Section Five: Teacher Candidate Reflection Guidelines

Introduction

In this section of my portfolio, I will be reflecting on my experiences while not only

completing my portfolio project but my educational experiences during my time at Medaille

College, and my readiness to become a teacher. I will highlight the competencies I can connect

to as a student and future educator through the information I have provided thus far in this

portfolio. I will refer to many lessons and things I have learned from my courses and research

while completing my degree and explaining how I have met the Medaille College Division of

Education Claims (DOE) and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation

Standards (CAEP) throughout my time here during the last few semesters. Although everyday in

a classroom brings new experiences and you must think on your feet to maintain a positive

classroom environment, which school may not teach you, I am confident that the knowledge I

have learned and notes I have taken will best prepare me to be an adaptive, innovative, and great

educator. Throughout my program we have touched upon many topics from curriculum,

culturally responsive pedagogy, classroom management, technology within the classroom, to

uncomfortable conversations about racism and diversity, I can thoroughly say that I have become

the most well-rounded version of myself. I have become a reflective thinker and these attributes

will come through within my future classroom.

Portfolio Project/Teacher Education Learning Experiences

Starting in high school when I completed my co-op in a grade 1 classroom, I knew that

teaching was the profession for me. After high school I completed both my Early Childhood

Education Certificate as well as my Bachelor of Science in Child Development. In these courses

I was able to experience working with children from pre-school to school age. My last placement

hired me as a full-time employee right out of school. I have since than always worked or

volunteered working with children both a-typical and special needs. Through these work and

volunteer experiences I have learned so much and they make me the person I am today. Through

my last 3 years working within the school board, I was able to take on the role of a teaching

assistant and learned so much from my teaching partners. They gave me the push to go to

teacher’s college to complete my degree. Upon completing the last 3 semesters at Medaille I can

truly say that all the experience I have received so far working with children have played a huge

roll in my success as a student becoming a certified teacher. I have been fortunate enough to

have been taught by some of the most adaptive, inspiring, and knowledgeable professors which I

believe have best prepared me for being in the field of education. Working along side my peers,

future educators, has also been a great experience because everyone brought so many different

experiences to the classroom. Not to mention that we did this all online. I believe learning to

navigate through online portals to be able to receive the education I have was truly amazing and

shows how innovative education has become.

This capstone project was a great way for me to reflect on everything I have learned, the

experiences I was apart of, and how I want to be as an educator. This section has allowed me to

push aside all the work aspect of the semester and really focus on what I have been able to take

from the program thus far. I want to touch upon my experiences, observations, and lessons I have

learned as a direct result of my teacher education program at Medaille. Through these important

lessons I will connect how I believe I have met the DOE Claims and CAEP Standards throughout

my teacher education program. The 3 claims that I will identify are as follows: Claim 1: Medaille

College graduates know the subject matter in their certification area(s), Claim 2: Medaille
College graduates meet the needs of diverse learners through effective pedagogy and best

teaching practices, Claim 3: Medaille College graduates are caring educators.

Throughout my co-op experiences, working experiences, and observation of the ‘Say

Yes’ Program and in classroom observations, I had the opportunity to see curriculum as well as

the facilitation of many different activities. I observed fun activities in rooms set up for different

age groups. These activities included guest speakers, cultural programs, cooking, art, yoga and

mindfulness, and dance lessons. These lessons I observed or were a part of facilitating taught me

a lot on how to engage students, fun ways to complete curriculum, and activities that can

enhance student development. Within my work experience I have been able to apply strategies

and facilitate curriculum with the tools and education I have received from Medaille. (TEAC /

CAEP Claim 2: Pedagogy and Best Teaching Practices & Claim 3: Caring Educators)

In my first semester, one of our required courses was EC1 510: Research in Education. In

this course we were placed with the opportunity to research various topics in education. One of

our assignments was an educational survey where we were required to gather information on not

only the student but parents as well. This survey allowed us to include parents to address

concerns and goals for their child and allow us a deeper look at their concerns. This survey can

be sent home with students or directly emailed to the parents are the beginning of the year or

multiple times within the school year. Medaille has place great emphasis on the success of a

teacher and student is the team of people they have supporting them. This includes the family

working closely with the teacher to ensure the best possible success of each student.

(TEAC/CAEP Claim 2: Pedagogy and Best Teaching Practices & Claim 3: Caring Educators).

Within the mandatory courses I have completed here are Medaille thus far I have been

required to develop and complete lesson plans in many different subject areas. The Medaille
Lesson Plan Template is very meticulous and includes the central focus of the learning segment,

knowing your learners, curriculum standards, objectives, accommodations and/or modifications

and the actual instructional process. When first completing the lessons plans it was hard to

recognize and complete certain areas of the lesson plan, but over time the lesson plans became

easier to fill out and allowed us to account for all areas when planning and writing out the plan.

Through the lesson plans I was able to learn so much about curriculum expectations and how to

deliver content in an engaging way that would meet all the needs of the diverse learners present

within the classroom. I understood the importance of writing the plan out exactly how you would

teach it as well as provide speech within the lesson plan so that if any teacher besides myself was

to teach the lesson I have planned; all curriculum outcomes and objectives would be met, and the

lesson would be taught in detail exactly how it was intended. I have written lesson plans in the

areas or math, science, guided reading, and art. (TEAC/CAEP Claim 1: Subject Matter).

