Section Five: Teacher Candidate Reflection Guidelines

Introduction

Showcasing my ability to become a teacher, through writing my Master of Science in

Elementary Education Teacher Candidate Portfolio, has been a rewarding and fulfilling process.

My time with Medaille has trained and prepared me for a lifetime of teaching that I can bring

into my future classroom. Reflecting on my educational experiences with Medaille, I can

honestly say that I have received excellent instruction that has prepared me for my future in the

field of education.

Portfolio Project/Teacher Education Learning Experiences

Writing my portfolio has been a rewarding and challenging process because of the

extensive amount of information I summarized to showcase my experiences and abilities. My

Teacher Candidate Profile was comprised of three major sections, Teacher Candidate

Background Experiences, Teacher Candidate Artifacts, and Alignment to Curriculum and

Professional Standards, all of which demonstrate my capability and passion to work in the field

of education.

Writing my Teacher Candidate Background and going through my past work and

volunteer experience was particularly rewarding. The section highlighted and reminded me of

the extensive skills and strategies I have gained while working in a professional work setting. All

these experiences have prepared me to work and thrive in the field of education as an educator.
The most rewarding part of writing this section was getting to look back on all of the positive

and joyful time I spent working and caring for kids. I can honestly say that writing this portfolio

has only validated further that I am meant to be an educator and I cannot see myself working in

any other field.

The Teacher Candidate Artifacts section of the portfolio demonstrated to the reader my

range of abilities that show I am capable of planning, assessing, instructing and engaging

students. Through lesson plans, interactive technology tools and extensive professional

development and certifications, the artifacts demonstrate to the reader that I have extensive

content knowledge and love for the occupation. The lesson plans I have created and selected to

include in my portfolio demonstrate my ability to meet all the needs of diverse learners and

ability to accommodate these learners regardless of their type of intelligence.

The Alignment to Curriculum and Professional Standards section demonstrates that I

follow and hit the necessary targets for the educational standards. The eight artifacts suitably

subscribe to the INTASC Standards, TEAC/CAEP Claims, NYS Ethics, Ontario Ethics and the

Common Core Learning Standards, the Ontario Ministry of Education Curriculum expectations,

the ISTE, ILA, and CEC Standards. All while educating and improving my student’s literacy,

math, science and other subject comprehension.

Readiness to Become a Teacher

I truly feel that I am ready to be teacher and be responsible for my own classroom of

students! I have worked in many areas and experienced many of the ups and down of working in
a school as an Educational Assistant, each day I left feeling happy and fulfilled. They say that if

you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life, teaching encompasses that for me.

I am thrilled to be at a point in my life and career where I can take everything I have learned and

make a positive difference in the lives of my students.

However, I do not think my journey of learning as a student myself is over. I am a firm

believer in lifelong education and continuing to learn. I think there is always room to grow and

challenge yourself. One of the responsibilities of being a good educator is to be a role model for

your students, as an educator I aspire to instill a love of learning in all my students. With this all-

in mind, through my professional journey I have learned a lot prior to and during my time with

Medaille College that I feel has readied me for my career as a teacher.

Medaille’s Master of Science in Elementary Education has made it so that I am familiar

with both the New York State City Standards as well as Ontario’s. Being fluent in the standards

of both New York and Ontario has been a beneficial learning experience that has grown my

skillset and curriculum knowledge.

My time with Medaille College has readied me with the skills knowledge and ability to

create lessons that effectively teach and engage students according to the curriculum standards. I

also possess the ability to accommodate the many students with a variety of needs that will be

walking in and out of my classroom through out the years to come. Foundations of Special

Education was an especially helpful course, as it taught me the teaching side of working with

students with disabilities. I now possess the ability to confidently read and write an IEP/504 for a
student. I also feel that I can accommodate Special Education students in the classroom. I feel

that I can now confidently communicate and navigate through the IEP team, including the

student, their family as well as the Spec. Ed. Team and administration. All the while supporting

the needs of the student and the rest of the students n the classroom.

Working as an Educational Assistant has grown my classroom toolbox, it is now full of

strategies and techniques to accommodate behavioral students 1:1, assist with classroom

management and develop lessons that are suitable and challenging for learners with disabilities.

My time with Medaille has given me the practice and ability to incorporate my Educational

Assistant toolbox into my lesson plans to assist and accommodate all my student’s needs. The

techniques I used in the past with my previous students will be carried into my future practice as

an educator in the general classroom because they are highly effective in behavior and classroom

management.

I hope that my Teacher Candidate Portfolio has demonstrated to the reader that I am a

skilled teacher in training, showing compassion and readiness to teach young expanding minds

of the next generation. I am dedicated in meeting the TEAC/CAEP Claims in order to become a

caring and knowledgeable educator, enabling students to meet the content standards while

meeting the diverse needs of all learners in the classroom.

As I begin my journey as a future educator, it is my hope that I have proven beyond a

doubt that I am ready and capable to start my career as a teacher. I will teach my future children

to focus on literacy, mathematics, the Arts, and all other content areas all the while creating a a
learning environment that helps students experience the excitement of both guided and self-

learning.

Conclusion

Throughout the development of my Teacher Candidate Portfolio, I have been provided

the opportunity to reflect on my best teaching practices and pedagogy, all the while

demonstrating my commitment to the teaching profession. I have proven through the main three

components, the Teacher Candidate Background Experiences, Teacher Candidate Artifacts, and

Alignment to Curriculum and Professional Standards, my readiness and eagerness to become a

successful and caring educator.

My educational background, combined with work experiences, have been a combination

of abilities both related and unrelated to the teaching profession. My volunteer and work

experiences highlight my ability and decision to become a teacher, while also shaping my ability

to become a caring teacher for the next generation of students. I hope to inspire my future

students to develop a passion for learning, and feel confident that my experiences at Medaille

College combined with my work and volunteer experiences, will enable me to do so

successfully. I have developed a range of understanding and compassion that will provide me the

ability to create a learning experience suitable to a range of diverse learners, helping me to meet

the diverse needs of my students.

I have reflected on Teacher Candidate Artifacts to demonstrate to the reader my

continued commitment to inspiring the next generation with a passion for learning. I am
dedicated to continuing my personal growth both in teaching the content standards, but also in

the development of my ability as a tech-savvy educator, fully capable to use modern

technologies to enhance my students’ learning experience.

I have defined each standard in the Alignment to Curriculum and Professional Standards

portion of my Teacher Candidate Portfolio. I have ensured that each standard has been met and

demonstrated by enclosing artifacts and reflecting on how the ways in which my Teacher

Candidate Portfolio has fulfilled the TEAC/CAEP Claims, all the while being sure to

demonstrate the New York State’s teaching standards. These standards that I have met

throughout my Teacher Candidate Portfolio include the INTASC Standards, the NYS Code of

Ethic Standards for Educators, the NYS P-12 Common Core Learning Standards, the NYS

Learning Standards, the ISTE Standards for Teachers and/or Students, the ILA International

Literacy Association Professional Standards, the CEC Standards Ontario Curriculum Standards,

and the Ontario Teacher Ethical Standards.

This is the completion of my Reflection for the Teacher Candidate Reflection portion of

my Teacher Candidate Portfolio. I have demonstrated to the reader through my Portfolio how I

have met the TEAC/CAEP Claims, through my Portfolio Project and through my Readiness to

Become a Teacher sections.

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