Section Five: Teacher Candidate Reflection Guidelines

Introduction

This section; section five – Teacher Candidate Reflection of the MSED Elementary

Portfolio Project, will highlight both my professional teaching and student learning experiences

through in school and field observations throughout my time at Medaille College. Essentially,

this section will serve as a summary of my steps that were taken during my time completing my

MSED in Elementary Education, and which skills and values I have obtained throughout my

experience. I believe that each and every course, opportunity, and certification that I have

received from Medaille College has strongly streered me in the right direction regarding my

professional career in teaching. The section will be divided into four segments, starting with the

introduction, the portfolio/teacher education learning experiences, the readiness to become a

teacher, and finally, the conclusion.

Portfolio Project/Teacher Education Learning Experiences

I am very thankful to have been bestowed with the opportunity to attend Medaille

College’s MSED graduate program, as it has introduced me to so many pieces of knowledge

needed in order to excel in the field of education. The program revolved around grasping any

disparities and challenges in the modern educational realm, how to go about correcting and

improving teaching, comprehending perspectives and theorists that have strongly contributed to

education, and also training myself and my cohort in necessary contents such as DASA and the

child abuse seminar (TEAC Claim 3: Caring Educator). Another major learning opportunity that

Medaille has provided me with is to allow me to be in a teaching seminar that was featured

within a real school, in a real classroom, learning about students from the grades of kindergarten
to grade six. This position bestowed me with the opportunity to watch other educators actively

practicing their teaching skills with students in a respectful, appropriate, empathetic and

professional manner (TEAC Claim 2: Pedagogy, Best Teaching Practices for Diverse Learners;

TEAC Claim 3: Caring Educator). This has given me ideas for how to practice my own teaching

in my own future classroom – through the observation of others.

Finally, Medaille has taught me the necessary requirements and conditions that I need to

obtain in order to gain my teaching certification in both New York State and Ontario. Without

this guidance, my ability to become a teacher would not be possible.

During our first semester, we had been placed under a mandatory isolation due to

Coronavirus. As a result, our learning had to switch to digitalized platforms – which I credit

Medaille for truly looking after our cohort completely with. We had been placed in a technology

course during our second semester, which was extremely relevant to our present times. This

course introduced our cohort to programs that would allow for more creative, visually appealing,

and engaging lesson plans (TEAC Claim 1: Subject Matter). Some of these programs included

but are not limited to: Raz Kids, Near Pod, Kahoot, Screen-Cast-O-Matic, and Prezi. These are

programs and applications that I will certainly be able to utilize with future classes and will help

to enhance my lessons.

Moreover, these programs, which have been the go to platforms for presenting content to

students throughout this pandemic, have been noted to increase learning and improve reading

comprehension (Raz Kids). I believe that having a strong background in technology will help me

to modernize my teaching strategies and classroom, as in order to ensure that students are getting

the best possible education they can get, teaching strategies must be kept with the modern times.
 Further, the Special Needs course that we had been provided with during second semester

was one that I believe any teacher should take. As a former educational assistant, I understand

how each and every student has their own unique needs and how common it is for each

classroom to have at least one student with an IEP in place. In order to ensure that students are

receiving the best possible education, I believe it is critical to become comfortable and

knowledgeable with supporting students who have special needs as regular classrooms often

have many students that have IEPs (TEAC Claim 2: Pedagogy, Best Teaching Practices for

Diverse Learners). This includes differentiated learning, accommodations, modifications and

supports. In order to create an inclusive classroom, having such plans in place will make the

atmosphere more accommodating and set my students up for a stronger learning outcome.

Finally, I believe that it is critical to mention how the math and science courses prepared

me to become a better teacher. I have always found math to be quite intimidating, and I

understand that many students take this vision with it too. After taking this course, I believe that

I am prepared to create lesson plans for mathematics, science and even social studies efficiently

appropriately with no intimidation or fear attached to presenting them (TEAC Claim 1: Subject

Matter).

In conclusion, Medaille College has deeply prepped me to become a dedicated and

effective teacher, as the program has instilled ideologies and resolutions for challenges that may

arise in my teaching career. In order to prosper at a career, it is critical to be equipped with the

knowledge of how to react when something is not going on course with what was expected.

