Running head: AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY 1

Autobiographical Essay

Mailea Huber

Instructor: Dr. Egbert

EDUC 201: Foundations of Teacher Education

Autobiographical Essay
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Through having an understanding of various cultures, as well as the experience of

working with adults and young kids, I hope to cultivate a deeper and more realistic

understanding of the benefits of teaching.

Educational Background

I attended elementary and secondary school in Colombia, Kansas, South Korea, and

Idaho. I also attended secondary school in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Italy. Throughout school I

have attended honors or Advanced Placement classes which allowed me to be eligible for

certains programs such as National Junior Honor Society and other programs specific to my

schools. While attending high school in Italy, I discovered my passion for teaching. The assistant

volleyball coach for the team I played on was an elementary school technology teacher. Since I

had a close relationship with her she allowed me to come into her classroom during class times

and observe and take notes. Throughout the year she allowed me to help facilitate lesson plans.

Since the school I attended was a small, private international school, I had the opportunity to

help teach students from all different nationalities and cultures which was a learning experience

for myself. I learned a lot about the views of different cultures from a younger, less prejudiced

perspective. This was an interesting experience because it was a contrast to my normal daily life.

Students in high school, and even middle school, have preconceived ideas about other cultures

mainly due to their parents or social media, however, younger students do not normally realize

the differences between cultures and see others for who they are rather than where they come

from. The common language at the school was English, however, many of the elementary

students often struggled with English since it was their second or third language. It was

intriguing for me to observe the students who spoke different languages find common words or
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hand gestures to understand the other. All of those experiences have led me to solidify my

decision to become an elementary school teacher.

I am currently working towards an Associates Degree at the College of Southern Idaho.

After CSI, I plan on transferring to Idaho State University to attain a Bachelor's degree. After

which, I plan on applying to become a Department of Defense teacher. DoDEA stands for

Department of Defense Education Activity, which means I will be teaching on any military base

around the world. This is something I aspire to do since I love and am familiar with the military

lifestyle. I will be able to continue to travel and expand on my knowledge of other countries

through teaching students of all different backgrounds.

Aside from the content of subjects I have learned through schooling, the education of

various ethnicities and cultures I have attained throughout my life has contributed to my

development as an educator. It is helpful to have at least a basic understanding of other cultures

and nationalities in order to eliminate any possible prejudiced or preconceived ideas that could

affect teaching students that do not share one’s same culture. Since means of travel are becoming

even more efficient and with certain worldwide events that are occuring it is more common than

ever for there to be many different students of various backgrounds in one classroom. This is

why it is becoming even more essential for teachers to exemplify acceptance and respect in order

to teach other students to appreciate differences rather than fear them.

Work History

In Italy, I was not able to be employed by the government since I did not have a working

visa. However, I was a nanny for multiple families with young children. My high school allowed

me to help coach middle and elementary school teams in which I gained . After coming to the
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United States I received a job at a country supply store which allowed me to experience a

lifestyle in which I was not previously familiar with.

As a nanny I was responsible for the kids throughout the day which required cooking,

cleaning, entertaining, and many other responsibilities that follow children. As a coach I was

responsible for navigating a way for the kids to actively work together and find solutions to a

common goal in order to succeed. As a worker at D&B Supply I am required to be able to

converse with others in a professional yet pleasant way. I also have to practice honesty and

integrity since I am constantly handling money.

From working at D&B Supply I have learned about a lifestyle I have never been familiar

with before. I have lived in big cities for the majority of my life so learning about the Western

lifestyle is really new to me. Growing up in the military, I have moved every two or three years

which makes it really easy for me to adapt to new places with a positive attitude. Being able to

learn and adapt to different lifestyles and places is something that has contributed to my

development as an educator and will benefit me in the future. From being a nanny, I was able to

learn patience which will be necessary as an elementary school teacher. Since many of the kids I

was a nanny for were ages of the kids I will be teaching in the future, it was a major learning

experience to see how kids react to various situations. It is critical to understand that becoming a

teacher is not going to be easy but will be challenging trying to find different solutions to a

plethora of situations.

