Running head: AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY 1

Autobiographical Essay

Tayzia E. Stark

Professor Carol Billing

EDUC 120 Foundations of Education

Spring 2018
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Introduction

I can still remember the names of my favorite teachers and how they impacted me. My

most memorable experiences in school were little things, that to some may not seem important.

Their positive influence on me has shown me how important every interaction you have with a

child may be. By following their examples, I hope I can make the same type of positive impact

on my future students.

Educational Background

My schooling began in West Jordan, Utah at Terra Linda Elementary School. The only

year I attended school there was Kindergarten. After Kindergarten, my parents divorced, so my

mother, older brother, and I moved to Boise. I attended White Pine Elementary School for my

first and second grade years. My mother was dating a gentleman from Meridian at the time, but

because of the hardships a single mother faces, the three of us moved in with my grandparents,

back in Riverton, Utah. It was in Riverton that I spent a year at Rosemond Elementary. My

mother and her boyfriend in Meridian were married, so once we finished that school year, we

packed up again and moved in with my stepfather in Meridian. I spent my last two years of

elementary school at Meridian Elementary and continued to go on to Meridian Middle School

and Meridian High School. I graduated from Meridian High School in 2010, and because of

certain circumstances, I put off college and joined the workforce.

I almost always earned good grades in school, but it did not come easily for me. Having

been diagnosed with epilepsy at just a year and a half old, I struggled with memory problems,

social issues, and would have hundreds of absence seizures every day. This would cause me to

miss a large portion of my lessons, as well as causing me to be very shy out of embarrassment

from my staring spells. However, I did not let that get in the way of my education. I was eager
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to learn and as my seizures decreased, I picked up on things more easily. Because of my hard

work, most of my teachers were very supportive and often used my exceptional work as

examples.

Years of appointments paid off; by the age of 12, I was officially declared seizure-free.

By then, I was ahead in math and was placed in Honors English. My mother and many of my

teachers had supported and helped me. I want to be able to do the same for other children going

through similar struggles.

A few months after high school, I had been in a car accident, which caused my seizures

to reoccur, this time they were worse. Instead of the absence seizures, I began having grand mal

seizures. Although they did not occur daily, they were unpredictable. Every time I had one I

would lose random bits, as well as the last few weeks of my memory. I felt there was no reason

to start schooling again until my seizures were under control. So finally, eight years later, I have

begun my college career. I am 25 now and just beginning college. My seizures are under

enough control that I am now confident college is possible. I know it may take me awhile to

relearn the skills I once had but I know that if I work hard, just like I did in school in the past,

achieving my goals will be possible.

Work History Service and/or Extracurricular Activities

Because I have long dreamed of becoming a teacher, I took a teaching course in high

school that allowed me to get some in-class experience as a teacher’s aide. For the last two

hours of school every day in my junior and senior years of high school, I went to Chief Joseph

Elementary School in Meridian to assist in a first-grade classroom. There, I gained experience

with one-on-one teaching, and occasionally instructing the entire class. One student had very

severe ADHD. It was difficult for him to accomplish any of his work because no matter how
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hard he tried, he could not stay focused. Because of this, it reflected in his grades, he felt he was

not as smart as the other children, and he had almost completely given up on his work. Part of

my daily assignment became helping this child complete his work. After trying different

strategies, I discovered that he could accomplish much more if I let him “get his wiggles out”

between questions on his worksheets. By understanding his specific needs, I was able to

increase his confidence, and not only did he begin to accomplish more of his assignments, but he

also began to socialize more with the other children. Although there were difficult moments, I

absolutely loved it and this experience made me one hundred percent certain that teaching was

my passion.

A few years later, I started working at a daycare. I worked my way up from assisting to

having my own classroom, where I oversaw the two-year-olds. I was expected to plan art

projects, conduct lessons through stories, flashcards, and songs, potty-train, and ensure a safe

indoor and outdoor environment for activities. I taught them manners and early preschool basics.

They taught me about patience, persistence, and the power of a good nap.

I have also worked at two restaurants, in sales, and in retail. These experiences have

shown me two things: that children are a lot more fun to be around, and that a lot of adults throw

much worse temper tantrums than most children.

