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Autobiographical Essay

Morgan Smith

College of Western Idaho

EDUC 120 003W: Foundations of Education

Natalie Raass

April 13, 2020

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Autobiographical Essay

Becoming an educator wasn’t the first career I had in mind. I have always been around

young kids and loved teaching and mentoring them, however, I never thought about becoming a

teacher when I was older. I focused my high school career around the medical field with

intentions of becoming a Pharmacy Technician. When plans changed, I eventually realized my

desire for educating and steered myself back onto the intended path on becoming an educator.

Educational Background

The foundations of becoming a great teacher comes from prior educators. Most teachers

wouldn’t want to pursue the same career as the people they hate the most. One good teacher

could affect their student’s decision to become a teacher themselves. What I learned in my early

education made me want to follow the path of becoming an educator.

I lived two blocks away from my elementary school, Trail Wind, which was right in front

of my junior high, Les Bois. I was able to grow up with all my friends from elementary to junior

high as we made our way to high school. I attended Timberline High where I captained the Track

team and was a member of the Honor Society. Now I’m slowly working on my degree at CWI,

almost finishing my second year here.

I’d describe my schooling as very average. I turned in my homework, sat quietly in class

and raised my hand when I wanted to talk. I didn’t test myself much academically; I stuck with

what felt safe and what the school recommended to me. I was above average in math and

science, which meant I took slightly higher classes than a majority of my peers. The only unique

educational experiences I believe I had was Honor Society which is where I realized I enjoyed

helping the community.

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My education has impacted the development as a professional educator by showing me

that I like to share my knowledge with those around me. By helping my peers, I realized I

enjoyed watching their eyes light up when they finally understood a topic. I liked sharing my

interests with other people and helping them find interest in them as well. A lot of my past

teachers and professors have impacted me greatly because they’ve showed their passion for a

subject.

My education has taught me that if I’m not willing to put my heart into it, then it

shouldn’t be something I pursue. Teaching is something I could put more than my heart into it,

and that’s why I’m on the path to be an educator.

Work History and/or Extracurricular Activities

The most significant extracurricular I’ve been a part of for eight years is the Idaho Youth

Adaptive Sports Camp. Over the years my responsibilities have grown starting at being partnered

with an athlete and playing adaptive sports to helping athletes use the bathroom. I learned how to

control a variety of situations in regards to conflict management and creating a tight knit team

that can truly support each other. Athletes had to go learn to get out of their comfort zones and

try exercises they’ve never tried before. Sometimes they would be very nervous, but I learned to

adore the feelings of helping them conquer their fears and believe in themselves. Educators have

one of the greatest responsibilities to show their students their potential and how to positively

contribute to the community.

Since graduating high school five years ago, I’ve been working as a Paraprofessional

because of my newfound passion for Special Education brought on by the Adaptive Sports

Camp. As a Para, my supervisor gives me their IEP goals and I work individually with the
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students or in small groups to acquire data. This data helps my supervisor and the parents to

determine if their student is getting the correct benefits from our classroom. My job is to plan

lessons around their IEP goals and around other goals the parent’s want their student to reach. In

my groups we read and discuss stories or work through math problems like elapsed time and

counting coins. I also help with teaching my students social skills and helping them self-regulate

and act appropriately according to society. The goal of our classroom is to teach our students job

and life skills so they are able to be hired for a job when they graduate.

I didn’t know that working as a Para would spark a fire in my heart and show me that I

wanted to become an educator. My job has shown me how I act under pressure like when I have

three students having behavior problems. It taught me how I can take charge of a classroom and

be shown respect by my students. Being a Para in a high school has taught me how much

teenagers need someone they can trust and depend on when they need help.

Ethical Reasoning in Education

One educational ethical dilemma I’ve faced in the past was in regards to confidentiality

versus the schools rules that I worked at. I worked as a Paraprofessional and was in classes with

a few students with this general education student. Throughout her sophomore year she helped

my students in the class and I grew to be a mentor for her. At the start of her junior year she

came to my classroom and told me how she thought she was pregnant and was concerned. She

continued to come to my classroom and talk about how depressed she was, but asked me not to

tell the principal or her parents. Although I knew she would end up not trusting me anymore, I

had a meeting with her guidance counselor and the vice principal about her problems and

afterwards they notified her parents.