In EDU 571, a Technology based course we were required to complete in first semester I

learned an abundance of information on how to incorporate technology within the classroom, or

in an online platform. I got to navigate through different resources such as Weebly, smart board,

Google classroom and, virtual field trips to learn how to not only use these resources to enhance

your classroom but to be able to create an online classroom for students. I was able to learn and

utilize my skills with resources such as bitmoji, QR code, Screen capture, smore flyer,

Symbaloo, and padlet. In the ever changing and adapting world of technology I feel that this

course was essential in the preparation of what teaching is looking like right now due to COVID-

19 and how technology may continue to be utilized moving forward. Staying up to date with

where technology is going and still creating safe spaces for students and parents to go to catch up

on what we are doing within the classroom, curriculum that is being taught, lessons that can be
reviewed, virtual field trips to explore, and ways of staying connected to the classroom are all

great tools to utilize even if the students are in class learning. Throughout this course I was able

to confidently learn and execute my knowledge in creating a Weebly classroom website as well

as a Google classroom. (TEAC/CAEP Claim 1: Subject Matter & Claim 2: Pedagogy and Best

Teaching Practices & Claim 3: Caring Educators).

Reediness to Become a Teacher

Throughout this section I will be reflecting on the knowledge I have obtained throughout

my volunteer experiences, work experiences, and school curriculum and how it has given me the

readiness and ability to become a professional teacher. I believe that I have gained an abundance

of experiences within the classroom of all different age groups which aides me in my preparedness

to join the educational field. These experiences allowed me to gain strengths in many different

areas and through many difference experiences. When working with children of various needs and

behaviors I have understood the concept of multiple intelligences and understand that not all

children learn the same. Through knowing this I can present lessons with multiple ways of teaching

the same curriculum so that I am able to reach all my diverse learners within my future classroom.

Working within school classrooms during COVID-19 has taught me an immense deal about time

management, classroom management, and how to handle stressful situations that may arise within

the classroom. Throughout my education in different fields of education I have been provided the

tools and knowledge needed to succeed in any classroom.

Teaching in my opinion is one of the hardest jobs because we are essential in the way a

child is raised and the morals and ethics in which we instill within the classroom help shape our

students to become the best versions of themselves. With that being said it is essential that we get

to know each one of our students, their strengths and needs, their experiences, and their interests
and/or hobbies. We are also required to know how to handle sensitive issues within our classroom

and deal with biases students may bring into the classroom from their home life. At Medaille there

was a great deal of importance on Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) which we learned in our

first semester. The importance of CRT and how to implement it and seek out the benefits of CRT

within the classroom stuck with me through the rest of my semesters at Medaille and played a huge

role in my lesson planning in other courses. We were able to have guest speakers which spoke

about the police violence against black people, as well as speakers that address many issues in the

LGBTQ+ community which gave us even more insight into the little things we as educators can

be aware of to make sure our classroom is inclusive and inviting to all students and that all students

are being represented within the classroom and lessons being taught.

New York State's Dignity for All Students Act (The Dignity Act) seeks to provide the

State's students with a safe and supportive environment free from discrimination, intimidation,

taunting, harassment, and bullying on school property, a school bus and/or at a school function

(NYSED.gov). It is one of my responsibilities as an educator to make sure all my students can

learn in a safe and respectful environment. I believe that no matter what religion I was baptized

in it is another one of my responsibilities that all students feel equal and valued no matter what

their race, culture, or religious beliefs are. It is important that I be a role model for my students in

being a good human being. I am prepared to teach students to be aware of different religion and

cultural practices that they may see around them and help them understand the meaning of these

practices. By educating students on the meaning of different religious practices I hope to instill

moral code of acceptance and individuality in them to create a less prejudice and segregated

future where there is equality and acceptance for all.

 In my role within the Peel District School Board, I have the opportunity of working with

students that require extra support whether that be for special needs purposes of behavioral

reasons. Through this experience I have gained a lot of experience in de-escalation, dealing with

sensitive issues, as well as being a learning partner. I have worked with the students that many

teachers deem the “difficult” ones and through these experiences I feel that I am best prepared

for the classroom because I am able to observe and understand behavior and plan accordingly to

avoid the stressors or interactions that may cause the behavior in the first place. Learning to read

the room, the dynamics of the classroom, and body language of students has become almost

second nature to me through my job position I am currently in. I think these experiences, the

knowledge, and the strategies I have learned I have gained will be a great attribute to have when

stepping into my own classroom.

The program at Medaille College has also prepared me in many ways to be the best

educator I could possibly be by placing emphasis on CRT, curriculum, technology, and

classroom management. As much experience I have within the classroom, Medaille placed

emphasis on different ways of delivering material and resources in the classroom which enhance

the environment within the classroom. We have been lucky enough to learn this all in an online

platform provided by Medaille which gives us a glimpse of the experience students are going

through right now. By being in the students shoes in an online classroom we are subliminally

taught different ways to teach which are engaging and fun for students. Through online

discussions on various topics, I was able to see many points of views and opinions which

allowed room for exploration, understanding, and critique. The discussions, modules, readings,

activities, videos, and group assignments we have completed throughout the courses have best
prepared me to enter the profession of teacher and the knowledge to be a great educator within

any school board.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this section of my portfolio I reflected on my experiences while

completing my portfolio project, the educational experiences I received during my time at

Medaille College, as well as my readiness to become a teacher. I made connections in my

experiences that helped me meet the DOE and CAEP claims. I also touched upon my strengths in

planning, classroom management, research abilities, technology integration, CRT and DASA and

how these things have helped me to be better prepared to enter the classroom. I am excited to be

on my way to completing my last semester at Medaille where I will be entering into the

classroom as a student teacher. This will allow me to use all that I have learned in a practical

setting and apply it firsthand. Through this experience I will become even more comfortable with

planning units, planning daily lessons, supervision, behaviour management, and integrating the

use of technology. I am extremely happy I choose Medaille to complete my Master of Education

as it was such a great experience.