Like a candle, a teacher - consumes itself to light the way for others.

Personal Narrative
When I was a child, my imagination, desires and dreams exceeded my small four foot two, tiny, bow wearing self. I wanted to be every profession where I could help others. I wanted to be anything from a doctor, veterinarian, teacher, to a lawyer. I was determined to succeed at all of them; Barbie had a million jobs, why couldnt I? My innate desire to help others came from the environment in which I grew up and the people in my environment namely my older sister Jenna. Having a 9-year-old age gap between us created a hybrid relationship in which Jenna fulfilled multiple roles in my life, a best friend, sister, and teacher. Jenna taught me everything from tying my shoes to driving a car, but the most important thing Jenna taught me was what it truly means to care about others. Growing up I struggled with learning disabilities caused me to have difficulties in school. The first time I realized I was different from my classmates was in first grade when I was pulled out of class a few days a week to receive extra help for reading and writing. I felt different and less intelligent than my other classmates. When I brought my concerns to my sister, she worked with me to get ahead. Even though Jenna was in high school, she still looked out for me, forsaking sleep, class work or parties to take time the time to help me. When I began to get frustrated and missed any apparent progress, I asked Jenna why she was helping me and she replied, Because I care about you. Jennas affection and refusal to give up developed my passion for reciprocating the same dedication to other children. Now 15 years later I hope to express the same affection and dedication to children. I believe every child should have a person in their life that cares about their life and success; I hope to be that person for my students. I hope to have the opportunity to help children in this amazing profession.

Teaching Philosophy Emma Gustafsons

Differentiation

In every classroom it is inevitable that there will be a wide array of students that have different abilities, skills and needs. Thus not every student should be expected to learn at the same rate or in the same way. In order to accommodate what each student will need in order to meet his or her full potential, it is the teachers job to understand each students strengths, limitations and interest and accommodate for their differences. As the teacher, once you recognize each students unique qualities and how to accommodate the students needs, the next step is using that knowledge and differentiating the lessons. Each lesson can be modified to accommodate the different levels that will be found in the classroom. Learning about information that is not interesting is not something that any person enjoys, let alone any school-aged child. Students need lessons that are aimed at their interests to enable them to enjoy and have a desire to learn. It is impossible to create a lesson that fits the interest of each student, but trying to find general interests of the class is an easy way to make lessons fun. When a student is interested in the lesson he or she will be more excited to learn and able to learn more!

Caring Classroom Community

In my classroom, the environment will be a place in which all children feel welcomed, valued and accepted. This includes each childs background, ethnicity and opinions. To make this type of environment possible, the classroom will have a few aspects to help. Including morning and afternoon meetings in which children are welcome to share what is happening in their lives. In addition, I would

make lessons to learn about each childs diverse background.

Technology
Technology is a major part of todays growing society and a developmental tool I plan on using in my classroom to better help my students learning. Every student learns and processes information in a unique way, whether the student is a kinesthetic learner, verbal learner, auditory or something different, each of those different learners needs to be accommodated for. Using technology in lessons is a great way to help differentiate the activity for each unique learner needs as well as skill level. For example, for a student who is having with math could use an iPad or Smart Board to view the material in a different way and more hands on fashion. I have used technology in multiple lessons while student teaching. I created an iPad application to help a group of struggling kindergarteners with spelling sight words. I am highly proficient in multiple technology platforms such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Adobe Photoshop, Document Cameras, Smart Boards, iPad applications and more.

schooling, as well as jumping through the certification hoops can ultimately become a teacher. However, not everyone who does the necessary work can become an outstanding teacher. To be an outstanding teacher, the teacher needs to have compassion for ones students and be deeply passionate about educating. An average teacher comes to school each day and delivers the required lessons to the students then returns home at night. An outstanding teacher never really leaves school, as it is always on their mind. The students are more than students in the classroom; they are the children in that teachers life. An outstanding teacher cares deeply about the well-being and success of each student and strives to bring them to the next level of accomplishment. Each of the lessons is delivered with passion and makes the attempt at going the extra mile, not taking short cuts at the students expense but rather finding the best possible learning opportunities for each student. Each student should feel that their teacher, one of the most important adults in his or her life, believes in them as a person, as a student and in their future. I want my students to feel that their teacher believes their performance in school will accurately meet their potential and believe that not just anything is possible but they can make anything possible.

Nature of School Work

I believe that students should be doing work that interest and excites him or her. Thus the students will want to do the work. Schoolwork should be actively engaging students in critical thinking, and allow them to explore a multitude of topics. To obtain this I plan to work with students in finding lessons that are of their own choice that are interesting to them. Giving children options to lead their own learning will encourage students to try harder and dig deeper.

Image of the Learner

No student is a blank vessel but a person who has knowledge, experience and information that can be contributed to the learning of others. Each learner is unique in that he or she learns or obtains knowledge, in a different and unique way visual, kinetic, auditory. It is the teachers job to build upon the information their learners already obtains and value the different ways in which each student learns information.

Image of Teacher
Anyone who works hard enough at it, and goes through the necessary