Service and/or Extracurricular Activities

Many of the extracurricular activities I participated in were various sports. I played field

hockey, volleyball, basketball, softball, and track throughout high school. Since I always played
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three sports during the school year I had to be able to manage my time in order to not only get

good grades but to be eligible to participate. Time management is something that I am still

working on today and is critical in any career, especially teaching. Being able to see the various

dynamics of each sport and how one has to accomodate to the needs of the team in order to

succeed was another learning experience in how to work as a team. Since I played more than one

sport I was not only required to understand the sport but how the team as a whole can affect the

overall achievement. I enjoyed playing sports not only because of the physical benefits but since

I was captain for over half of them I was able to practice being in a leadership position. Being

able to understand and work through pressure while attempting to motivate the rest of the team is

something that will benefit me through my future career. Being able to work and succeed under

pressure is critical for any career since there will always be stressful situations that one will have

to work through. Through sports I was hoping to achieve a sense of teamwork and cooperation

with others through discovering a common goal.

Aside from sports, I became an English teacher at a Refugee center called The Friendship

Center located in Rome, Italy. This was a place where refugees could come in order to learn

necessary languages and skills to acquire employment of any sort. Aside from necessary skills, it

was a safe haven where they could go to relax and unwind from the weeks stressors. This was

not only a teaching experience since I practiced teaching my language to those who had not

previously known english, but it was a very humbling experience. I was able to hear about

traumatic stories and situations that made me feel very grateful and privileged for the life I have

lived. This is something that has benefitted me through realizing the things I need to be grateful

for and will continue to benefit me through realizing material things are not happiness. After

meeting some of the happiest people who had little to nothing, I realized that many people get so
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caught up in price tags and name brands and do not realize what they have to be grateful for.

This will benefit me in my career since it has allowed me to appreciate not only any place I live

but has allowed me to realize that one of the key values I want to teach to my students is respect

and appreciation which I hope will further benefit the community.

As an English teacher, I hoped to give knowledge to those in order for them to be able to

sustain themselves. As for volunteering, I hoped to not only help others, but to gain an

understanding of a world outside of my own.

Reasons for Choosing Education as a Career

I have always wanted to be a teacher, however, I first seriously considered it as a career

option my Senior year of high school. I decided to become a teacher because I love spending

time with children and I want to feel as though I am making even the slightest difference in one’s

life. I love how kids are innocent and have pure intentions. There have been other careers that I

have previously considered, such as Dental Hygiene and Nursing, however, neither appealed to

me the way teaching always has. I have observed both occupations facilities, but neither had the

type of environment or the rewards that I was searching for. As I previously explained my

experiences, I love how kids do not notice the differences between their peers. They do not

understand socioeconomic status’ or differences of cultures or nationalities which allows them to

be more accepting towards others.

Professional Goals

I hope to demonstrate respect, but also an understanding of other cultures as well as

emphasize the importance of an open mine. I also hope to allow students to realize the
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importance of honesty and integrity. I do not anticipate many rewards from this career, however

since I hope to be working with children I want to make even the smallest difference.

As for short term goals, I want to succeed this semester in order to further pursue my

desired career. In order to ensure this happens I will have to continue to practice much time

management and control. Within the next few years I hope to become an elementary school

teacher and further apply and, hopefully, get accepted after applying to the DoDEA system.

After becoming a teacher, I hope to inspire their desire to learn as well as accept others

and respect the unknown. I hope I will not only make a difference in the lives of kids, but I hope

to allow kids to feel as though school is a safe and comfortable environment that they can trust

and confide in.

I want students to not only gain an understanding and knowledge of subjects, but I want

to increase their knowledge of other cultures through my own experiences. I want to build on the

experience I have had and open my own mind more to what the children can teach me.