Additionally, I believe that the strategies and lessons that I have learned through Medaille

College has allowed me to become a more diverse listener and professional, as concepts such as

the Multiple Intelligences theory and Blooms Taxonomy have been instilled into my teaching
practices. Overall, I believe that Medaille has been the strongest guidance for me to become the

teacher that I am. I am truly thankful for all of the guidance and support that each professor has

provided me with.

Readiness to Become a Teacher

Looking back on my childhood, I recall dressing up in what I perceived to be teacher

attire and pretending to be a teacher to my cousins and friends. I had a mini chalk board and little

letters that I carried around with me always. Fast forward to 20 years later, and I am more than

ready to begin professionally teaching. My childhood dream had become a reality, as I have

taken the necessary steps in becoming trained to be the educator that I have always dreamed I

would be.

I have worked extremely hard in order to reach this finish line, with working three part-

time jobs during my undergraduate studies. As I entered my MSED at Medaille, I was working

full-time and part-time while also studying full-time in order to get towards my goal of becoming

certified as a teacher. This was not an easy accomplishment, but it was a priority as this is my

dream. I have dedicated months towards comprehending the curriculum and standards needed in

order to design appropriate subjects for specific grade levels. I have also observed diverse

methods of strategies for teaching students in the modern day classroom, based on the multiple

intelligences approach and other theories that have been taught to my cohort throughout my time

at Medaille. Essentially, I believe that if a person wants something, they will work towards

reaching their goal. This is something I certainly worked very hard for and am very proud to be

at the end.

In order to ensure that my students are well taken care of, I have strived towards creating

a collection of classroom management tools, which include but are not limited to: reward
systems, cup of terror, assigned seating, and movement breaks. This will help me to ensure that

my students will have a positive experience in the classroom while also optimizing their

learning. I also believe that through classroom management, I will be able to project on to

students what it means to self-regulate their emotions. For example, students in kindergarten may

not be able to comprehend sitting for long periods of time. Therefore, explaining to them that we

need to take a thirty second wiggle break to “shake out our sillies” will instill in them an early

understanding that sometimes sitting for long periods of time results in our bodies needing

movement in order to focus more. This is one example based on their age level, however, as my

students age, I will find alternatives that can be paired with their level of understanding.

Furthermore, I believe that it is critical to diversify both formative and summative

assessment techniques for my student (TEAC Claim 2: Pedagogy, Best Teaching Practices for

Diverse Learners). I believe that this is critical because each and every student has their own

unique set of strengths and weaknesses. In order to support each style, it is critical to allow

students to express themselves in options that are more comforting for them and also, allow them

to demonstrate their creativity. For example, a student who finds presentations nerve-wracking

may not be able to perform up to their full potential, as they may have a deep fear of public

speaking. They may shut down and not be able to remember what content they are attempting to

present to others. However, allowing this type of student to write out their thoughts or even to

create a sculpture or visual that explains their learning may be an assessment that they can excel

at. Essentially, I believe we must set our students up for victory, not for failure. And the most

effective way to do this is to build strong relationships with them in order to understand where

their anxieties, strengths, weakness, and hobbies are.

 Overall, I believe that these factors demonstrate my readiness to become a teacher. I am

equipped with the knowledge and background to design lesson plans, support students, and work

alongside other professional staff in the most appropriate, professional, and empathetic manner.

These are qualities that are not only necessary for teaching, but are necessary to create a peaceful

foundation within any school that I am working at.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I am a person with extremely strong morals and values regarding

education. These have been presented to me through my childhood, as many of my family

members are educators and teachers. These are morals that will not only strengthen my

classroom community, but will also echo on to other coworkers and friends. I also believe that

many of these morals and skills have been shaped by Medaille College.

I believe that through Medaille College’s MSED program, I have been introduced to

many teaching concepts and strategies that will not only allow me to be the best and most

appropriate teacher that I can be, but to also work well in a team and to interact with the parents

and guardians of my students. I comprehend that building a rapport with the families of my

students are critical in ensuring my pupils will reach their full potential. From the lessons that I

have learned through this program, I believe that I will carry on the drive to continue learning as

I embark on my journey with teaching. I will strive towards taking part in any professional

development activities and tasks, in order to continue improving and sharpening my skills.

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