Teaching Autobiography 

I’ve always enjoyed helping my students realize the potential that they have, celebrating student 
accomplishments and having fun while doing so! The moment that defined that I knew I wanted to pursue a career in 
education was when I was a senior in high school, spending about an hour of my morning each day in a Preschool 
classroom in my hometown. One specific child with autism was having a hard time forming letters, specifically the 
last letter in his name, “s.” Several teachers and paraprofessionals had tried to help this student, but he was only 
becoming more frustrated. I went over to a box of toys on a shelf in the classroom and picked out a small race car. I 
brought them over to the table where the student was sitting, grabbed a piece of paper, and drew a large “s” on it. I 
traced the “s” on the paper with the race car, explaining to the student that it was just like a “curvy road.” When I 
asked the student to drive the race car on the curvy road, I followed by asking him if he could draw the letter “s” on 
his own paper and pretend his pencil is the race car. When the student wrote the letter, many of us had a 
mini-celebration. Being a part of this small learning experience was so empowering and enlightening. I immediately 
knew that I wanted to pursue teaching, and from there on, I set a goal to have my own classroom someday. I later 
went on to spending an hour of each morning in a second grade classroom in the same school. I found a love for 
expanding the minds of those students! During this time, I also became the Personal Care Assistant for the young 
preschool boy with autism. I held this position for three years until the services were no longer needed. I learned 
invaluable lessons from my experiences being a PCA, which only makes me look forward to expanding my students’ 
knowledge and get excited for all the “ah-ha” moments that lie ahead.  

In college, I worked in day cares and nannied often. When I graduated from Rochester Community and 
Technical College with my Associates Degree, I was accepted to the Winona State University-Rochester Elementary 
Education K-6 program. We started clinical experiences the very first semester of junior year. In the first year of the 
two year program, I had teaching experiences at Jefferson Elementary, Riverside Elementary, Bluff View Elementary, 
Pinewood Elementary and Gage Elementary. In my second year of the program, I had teaching experiences at 
Riverside Elementary, Sunset Terrace Elementary, Dover-Eyota Elementary, Bluff View Elementary, 
Zumbrota-Mazeppa Elementary, and Pine Island Elementary. During my senior year, I completed six weeks of 
student teaching in a first grade placement in Rochester and completed ten weeks of student teaching in a fourth 
grade classroom in Mazeppa. The experiences I had taught me that every school is different and has their own 
atmosphere. The variety of teaching placements gave me an abundance of classroom, instruction, and teaching 
ideas. Participating, co-teaching, and lead teaching in a variety of classrooms allowed me to try new things and 
practice my teaching style. I am grateful for all of the opportunities and cooperating teachers I was able to learn 
from! 

I look forward to giving my future students unique and authentic learning experiences, that will help them 
grow as individuals as well as learners. My goal is to create a classroom where students walk in feeling welcomed, 
loved, important, and safe. I find high importance in creating relationships with each of my students to build a trust 
in which they can feel comfortable expressing themselves and their passions while being a part of my class. I 
envision myself helping students overcome obstacles using skills that they are able to apply to the rest of their lives. I 
await all the memories I will make with my students over the years, and even after they leave my classroom, each 
student will forever hold a special place in my heart.