Valeria Ojeda

Roster #16

Philosophical Portrait

When starting this course, I have to admit that I had a lot of trouble with the layout and

turning in assignments. As time went by, Professor Shkorupa had to remind me a few times that I

was not turning in work and those reminders did help but I knew that he did not have to go out of

his way to do that. After a few times of that occurring I finally got on track and was on top of all

of my assignments. I have learned a lot during my time in Education 202 and have once again

been inspired by a teacher on my journey to becoming one myself. Professor Shkorupa has

gotten me excited and ready to begin my career in education. Not only does his passion for

teaching inspire me, but his genuine care for students too. These qualities are some that I strive

for everyday. During this course I also learned about the history of education, the programs and

laws in place, the styles of teaching, the different types of students, and the varied ways of

learning. I was able to begin my teaching observations with Mrs. Cabrera who is a seventh grade

Math teacher at Keller middle school. Although these observations are virtual, she has been very

helpful and has provided all of the information and instructions that I need to complete all of my

observation hours.

Throughout the semester I have also learned a lot about myself including things like my

learning style and my education and philosophy. I learned that my learning style is not geared to

what anyone thinks. I mixed visual, auditory, and can kinesthetic learning to succeed

educationally. What’s the best is that I can use this in my future to support my teaching style by

integrating different forms of learning styles for my students. Through methods such as visual

aids to support my visual learners, having students do skit or role-play for my kinesthetic
learners, and having students read out loud to support my auditory learners. Learning about

multiple intelligences also broadened my horizons so to speak, showing me that people have

different strengths that can be from book smarts, to nature smarts, to music smarts. I also learned

that I am very much geared towards music as well, which I kind of knew but it is nice to have

that confirmation. Regarding educational philosophy, I learned that I do not really fall under the

umbrella of one of the five philosophies totally, but rather have bits and pieces mixed.

When I think of myself in five years I see myself teaching the way Mrs. Cabrera teaches.

She is a very kind teacher to her student and does all she can to make sure they are getting the

education that is needed. Just like she is with her students I would like to be with my future

students. I was placed to observe her classes because I would also like to be a math teacher but I

am still not sure what kind of math I would like to teach. These observations are allowing me to

see her view of teaching math and allows me to choose if I would like to teach this age group and

this specific subject. I know for a fact that five years from now, I see myself teaching math such

as algebra or geometry to students around the ages of 13 to 15. I also hope that in five years I can

be all done with school and be fully focused on my career. As much as I love attending college

classes, I know that having a career and trying to continue school can be a lot of work, so my

goal is to finish school first and then focus on my teaching career.

As a future teacher I see myself traveling, I see myself making new friends, and I see

myself becoming a role model to those who need one. I know that I want to install a good work

attitude and make an environment that all kids or young teens would want to be in. I want to take

what I have learned and seen and use it to my advantage. No longer will I look back on past

experiences with teachers and students and focus on the negative, but I will create a new
viewpoint and work hard to be a great teacher. I will become a teacher that I was lucky enough to

have throughout my years of education.