Personal Narrative: Personal Identity
Personal Identity
While growing up in a beach town in Orange County, I could always be found outside exploring. Whether it was in the water or out on land, I was always curious of the world around me. My parents raised me in a suburban neighborhood, and I attended a private Catholic school through eighth grade. This environment taught me the importance of respect, and gave me values I treasure, and while I am appreciative of my education, there were limiting factors to private school. I had limited cultural exposure, especially in the predominantly caucasian school, and this left me anxious to learn more about the world outside of Orange County. The curiosity of my youth stuck with me through college. I began to challenge myself and took
any opportunity to widen my perspective, which is why I chose to study abroad in Sweden my junior year. I also began spending summers away from home, as I would work as a camp counselor in Central California. My summers working there gave me a professional foundation and skill set that I treasure and consistently implement during my time teaching. I learned how to problem solve, think creatively, and be a leader; all while balancing being a mentor, friend, and role model to a diverse group of children.
My adventures continue as I seasonally work abroad, leading students from the US to other countries. We perform organized volunteer projects, and spend time in impoverished schools working with young students, providing as much support as we are able. My eclectic work history and extensive background working with students allows me to encompass a unique teaching style, and hopefully inspire my students to be curious and love the world they live in.
Professional Identity
It is one thing to be fascinated by a subject, but a whole other decision to want to teach it. My interest in science initially stemmed from my uncontrollable sense of wonderment and inquisitive nature. Science has always felt more unconventional than other classes to me. You were asked to hypothesize and experiment, and make sense of the world around you. I am excited to help my students develop inquisitive skill-sets and test their environments. Nothing in science is concrete, and everything is subject to change-this is important for students to grasp so that they continue making their own discoveries. I want to stray from my students being too focused on formal assessments and focus more on feeding their curiosity about the world. Setting up students with this understanding, helps foster a passion for what they are learning, and sets up a curiosity as to what they can change. I plan on fostering curiosity with assignments like current event projects, where students can do their own investigations on science related topics that interest them, and then present their findings to the class. If I can create a learning environment that caters to a diverse population of students, they will be closer to creating foundations for success.
Influence on personal-professional identities on philosophy
The philosophical orientation which best represents who I am is progressivism, which also connects with my subject focus. Science relies heavily on learner-centered activities, such as labs, to engage and promote the learning process for students. I also believe teachers should modify curriculum to the learning styles of the individuals in the class, so that there is equal opportunity for success, which also connects with a learner centered approach. In the words of Parkay and Stanford progressivism helps students, “with problem-solving strategies that will enable them to discover meaningful knowledge,” (121) and they can utilize these skills in future endeavors. This philosophy ties directly into my personal viewpoints of what it means to teach effectively and in ways which are beneficial to students.
While growing up in a beach town in Orange County, I could always be found outside exploring. Whether it was in the water or out on land, I was always curious of the world around me. My parents raised me in a suburban neighborhood, and I attended a private Catholic school through eighth grade. This environment taught me the importance of respect, and gave me values I treasure, and while I am appreciative of my education, there were limiting factors to private school. I had limited cultural exposure, especially in the predominantly caucasian school, and this left me anxious to learn more about the world outside of Orange County. The curiosity of my youth stuck with me through college. I began to challenge myself and took
any opportunity to widen my perspective, which is why I chose to study abroad in Sweden my junior year. I also began spending summers away from home, as I would work as a camp counselor in Central California. My summers working there gave me a professional foundation and skill set that I treasure and consistently implement during my time teaching. I learned how to problem solve, think creatively, and be a leader; all while balancing being a mentor, friend, and role model to a diverse group of children.
My adventures continue as I seasonally work abroad, leading students from the US to other countries. We perform organized volunteer projects, and spend time in impoverished schools working with young students, providing as much support as we are able. My eclectic work history and extensive background working with students allows me to encompass a unique teaching style, and hopefully inspire my students to be curious and love the world they live in.
Professional Identity
It is one thing to be fascinated by a subject, but a whole other decision to want to teach it. My interest in science initially stemmed from my uncontrollable sense of wonderment and inquisitive nature. Science has always felt more unconventional than other classes to me. You were asked to hypothesize and experiment, and make sense of the world around you. I am excited to help my students develop inquisitive skill-sets and test their environments. Nothing in science is concrete, and everything is subject to change-this is important for students to grasp so that they continue making their own discoveries. I want to stray from my students being too focused on formal assessments and focus more on feeding their curiosity about the world. Setting up students with this understanding, helps foster a passion for what they are learning, and sets up a curiosity as to what they can change. I plan on fostering curiosity with assignments like current event projects, where students can do their own investigations on science related topics that interest them, and then present their findings to the class. If I can create a learning environment that caters to a diverse population of students, they will be closer to creating foundations for success.
Influence on personal-professional identities on philosophy
The philosophical orientation which best represents who I am is progressivism, which also connects with my subject focus. Science relies heavily on learner-centered activities, such as labs, to engage and promote the learning process for students. I also believe teachers should modify curriculum to the learning styles of the individuals in the class, so that there is equal opportunity for success, which also connects with a learner centered approach. In the words of Parkay and Stanford progressivism helps students, “with problem-solving strategies that will enable them to discover meaningful knowledge,” (121) and they can utilize these skills in future endeavors. This philosophy ties directly into my personal viewpoints of what it means to teach effectively and in ways which are beneficial to students.