Personal and Professional Identity 1

Personal and Professional Identity

Hannah E. Mills

Lebanon Valley College

ECE 220 Theory and Practices

Dr. Susan Weiss

October 31, 2022

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Personal and Professional Identity

Becoming an educator does not just mean you are becoming a teacher. Along with being

a teacher, you are also a mentor, caretaker, and even a friend. Good teachers possess traits that

make them patient, empathetic, and organized in the classroom. However, there are other aspects

of education that can help create a great teacher. Teachers should always be scholars and

continue to want to learn how to better themselves. Research should also be a part of a teacher’s

life all the way through their career. Educators should never stop learning because there is always

room for improvement. Lastly, students need people advocating for them and a teacher is a great

resource.

Personal Identity as an Education Scholar

As a current student, there are many traits and strengths that I possess that help me as a

scholar. I believe my strongest trait is my organization. I have a tendency to color code

assignments so I know what type of assignment they are and for what class the assignment is for.

My color coding helps me to stay on top of my work and get everything turned in on time.

Another trait that I possess as an education scholar is persistence. I am always wanting to learn

more about topics that are discussed in classes. I want to know as much as I can about a topic

that way I am as knowledgeable and can pass this knowledge on. Lastly, passion is a large

portion of my personality as an education scholar. In elementary school, I remember always

wanting to be a teacher. As I got older, I changed my mind a few times as the thought of money

was more important. By my junior year of high school I had been working in a nursery for at

least a year. Taking the nursery job helped me realize that teaching was my passion. I loved

watching the young kids connect with one another and I fell in love with one little boy’s
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excitement for learning. All this young boy wanted to do was read and practice math problems.

Money was no longer an issue as I just wanted to pursue a career I would love. As a college

student, I adore going to placement every week and getting to be a part of students’ lives. Not

only do I enjoy helping them learn, but I also enjoy becoming a person that they can reach out to

and see as a friend. Without passion in this profession, a teacher will never be successful because

they don’t love what they do.

Inspired to Become an Educator

One person that inspired me to become an educator was my kindergarten teacher, Mrs.

Zeger. At the time I had her, her name was Miss Kuchar. She was a young teacher as I was only

her fourth graduating class when I finished high school in 2021. I have an extremely vivid

memory of kindergarten and I think it’s because of how influential she was in my life. I

remember the science experiment I did in her class and even that she taught me how to tie my

shoes. I even remember the songs we sang about the days of the week and the sounds that each

letter made. As I’ve grown older, I totally understand why I remember so much. She took her

time to make connections with her students. Her connections are what truly inspired me to

become a teacher. I want to make a connection with all of my students. I want to be remembered

for being the teacher they had that cared for them. Some students have a rough home life and

school may be their happy place. Being a caregiver to these students could make all the

difference in their life. I still reach out to Mrs. Zeger to let her know how influential she was to

me. I can never thank her enough for giving me such a positive experience in school and for

ultimately inspiring me to be a teacher.

Another person that inspired me to become a teacher is my mom. I feel like saying your

mom is your inspiration is so cliché, but she really encouraged me to be a teacher. For about 18
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years my mom worked at Abraxas, which is a juvenile detention facility. As she worked her way

up in the system, she became a supervisor and worked with some of the kids. This job obviously

required an insane amount of patience. On her unit, she worked with fire setters and sex

offenders. This is not a job for everyone, but she had amazing person skills and thrived.

However, in my sophomore year of high school she decided to go back to school because she

didn’t love what she was doing anymore. My mom went back to school to become a registered

nurse, which is also a job that is for people with a special skill set. The hardwork and

determination my mom had was so inspiring to me. She continued to work at Abraxas and

picked up a part time job to help pay for her school expenses. Everyone told her she was crazy

for working two jobs and going back to school. However, she persevered and finished her degree

in 2021. This means she was working in the healthcare industry in the middle of a global

pandemic. Her decision to become a nurse late in her career inspired me to become a teacher

because I didn’t want to have the same regret as her. I am so proud of her for stepping up and

deciding to pursue what would make her happy. She loves helping people and I believe

becoming a nurse was the best thing she has done for herself.

Forever a Researcher

As an educator, the thought of being a researcher may not be prevalent in your mind.

However, there are many reasons why I plan on continuing to research even when I get a

teaching job. Continuing to research will help me become a better educator for my students. One

way I could potentially practice research is by reflecting on what I do in the classroom. If I find

something that works, I will obviously continue to use that method. On the other hand, if I notice

that one of my teaching methods doesn’t click well with the students, then I will reflect to figure

out why and what might be a better idea. Moving forward, I could research better teaching
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methods to make sure my students are learning as best as they can. Going to conferences is

another way to continue research as an educator. It is helpful to learn from other people and their

experiences.

Being a Lifelong Learner

I feel as though some teachers believe that they have learned all that they could and

refuse to get better. However in the education world, times are always changing and I need to

adapt to my students. I plan on being a lifelong learner as I navigate through my career. There is

always room for improvement and I can always make myself a better teacher for my students.

One way to keep learning is by reading books. One year for Christmas, my boyfriend’s mom (a

music educator) gifted me a book that she read about teaching. She said the book helped her to

learn new skills as an educator. Another way I enjoy learning is by watching TedTalks about

educational topics. The speakers are real people with real experiences. It gives you someone to

relate to and someone you can learn from. The talks are always helpful and make you wonder

about your own philosophies as an educator. I never want to stop learning because that would

just be detrimental to my students. I should continue to learn until I retire from teaching to better

myself and my methods.

Always Advocating

Teachers need to advocate for parents, students, and even themselves. Advocating for

parents may seem odd, but sometimes their wishes aren’t heard. If parents aren’t able to advocate

for themselves, then they most likely can’t advocate for their children. As a teacher, I want to be

an advocate for all of my students. If their education is at risk, then I would definitely get

involved to help them in whatever way. I could join policy makers and even go to school board

meetings. Additionally, I need to advocate for myself as an educator. I can join a teacher union to
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find others looking for support. We would all be working towards the same issue together to

better our system. Educators should not be afraid to advocate for anyone. The education system

has its flaws and if no one speaks up, then nothing will ever change.

Conclusion

All in all, becoming an educator is all about continuing to grow as a teacher and a person.

Researching and being a lifelong learner will help me to become a better teacher as the years go

on. I want to do whatever I can to help my students have the best education possible. Also,

advocating for students, parents and ourselves as educators is super important to fixing the flaws

of the system. Lastly, I want to thank my kindergarten teacher and mom for inspiring me to

become a teacher. I would not be where I am today if it weren't for either of them.