Theme III: Ethics and Professionalism

Section 3.2: Career Paths

1.1.2- Identify the scope of career opportunities and the requirements for education,
training, certification, licensure, and experience.

As I start mapping out what I want to do for the rest of my life, I have created a prezi

(Evidence; 3.2.1) that follows my plans from high school to having a career in education. While I

was in high school, my guidance counselor and I thought that it was a good idea to arrange my

classes that would essentially prepare me for college. Once I get to college, I am planning on

pursuing a career in education. The last thing on my plan considers what I want to do after

college, my dream job.

During my high school career, I have participated in many activities and worked with a

lot of people that will help me prepare for my career. I am on the Girls Volleyball team at

Olentangy Orange High School, and every year we have a kids camp. The kids camp ages

anywhere from seven to fifteen and our main responsibility at the camp is to teach young players

how to play the game. This year I am currently enrolled in a class called Teacher Academy.

Teacher academy is going to teach me about the foundations of education and help me prepare

for the next step. I have taken many self assessments (Evidence; 3.2.2) in class that show me that

my personality traits and interests fit perfectly with the teaching profession. Some of those traits

include; social, enterprising, and investigative.

For college, I am currently committed to Indiana University- Purdue University

Indianapolis in downtown Indy to pursue my academic and athletic career. A main reason I

chose IUPUI is because the education and teaching program there is outstanding. Their classes

seem very advanced but their class sizes aren't that big so I will be able to get one on one help
from my professor if needed. Another reason I chose IUPUI was where it’s located. It’s in

downtown Indy so there are many teaching opportunities down there in the city. When I am put

into my field placements they will occur in some of the best school districts. I plan on majoring

in Elementary Education K-6 (Evidence; 3.2.3). What I have learned is that there are different

requirements for each licensure. When my class talked about all the different levels of staff at

schools, we found out all of their responsibilities and how there are various positions within

education and the different types of licensure they have (Evidence; 3.2.4).

By the time college ends, I want to graduate with a teaching license to teach kindergarten

through sixth grade. I will earn my bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education as well. I hope to

have my own classroom in a suburban area teaching kindergarten or first grade in an elementary

school. I hope that I can impact children and help them learn and grow everyday. While in

Teacher Academy I have interviewed various teachers using a life-style learning survey

(Evidence; 3.2.5). Listening to what other teachers had to say about the interview questions gave

me a better understanding of what it takes to be a teacher and how important it is to manage the

different aspects in your life.

What I have learned is that there are a bunch of different routes that you can take when

becoming a teacher. If you want to get a degree in education, the training that you do and the

certification that you get all depends on what grade levels you are interested in teaching. With

everything that I have learned, I hope that my career plan sets me up for success in what I want

to pursue when I'm older.