Running head: AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY 1

Autobiographical Essay

Chloe Withers

Doug Rapley

EDUC 120 Foundations of Education

Fall 2019
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Educational Background

Starting off my first years of schooling, I went to Star Elementary, kindergarten through

half of 4th grade. When my parents had separated, I left Star and went to Joplin Elementary to

finish off elementary school. When it was time to move on to the next level, I went to Lowell

Scott Middle School 6th through 8th grade. After that, I went to Centennial High School all four

years and graduated from there. Now I am currently a freshman in college at the College of

Western Idaho.

Throughout high school I was never in any clubs, student council, or any kind of special

schools. I didn’t go to many football or basketball games either. I mainly just did my schooling

constantly getting good grades. I would say I didn’t participate in many activities in school

because I had never been a big social butterfly. I liked to be home hanging out with my family

instead because that was my personality and what I preferred doing. However, every start of a

new school year and fall coming just around the corner, I was always a part of the volleyball

program. I always looked forward to volleyball because it was my favorite sport that I was very

passionate about. In volleyball I could be myself and learn to step out of my comfort zone.

Volleyball was another way I made friends and could be a part of my school. I would say it is

important to be a part of a program or club because it makes you more involved at school, giving

you something to look forward to.

Going through high school, I had teachers that I really enjoyed being around and looked

forward to going to class. I also had the teachers that weren’t my favorite and made class boring.

My favorite teacher was great because I loved that he not only interacted with the whole class,

but also related the curriculum to real life. I’ve always known that I wanted to be that kind of

teacher instead of the teacher that lectures and sits behind the desk right after. This is because I
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want to inspire my future students and community. I think that incorporating life into my

teaching will do so.

Work History Service and/or Extracurricular Activities

After my sophomore volleyball season had ended, my parents thought that it would be

good for me to get my first part-time job. Since I had just turned 16, I agreed with my parents

that it was the perfect time to start my first job. The main reason why I got a job was because it

was time to start having some responsibilities since I was growing up and having to pay for gas.

My first job title was Assistant Teacher at Lissa’s Learning Ladder. My roles and responsibilities

were to engage in educational activities with the children in a safe and healthy environment. One

way I would accomplish my role was working on puzzles with the children, building their logical

knowledge. My second job, I worked at Kohl’s as a sales associate because I love clothes. I

assisted customers with the questions that they may have had and folded clothes back up on the

shelves. My current job now is a Server Assistant at Big Al’s. The three roles I have are hosting

in the restaurant, I greet the guest and take them to their tables. I am also a food runner, which

entails that I take out the food from the kitchen to the guest. Finally, I work in our snackbar,

taking peoples food orders, dishing ice cream, and making the pizzas for the guests.

My work experience has contributed to my development as a professional educator from

working with others, learning different styles of communication and how to handle different

situations that I have been involved in. I have had to communicate with students, parents and

customers through communication in different ways and accomplishing goals. As a teacher, I

will have to build a relationship with the students and parents by first getting to know each

individual, their communication and learning styles and developing a professional relationship

with all that are involved. I have learned how to communicate well with all ages and in different
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ways. Communication is key and a priority in life and all situations that you will come across.

Throughout my work experience, I have had to learn how to quickly find the answers to

customers questions and figure out how to solve any problems that have arose with the

individual. Taking the time to communicate and be on the same page with one another or at least

compromise is the biggest way to communicate and get along.

As I have already briefly talked about me being a part of my high school volleyball

program, it was the only extracurricular activity that I participated in throughout high school.

Volleyball has shaped me to have a stronger work ethic and be more responsible for the actions I

make. Out of all the sports I have played as a kid, volleyball was my passion because I got to be

part of an amazing team.

After my four seasons of volleyball were over, I became a first-time volleyball coach this

year for the sophomore team at Centennial High School. Throughout my seasons of playing and

now coaching, it has taught me to go after the things I want and become motivated. I didn’t go to

a lot of camps and play as a child growing up. Therefore, I had to work hard to develop my

talent and skills and be on the same playing level as those that grew up playing. I didn’t want to

just sit the bench but wanted to be an asset to the team on and off the court. This motivated me

to work harder than others and develop my skills quicker. As a teacher I will be motivated and

work hard at my job by making sure that the students develop the skills and knowledge for their

future. In volleyball, communicating was a big factor of the game. I now have the skills to

communicate well with others, from the trials and situations that I have gone through in my life.

