

personal responses from their students, and personal growth should be a primary focus of

education. A student should be able to gain the necessary knowledge in school, but also be able

to advance as a person. Emphasizing traditional values is crucial, but an excellent teacher should
also encourage her students to grow their individual skills and talents. By giving the children

opportunities to make their own choices, this can help with personal growth. A teacher can care

about the development of her students, but at the same time, care about the curriculum she is

teaching.

Along with the responsibilities of a teacher in the classroom, the students will also be

held accountable for classroom expectations. The students in my class will show respect and be

hard workers. I expect my students to give their full effort in everything that they do and always

try their best. My students will be encouraged to use their knowledge and communicate logically

and thoughtfully. The students in my class will have many responsibilities. They will have the

opportunity to make some of their own choices, but I will ultimately be there guiding them to

become well-rounded, intelligent individuals. I want my students to be mature, genuinely good

human beings, and I want them to have the desire to learn. This eagerness will be met by

allowing them to grow personally, but also instilling traditional values into the curriculum. My

students will acquire all of the necessary skills and be able to incorporate their unique learning

styles into the learning process.

The learning environment in my classroom will be fun yet goal oriented. I want to create

a loving, welcoming environment for my students. I think using engaging decorations is a great

way to keep students interested and keep them desiring to learn more. The classroom will look

colorful and vibrant, so ideally that will give the students a positive outlook on the material they

are learning. A class environment must have the ability to make students excited about gaining

more knowledge to be considered effective. The room needs to be a warm, safe place for the

students to be. I will get to know my students and use what I learn to help me establish a

classroom environment tailored to suit their needs and interests.

 Parents involving themselves in the education of their child is essential. They do not have

to do an excessive amount, but even trying to stay involved in the little elements can make a big

difference. Parents can keep connected in the education of their child by attending parent-teacher

conferences, staying updated online, and reviewing the letters that are sent home with their child.

I think that if parents take part in the education, that involvement can serve as an encouragement

to the student. The student will then be receiving support both in and out of the classroom.

Effective teachers should be able to keep parents and guardians involved and connected with

what has been going on at the school. The updates will enable the adults to help and guide their

children at home, which gives students the opportunity to learn whether or not they are in the

classroom.

My educational beliefs will play a critical role in how I manage my classroom. By

allowing my students to have some decision in how they learn, they will be encouraged to have

self - discipline. While maintaining my class, I will be strict when necessary. However, I will

also be kind and loving, so I appear approachable and safe if a student needs me. As an educator,

I will enforce the rules in my classroom and have expectations for my students. I want to teach

my students how to be responsible. Therefore, they will be held accountable for following the

rules. Responsibility is an asset that will be necessary for students throughout their entire lives.

Being responsible is one of the core skills that will come in handy for their future and could

potentially get them a job someday. If a teacher has a set of rules that her students are required to

follow, they will be more likely to focus on their learning, because they will be gaining self-

discipline and other assets to keep them on-track.

As a teacher, I will encourage my students to learn the core skills but discover more

about themselves in the process. I believe in teaching students the traditional, primary material
and skills, but also allowing them to grow personally. The classroom is a place where students

should feel safe to explore their interests as well as the curriculum they are being taught. I want

my students to enjoy learning and grow into well-rounded people. I will enable my students to be

responsible, respectful, and devoted. An effective teacher should transfer knowledge, as well as

develop an attitude of self-awareness and personal growth in her students.

 Savannah Bakker

Professional and Personal Development Plan

Throughout my daily life, setting and following through with my goals is always

something that I strive to do. Sometimes I find myself anxious about what the future holds, but I

still like to look ahead and set goals for myself to achieve in the years to come. Professionally, I

have many goals I would like to achieve in the next five years, and the years that follow. Ideally,

after graduation, I will accept a full-time teaching position. I plan on moving back to Michigan

so I can be around my family in the upcoming years, so hopefully I will find a job near my

hometown. After teaching for a few years, I want to pursue a Master’s degree to continue

growing as a professional. Since I am not sure exactly where I will end up, it is difficult to plan

specific goals regarding my professional life, but the ultimate goal is to end up wherever God

calls me to!

When it comes to my personal life, there is a wide range of goals that I have in place.

Eventually I would like to get engaged and married, as one of my biggest goals in life is to be a

mom. However, since that goal is not in my immediate future, I am going to get a puppy to keep

me company. After graduation I will be living with my parents while I search for jobs and get on

my feet. Eventually, I would like to be able to pay for an apartment or house, so I can live on my

own and gain some independence. I love my family more than anything, so I hope to live near

them for as long as I can, yet still be independent as I take on my new opportunities. Above all,

my biggest personal goal is just to be happy, whatever that looks like.