Teacher Biography Assignment
Purposes:
1)
To share the educational experiences that bring you to
teaching
2)
To reflect on how you believe these experiences shape
your view of what kind of teacher you are and will be
3)
To articulate your beliefs about teaching and learning
4)
To discuss life experiences that you’ve had
5)
To propose key areas for your personal growth through
the next year
6)
To write about how well prepared you believe you are
to serve every
student, every day
7)
to develop a metaphor or class teaching motto that
describe your views of the role of teachers
8)
To analyze your individual dispositions and to reflect
on ways to grow as a positive, caring healthy teacher based on the dispositions
of successful teachers
Requirements:
I)
Your
teaching metaphor, an inspirational quote or class motto
a)
Pick only one of these. Remember a metaphor is a comparison where one
thing is said to be another, not a comparison using “like” or “as.”
b)
Share an inspirational quote or saying that captures
your motivation to be a teacher.
c)
Propose a class motto or slogan.
Discuss you family upbringing. Where were you born and where did you grow
up? When someone asks, “Where are you from?” How do you answer that question? What were the positive and negative
influences on you as you went through adolescence? How did your experiences growing up shape
your identity today? Have you had the
opportunity to travel to or live in other places? What are you experiences with other
cultures? What special talents do you
have? Did you family positively support
these talents while growing up? What
experiences influenced you to become a teacher?
Does your family support your becoming a teacher?
What experiences do you recall from
elementary, middle and high school? What
kind of student were you? Why? Which teachers made the biggest impact on
you? Were you part of any cliques? Why?
As you look back, how would you describe yourself in school (nerd,
jock,)? What extra-curricular activities
did you participate in during school?
Were you good at them? What experiences
stand out from college? Write about a
specific story that you remember that helps someone else understand your
schooling.
IV)
Your work
and other experiences
Share some of the jobs you have had
since you started working. How have
those experiences helped shape who you are as a person and your decision to
become a teacher? What did you learn
about the “real world” as a result of those experiences? What practical applications to the curriculum
have these experiences allowed? Are you
currently employed and, if so, what is your job?
What other experiences in you life
influence and/or will influence your teaching?
Do you have a family? How will
your family affect your teaching? Are
you deeply involved in church or synagogue activities? How will they affect your teaching? Are you involved in extra-curricular
activities, such as sports or community service that influence your teaching?
VI) Every student, every day
How well prepared are you to teach
young people about your content area(s)?
How do you know? What teaching
experiences do you bring to EDN 200? How
have those experiences created a positive and/or negative vision of young
people, other teachers, parents, you yourself as a teacher, and the role of
schooling in American society?
How well prepared are you to serve
every student, every day? What biases do
you bring to teaching that will help and/or hinder your ability to design
curriculum to meet all students’ needs?
Do you believe poor children can achieve at the same levels as rich
children? Do you have stereotypes of
majority or minority children that might impede your ability to help each child
reach his or her full potential? Do you
have experiences with gender bias that will assist you with understanding how
to assist males and females equally? What
are your experiences with students who bring special needs to the classroom?
In past interviews with student
teachers, we asked them to share five adjectives that best describe them. How would you answer this question?
Considering your ideas of successful teacher disposition, share your strengths
and goals for growth in these areas.
What are you already “good at” and what are you “ not so good at?” For example, most teachers say that
“flexibility in a crisis” is a key disposition of a good teacher. How flexible are you in difficult situations?
Read what you have written
above. Write about anything else that
you believe is important to include.
Write about several areas of personal and professional growth that you
hope to attain during your teacher education program.
16 points Clear, focused, well organized, well written
and distinct in all eight areas addressed
4 points 6-10 pages in length, word processed in size
12 font, edited for spelling, grammar, and usage