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A lot of teachers care about their students and their mental health. Students often come to

their trusted teachers with serious issues and expect them not to go to administrations. This can

put teachers in a sticky situation and forces them to choose between the student’s trust or the

school rules and students safety. It can also be hard to determine if going to administration will

help or cause the student to fall further into a dark state of mind.

By taking an egoistic approach to this ethical dilemma, a teacher could think about the

consequences they will face. In ethics, egoism is where a person acts in their own self-interest

and should only help others if it benefits them in some way (Shaver, 2019). If a teacher took this

approach their solution could involve going to authorities and telling them about this student’s

pregnancy scare and depression. Helping her would allow clear the teacher’s conscience if she

decided to harm herself because they weren’t getting the proper help they truly needed. The

teacher would save their skin and cover their bases if they passed the torch onto other adults who

could handle the situation more effectively and professionally according to the school rules. The

problem with this approach would be the lack of consideration for the student’s feelings. They

might feel unwanted if the teacher wouldn’t listen to her plea of confidentiality. She might

develop trust issues with her teachers and shut herself out from expressing her emotions and

problems.

Considerations for Choosing Education as a Career

I believe I should be a teacher in K-12. I enjoy the thought of helping students realize

their potential and working towards their academic goals. As a classroom teacher I can act as a

mentor, counselor and educator to new students every year. I’m able to manage a classroom,

however, if I was a principal I don’t know if I’d be able to manage an entire school. A classroom

of students has different politics than a whole school. As of now, I think my skill set is better
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fitted for a classroom setting. It’s hard for me to pick one subject to teach for the rest of my life,

so, unless I teach in Special Education, an elementary school classroom would be better for me.

It makes me excited to have my own classroom knowing that I can open my future students’

minds to different interests. I hope to get students interested in subjects they might’ve never

thought could be fun.

If I were to choose a different education path, I think I could be a counselor. A lot of

people need someone to listen to them, and children are no exception. Students go through a lot

of emotional changes and some need help navigating through them. Counselors also help older

students start to figure out where they want to be after they graduate high school. They take the

student’s passions and knowledges and help steer them into a future career they might enjoy. It

can be hard to go through school alone, and a counselor can be there if the students need a hand.

Other skills I have that are possibly better suited for other careers are my health and

wellness skills. I’ve coached high school students and I have skills to help people live a healthier

life through their mindset and their nutrition. I also know how to preform physical therapy type

activities that can help people who’ve sustained injuries try to gain mobility back. Occupational

and physical therapy could be other career paths I could take besides becoming an educator. A

teacher doesn’t have a lot of use for knowledge of physical and occupational therapy.

Professional Goals

Long term and short term goals are always in the back of my mind. I try to do as much as

I can to achieve my goals. Sometimes goals need to be reevaluated and my current goals are

geared mostly towards my professional life.

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My long term goals are centered on finishing my Associate’s Degree, receiving my

Bachelor’s Degree and my Master’s Degree. I’m currently finishing my second year at the

College of Western Idaho where I’ll receive my Associate’s for Elementary Education. The first

step to my goal is to graduate from CWI in spring 2021 and attend Boise State University for my

Bachelor’s Degree in fall 2021. I want to complete my Elementary Education and Special

Education K-8 degree from BSU. I would want to also receive my Master’s Degree from BSU if

possible. I would like to achieve these goals within the next five years. In order to ensure I reach

these goals within my five year time frame I intend to take as many credits as possible while still

working full time.

In the next six months I have planned only a few short term goals. I intend to finish my

second year at CWI with high grades in May. I also want to sign up to take the math Praxis test

for this summer 2020 since it’s required before applying for the BSU education program. I want

to apply to the Boise State education program before I graduate from CWI. These short term

goals will help me progress to my long term goals because they are the stepping stones to attend

BSU. Every one of the small things I do to work towards my longer goals will help me get to

where I want to be professionally.

Although becoming an educator wasn’t my first choice in careers, it was always what I

was meant to do. Realizing my passion for teaching and mentoring was one of the best moments

for my future. Instead of wasting my time with a career I didn’t love, my life steered me back

onto the right path for what I’m meant to do.

References

Shaver, R. (2019, January 15). Egoism. Retrieved from https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/egoism/