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Casey Hereth

Portfolio Introductory Narrative

My name is Casey Hereth, I have worked for Howard County Public School System
(HCPSS) as a Fine Arts teacher for the past ten years. In my first year I worked in Special
Education as an instructional assistant (IA). During that time, a seed was planted that has grown
into a desire to connect with all my students but especially those with special needs. It has been a
very rewarding and enriching career. Prior to teaching, I attended college at Savannah College of
Art and Design where I earned my BFA in Illustration. I am also freelance Illustrator, year round.
In 2009, I began the process of earning my Masters Degree. I entered the
Towson/Howard County cohort for Masters of Special Education. I found the lectures and
assignments to be very beneficial to the everyday demands of a general educator. There are not
co-teachers for fine arts and very little support staff is delegated to the arts in general, so this
cohort proved to be invaluable. Sadly, due to a very lengthy divorce, I was not able to keep up
with my studies and had to drop out of the program. Then, in 2013 another opportunity presented
itself and I jumped for it. I re-entered the Towson cohort, this time split betwixt Howard and
Harford County School. The last three years, while extremely demanding, have been beyond
enriching and the proof is palpable in my classroom. I am so much better equipped to deal with
the accommodations and demands that are expected of me on a daily basis. Thanks to the
knowledge I have gained from my studies, I am able to meet my students needs and help them
reach their goals.
Rationale for Building the Portfolio
The most valuable thing I have learned throughout my time in the Towson program is the
importance of lesson writing, feedback and reflection. Taking the time to craft a quality lesson
that is appropriate for not only your curriculum sequence but also the varied abilities of your

E. Casey Hereth

students. It forces you to really look at the composition of your classroom and ask important
questions: Is this a logical step in the curriculum? Are my students prepared to take this next
step? Have I supplied them with tools to be successful? Does this lesson help my students reach
their goals? Is this lesson setting my students up for failure? Approaching teaching with a filter
of reflection will only make your classroom a more successful environment for students and the
process of building a portfolio lends itself to exactly that. Collecting and creating artifacts aid in
the development of quality teaching practices. Through peer/professor feedback, I am able to
critically view the gaps in my lessons from a constructive point of view and also celebrate the
aspects that have proven successful. The reflection of this cycle has been key to my leaning how
to see the bigger picture: As an educator, we are never finished planning, refining and learning. I
will continue to make mistakes here and there with the knowledge that the lessons learned along
the way are well worth it. The process of building the portfolio has taught me the importance of
lesson planning, feedback and reflection.
Reflections on Coursework, Learning Experiences, & CEC Professional Standards
The professional competencies I possessed at the beginning of the special education
program pale in comparison to my current understanding and application of professional
competencies. Specifically, I now know the history and steps it takes to develop an IEP, whereas
before I could barely navigate an IEP-in-a-flash. This understanding directly aligns with (CEC
standards 1 and 10: Foundations and Collaboration). Through the development of an ESL, I was
able to get a better grasp on preparing a quality, inclusive lesson for all my learners and create
appropriate assessments (CEC standards 2,7, and 8: Development and Characteristics of
Learners, Instructional Planning and Assessment). Creating a student BIP afforded me the
opportunity to really dig deep into a students learning process as well as identify appropriate

E. Casey Hereth

interventions, which can aid in overcoming educational obstacles found in the classroom. I also
was able to reevaluate and sharpen my overall approach to delivering instruction. (CEC
standards 4 and 5: Instructional Strategies and Learning Environments and Social Interactions).
Through reflection, it is beyond evident that the correlation between good teaching and CEC
standards is a resoundingly positive one. I have gained and sharpened the tools to be a highly
effective teacher, able to navigate the pitfalls of any lesson no matter how well planned it may
be.
Philosophy of Teaching
My time spent in this special education program has only strengthened my teaching
philosophy: Everyone deserves to be given the opportunity and access to learn in a safe,
nurturing environment. Even though I am not yet a special educator, my role as a general
educator has been forever changed. Not just changed, enriched. Ive always been a proponent for
equal rights in education but now, knowing the difficult road the champions of special needs
have endured, I have become hyper vigilant in my efforts to level the playing field. As an
educator, I am very much vested in each of my students. I strive to know each of them, every
year and make connections along the way to ensure they know that they are truly valued. On a
personal note: I think its extremely important that students know that, ultimately, I am more
concerned with them leaving my classroom as healthy, productive members of our community
than I am about whether or not that can juxtapose compositional formats or recite color theory.
While teaching art is my passion, I am here to ensure that my students get the most out of this
time and grow into the best possible version of themselves. After all, if were not growing, what
are we doing?