Ethical Reasoning in Education

When I was in the fourth grade, my parents divorced. Growing up with two separate

houses was hard at times because it was unstable living at times. Going to a different house every
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other week was a struggle, especially when it came to going to school. I had to make sure I had

clothes to wear, hope my dad would drop me off at school on time, and most stressful of all was

making sure I had my backpack with all my homework and everything I needed for the day.

When students have an unstable place of living, it can be challenging because going back

and forth from house to house makes it very easy for homework to get left behind. They may not

have all the materials they need at one house that they do at the other, or it may be that one

parent is more involved in the student’s success while the other parent is busy or less interested.

As a teacher, I want to be able to help the student have all the resources they need. It

would be my goal to find ways to help them get homework done despite the challenges in their

home life. My first ethical approach to this dilemma would be utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is

asserting that the morality will be in everyone’s best interest. This would be a great approach

because I can show students the resources, they have available to them at school. For example, if

they need to print a paper, they can either use my computer, the computer room, or the library

depending on which place is the best for them. Maybe they don’t have the internet or a good

computer at home. I want to help them learn about and utilize other resources, like the school

library if they need a book to do a book report, do research, use a computer, the internet, or just

build their imagination. The only downfall about showing the students resources they have is,

that they have to be willing to use their resources. Also, if the computers are down at the school,

the students can’t get any help.

The other ethical approach I would take is categorical imperative. Categorical imperative

says a person should decide for himself the moral laws that he will follow. Through this

dilemma, I will have the choice to put the time aside to help the student. Putting time aside to

show the student the resources they have will help them have guidance on how to adapt to their
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situation or dilemma. The only problem with taking my time to help the students, is making sure

I do have the time the students need so I can help them.

Considerations for Choosing Education as a Career

I’ve always wanted to be a k-12 teacher because teaching has always been a passion of

mine. I enjoy helping others learn new things, which is a characteristic that a teacher should

have. Other characteristics and skills that I possess, enabling me to be a teacher, are my

communication skills, enjoying in leading and inspiring young people, and having patience.

Communication is an important skill to have as a teacher because I have to be able to talk with

students, parents, and collaborate with other staff members. As a teacher I will be the leader in

my classroom, as the students follow in what I do to help them. Students look up to teachers in

hope they will get all the knowledge they need, that is up to me to make sure they gain that

knowledge.

If I decided to not be a teacher, but still be in the education field, caring for others would

play a big role in the skills I need to have. Caring is a major trait to have in the educational field

because if I care, that means that I want to find a way to always be making schools and the

curriculum better. Especially if I was a principal or worked on the education board, these two

careers are what will have more say in what is going on at schools.

A skill that I have that may be a better suit for a different career is working well in

groups. As a teacher you work the majority as an individual, unlike nursing you work with a lot

of doctors and other nurses. There is a lot of discussing that goes on will other coworkers, talking

about what to be doing to help the patient.

Professional Goal
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My long-term goal as a teacher is to transfer to BSU after I have taken all the classes I

needed from CWI. Once I am at BSU I will get my bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education.

After being a teacher for a year or two, I plan on getting my masters. I’m thinking I will get my

masters from doing school online, but I’m still not sure which school I will get my higher degree

from. My first step to achieving these goals in knowing when all the deadlines are for applying to

BSU in the next two and a half years. I will then graduate from BSU, following by getting my

first job as an elementary teacher, hopefully I am able to stay in Boise. After teaching, I will find

a school that will help me get my master’s degree while I still teach.

In the next six months, I will be close to finishing up my first year of college. Within

these six months, I plan on passing all my classes because I will then be closer to being done at

CWI so I can transfer to BSU next. This goal will also will lead me closer to getting my

bachelor’s degree. I will continue working when I am not at school so I can put more money into

savings to help me afford BSU that much easier.