Section Two: Teacher Candidate Background Experiences

Introduction

           In this section of My Portfolio I have included information about my previous educational

and work experiences, my school observations and classroom applications as well as my

philosophy of education and my working resume. I believe that after reading this section you will

grasp a snippet of who I am as a person and what experiences have let me to where I am today.

This section allows me to reflect on my experiences and it allows me to connect them to those I

might make in the future. I hope that this reflection shows the efforts that I have put in the past

and that I am willing to further in the future to become a great educator. 

Teacher Candidate Educational and Work Experiences

Education Experiences

Grade 1. I cannot remember a time where I didn't want to become a teacher. I always thought it

was the coolest job in the world. I was always a kid that loved to help, I was the student that

always put their hand up first when it came to assigning classroom tasks. I loved helping people.

I would thrive when new kids would come to my class as I would be the first person to volunteer

to show them around or make a new friend. 

           The first real impact that a teacher had on me was in grade 1. My grade one teacher was

the kindest and most generous soul that this world had ever seen. She would remember every

single story that anyone would tell her, and she would ask and follow up with each student using

the most remarkable detail as if she was experiencing it herself. She would make everyone feel

so loved which is a fantastic quality to have. Not only did she take the time and effort to make

sure everyone always understood what she was teaching, but she also made a very good point to
not single anybody out if they were struggling. I was lucky enough to have her again in grade 3.

This time I saw her through a different lens. 

Grade 3. Going through The French immersion program, language always comes easy to me. It

was somewhat of a blessing looking back on it today that I never struggled with anything that

was literacy based. I was always a very fluent reader both in English and in French and in most

cases, I read a grade or two 2 above grade level. Now math was a different story. I struggled a lot

in math, and it was not until grade 3 that I received my first official “bad grade”. I remember

looking at the math strands on my report card in tears as I tried to crumple it up and put it back in

the envelope on my desk. I was a perfectionist, so it bothered me that I struggled so much in a

particular area. She asked me to stay behind during the late recess so that she could talk to me for

a couple of minutes. In my mind, I thought she was going to tell me I would be receiving a phone

call home to discuss my poor mark. I remember standing in front of her desk feeling petrified,

and it was not because I was scared of her, it was because I thought that I had disappointed her

and that was a terrible feeling. She started by giving me a lollipop, she said that lollipops always

put a smile on her face when she was sad as a kid. She then said that there was no reason for me

to beat myself down it was only another opportunity to prove to myself that I can accomplish a

new challenge. She said that we were now a team and that she and I would do everything to

make sure that my goals were met. From that moment on, she stuck by her word. She helped me

during late lunch every day, would give my mom resource is to use if I was struggling at home.

It took a while for me to understand some concepts, but I persevered and raised my mark two

letter grades by the end of the third term. I will never forget the feeling that I had when I opened

my last report card to see all the progress that I have made. I would love for every child who
struggles with anything academic to experience that exact feeling, and I would love to be the one

who gives them that satisfaction. 

 Grade 5. grade 5 is when I started to fill the shoes of a leader. I always loved to help around the

class as I had mentioned above, but I started to take initiative in getting these rules. Part of this

transformation had to do with my 5th-grade teacher. She was a very feisty teacher who had high

expectations for all of her students, because of this quality many students complained that she

was “too tough” but I never found this to be the case. She had a great love for the arts, and as a

competitive dancer so did I. I think this is what initially drew us together. She always allowed

me to develop my leadership skills weather it was in the class, or during after-school activities.

I'd never had much time to join extracurricular activities especially if meetings or practices were

held after school due to my intense dance schedule. That being said she was the first one who

taught me the meaning and importance of time management skills. She allowed me to see that

being a teacher was more than just teaching kids how to read and write, it was about teaching

them valuable life lessons and putting them in situations where they will be able to learn from

these lessons. She gave me the task of helping her organize and choreograph the school musical.

Practices were held after school, for the most part, so she taught me how to take initiative and

create my own rehearsal schedule to make sure all of my commitments were met. This is one of

the most valuable lessons that I have ever learned and another example of the impact a teacher

can make on someone for the rest of their life. An example of which I hope to share with my

students.
Work Experiences

           Toronto Dance Industry. I was very fortunate to be in the competitive dance program at

Toronto Dance Industry from the age of two to the age of 17 when I graduated high school.