Ethical Reasoning in Education

In my ninth-grade science class, we were asked to write a research paper about

electromagnetic radiation. It was one of our bigger assignments for the semester and something I

had spent quite a bit of time researching. Our teacher told us not to cite our sources. He had said

that he would know if we were making up information and that he did not want to bother with a

works cited page because it was a pain to grade. Because of his laziness, he basically told us he
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was okay with us plagiarizing and not giving credit to the original authors of the information we

used. Indeed, creating a works cited page can be a bit of a pain, but not giving credit to my

sources felt wrong. I went ahead and made a works cited page. This aligns with the virtue ethics

philosophy which states that in any situation, a person should do what is virtuous. Although I

was offered the easy way out, I was uncomfortable with doing what I knew to be wrong.

Reasons for Choosing Education as a Career

I initially considered a teaching career when I was in elementary school. I often

imagined myself teaching certain projects and activities we did in class that I loved. I thought it

would be wonderful to get to share these projects and my own ideas with students in my own

classroom someday. When I would read a book I loved, I wanted to share it with everyone, and

once again, would find myself imagining reading it to my class. I would think of projects and

games that would fit with these stories. Often I thought of how awesome it would be to get to

plan and teach them. What could be more wonderful than sharing my favorite books and ideas

and using them to teach others?

I continued to think this way through most of my years in school. Exceptional teachers

inspired me to be as great as they were, while incompetent teachers motivated me to be better.

No matter what other careers I considered, I always came back to teaching. For a while I wanted

to build a nonprofit organization that would help people who had been through traumatic

experiences by providing counseling and a safe, welcoming environment. The more I thought

about it, I realized that not only would teaching be a more realistic goal, but it would also bring

me more satisfaction and fulfillment. I briefly considered taking a job as the manager of a fine

jewelry store. Having worked there for a couple of years, I had been told multiple times that

they were interested in moving me up in the company. They offered to promote me to assistant
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manager, with the intention of training me to be running my own store within a year. It was not

something I really wanted to do, but it would pay quite a bit more than teaching and it was

convenient. I would not have to go to college and obtain student loan debt. I knew how much

some of these managers made, which made it even more tempting. I accepted the assistant

manager position, ready to start my management training. The following months were rough. I

knew that management would be stressful, and I could handle that, but what made it so difficult

was that it made me realize I had no desire to manage a jewelry store. It made me feel like I was

stressing for nothing, because what I was working toward would not make me happy. Finally, I

decided to give up the position. I thanked my bosses for the opportunity, but told them this

experience made me realize that even for the large pay increase, I was not willing to give up

teaching.

Most jobs are about showing up so that you can receive a paycheck, but teaching is so

much more than that. I gave up a higher paying job because I have always felt that teaching was

my calling. Some children do not have a great life outside of school and I want them to know

they always have at least one person willing to listen. Hopefully I can make them feel safe

enough that they will come to me if they need anything. I get to brighten their rough days,

educate them, and prepare them for their futures.

Professional Goals

I plan on transferring to Boise State University in about two years to finish my bachelor’s

degree in education. To get there, I am currently working on my associate’s degree at College of

Western Idaho. Once I have obtained my degrees, I plan on getting a job as an elementary school

teacher, preferably in fourth grade. I feel as though in order to be the best teacher I can possibly

be, I also need to be the best student I can be. Through study, hard work, and dedication, I can
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prepare myself to be successful in my teaching career. Once I have my bachelor’s degree and

begin teaching, I plan to continue my schooling to achieve a master’s degree in education.

My main goal is to become the teacher that students need. I plan on teaching in a manner

that is fun, but informative. The activities children enjoy are often the ones that stick with them

longest. I feel that if I provide them with a fun and informative atmosphere, they are more likely

to remember the things that I have taught them. Being a teacher whose class they enjoy, they are

more likely to feel that they can come to me with concerns, when they need help, or when they

simply need somebody to listen.

For now, I plan on finishing the semester, and the rest of my time at CWI, with a GPA of

at least 3.5. I study hard and complete all the extra credit assignments I can in order to achieve

higher grades. This fall, I intend to begin to assist and substitute in elementary school

classrooms to start practicing and becoming comfortable in a teaching role. By the time I have

my degrees and it is time to start searching for a job, I will feel confident, have experience on my

resumé, and be a familiar face to the staff at the schools I apply to.

I do not believe teaching is just a job. It is a way to inspire others while constantly

learning and growing myself. Many people choose their careers because of the money, however,

if it were all about the money, teaching is not the career I would choose. Teaching is about

preparing our children for success. They are the future after all.