Growing up in such an intense training environment has allowed me to develop many leadership

qualities that are needed in an educator. My dance studio has also given me many teaching

opportunities. I started volunteering as an assistant teacher at the age of 10. I helped teach our

pre-dance classes which range from students ages 2 to 4 years old. Over the next couple of years,

I developed strong communication skills as well as leadership and empathetic qualities that are

needed especially when teaching children of that age. At the age a 15 I was allowed to take over

a couple of classes 4 a dance teacher that was leaving from maternity leave. She had left near the

beginning of the season, in November, therefore I would be teaching and choreographing their

year and routine which they will perform in June. Balancing my competitive training schedule

with this new teaching opportunity allowed me to further enhance my time management skills, as

now not only Did I have to make time to practice my routines I also had to prepare and plan for

these new teaching classes. This was my first solo teaching experience and it is one that I will

never forget. After I graduated high school, I was given a full-time position as a dance teacher

and choreographer which I still hold today. This opportunity has opened my eyes to the world of

teaching, and it is one that I enjoy every day. I have learned the importance of parent-teacher

communication, the importance of the trust you must build with these parents knowing they're

leaving you with their child. It has grown my sense of responsibility and has made me a stronger

individual because of it. 

heart. growing up in a tight-knit Macedonian community, the importance of tradition and

community was always stressed on us. I have dedicated the last 20 years of my life to the

folklore dance group of Ensemble Makedonka as a dance member and as a dance teacher. This

dance group has been around for the last 61 years and has continued to strive to bring the

Macedonian community together through traditional song and dance. I started volunteering as

one of the instructors at the age of 12. I continued to help lead the young generation and teach

them the importance of cultural preservation and the meaning behind our traditional song and

dance. This folklore group is an award-winning dance group that I have had the pleasure to travel

with all over North America and Europe. As my time as a dance member has come to an end, I

continue to educate and instruct the members of our three pre-professional and one professional

group.   

           Not only have I gained valuable teaching experience, but this experience has also taught

me the value of community. every school and classroom should have that sense of community,

which I would like to incorporate in all of my classrooms. Students must recognize the strength

of a united community. 

           Tutor in the School Programming. In April of 2017, I was hired by the peel district

school board as a tutor in their tutor in the school program. I tutored and assisted a variety of kids

from grade one to grade 5. This school was located in a very low-income neighbourhood and the

reason this program was implemented was in efforts to give extra academic support to two

families could not otherwise afford it. I was mainly in charge of focusing on and improving

underdeveloped literacy skills. Though I had volunteered many times before and worked in

different scenarios, this was one of the most eye-opening and educational experiences for myself
personally and professionally. Although you get taught that a child's lack of resources can

negatively impact their academic success until you physically see it you will never come to

means with what that statement means. The kids that I had the pleasure of working with lacked

motivation because they didn't have a stable support system that told them they could be

successful. Without that simple start of positive reinforcement, they continue on their day with

no sense of purpose. This program was funded by the Board, in which we were given several

resources to give to the students participating. I was able to give a grade two student three books

to read at home and to keep, I will never forget the look on her face when I told her she could

keep them. Many students didn't want to take the books home because they hated reading. The

reason they hated reading was that they could not read. I sat and assisted literacy professionals

through interventions with a couple of students. One of my coworkers would show up every day

and start by saying “if I can make at least one kid like one page of what they read I've done my

job correctly ”. I've learned through this experience the importance literacy holds and the value

of time and patience when assisting a student through this 

School Observations & Classroom Application

           My field experience courses we're filled with interesting Intel. I think we can say that this

pandemic has been a blessing in disguise in terms of getting to witness many platforms being

used. During our short time at Harvey Austin Elementary school, I was able to see the impact

that a strong community can have on their students. I was also able 2 learn from several teachers

About various classroom management strategies that they use and tools they implement to retain

their strong classroom management skills. Although we were only at Harvey Austin for two

weeks due to the pandemic there are many vital lessons that I have learned. 
           First and foremost, I saw the direct impact that resources can have on low-income

families. These resources do not necessarily have to mean books, pencils and paper, but simply

food. Harvey Austin elementary school was in charge of providing breakfast lunch and dinner to

almost 90% of the families that they hosted during Saturday Academy and on a day to day basis.

The purpose of Saturday Academy was to provide fun and academic experiences for their

students in the efforts of keeping them off the street. I got to work with a grade 4 ELA class

where 8 out of 10 kids struggled with reading. Through my experience at the peel district school

board, I knew this was going to be a continuous challenge. I used my connections that I made

through my work experience and implemented them here. I also got to observe the homeroom

teacher use many fun literacy techniques to help her struggling readers. We used word cards,

syllable configuration, and other fun tools that allowed the students to practice their reading

while keeping them engaged in a fun game. I am a huge advocate for “fun learning”, I believe

that teaching doesn't have to be so serious all the time. Some students worked better with letter

manipulatives; others worked better with one on one support. Some students enjoy reading out

loud and sounding every word out while others used word cards to assist them. This proves that

students do not all learn in the same way just as suggested in Gardner’s theory of multiple

intelligences (Gardner,1983).  

           I also had the pleasure of observing a 5th-grade teacher and her amazing classroom

management and organizational skills. She used many techniques that we have read about

through our studies on educational theorists and it was great to see how it can be translated into a

classroom environment. She had a reward system called “Smith-bucks”, that she used to gift her

students. Her students would get paid a certain amount of “Smith-bucks” when they helped

around the classroom, were caught doing a selfless act or helping a classmate or whenever she
felt the students needed a little bit more encouragement. This was a direct correlation to Skinners

Operant conditioning theory. According to Skinner (1938), operant conditioning is a method of

learning that occurs through rewards and punishments for behaviour. Through operant

conditioning, an individual makes an association between a particular behaviour and a

consequence. Her students thrived through this rewards system and were so excited to do extra

tasks around the classroom to get rewarded. They are also able to purchase things and

experiences with their money either from their teacher or from other students. This taught the

students to be responsible as they needed to have at least one “Smith-Buck” as an exit ticket at

end of day dismissal. Many valuable lessons were taught through this system and it was certainly

one that I loved to observe. 

           All in all, these classroom visits one clear theme that I had observed while my time there,

and that was the importance of empathy and expectations. To maintain a calm environment

where students can learn without the chaotic feeling. Both classrooms had clear expectations for

the students. Once they knew their expectations, most things would fall right into place. Medaille

has stressed the importance of empathy, and it does make a difference in the way a teacher

handles a situation. We were taught to never assume the knowledge a child may possess, we

must always be sensitive and learn from where they come from and what they might be handling

at home, which can affect their academic and social life. These lessons were all exemplified at

Harvey Austin Elementary School throughout my time there.

           In March of 2020, the world how we knew it was put on pause due to the COVID-19

pandemic. Our livelihood, education and careers were put on hold and we had to adjust to our

new “normal”. Because of this, our Field Experience was turned into a virtual one. Our cohort

had the pleasure to participate in Virtual Saturday Academy throughout the rest of the semester.
Although there was less classroom interaction, we got to experience the efforts the staff go to to

keep the same community engagement as they would if it was in person. The in-person Saturday

Academy’s would provide more academic support to their students, rather than the Virtual

Saturday Academy. That being said the central focus was to benefit the mental health of the

individuals through fun at-home activities that they could participate in. The lockdown portion of

the pandemic was very hard on a lot of individuals and it was very nice to observe the communal

effort of the staff. It teaches the students and their families the importance of community

engagement which can then be reflected upon when they return.  

Conclusion

           Teaching has been a dream of mine for many years. I have been teaching for as long as I

can remember, and it has always been a passion of mine that I wanted to pursue. I continued to

pursue my dream throughout elementary, secondary and post-secondary school. I immersed

myself with opportunities to be able to gain experience. Through my experience working at my

dance studio to working at the Peel District School Board and my volunteer experience at my

church, they have all motivated me in different ways and allowed me to immerse myself in my

dream which I will always be grateful for.

           In the next section, you will be able to see the ten artifacts that I have chosen that will

exemplify my creativity, content knowledge, planning, instruction and technology integration.

The artifacts presented in My Portfolio were created to not only implement structure and

standards but also to motivate the learner. As teachers, it is important to always remember the

use of universal design for learning in your classroom. You will see this incorporated throughout

a couple of specific artifacts that I have included in My Portfolio. These will also show you

various accommodations and modifications that can be made if necessary, to benefit every
student in your class. I will also include tools that can be used for classroom management, which

is an essential part of running a smooth and well-integrated class.