Paige Koomler
January 22, 2011
Final Reflection Paper
As I conclude my student teaching experience, I begin to think back on all the events and
circumstances that have led me to this point in my life. I have completed countless classes, field
experiences and various encounters with children. I have come to understand that lifelong
learning is essential to success in education, as well as in any other profession. I have had
support from several sides, as well as some doubt. I know that this is the career that I am meant
to pursue, and I feel that I will make a great impact in the lives of children. In this essay, I will
discuss my various educational experiences that have come together to strengthen my teaching
abilities and to help form my teaching philosophy.
After my freshman year at Manchester, I realized that a career in medicine was not for
me. Knowing I wanted to help children, I quickly chose a career in education. As my sophomore
year began, so did my introductory education courses. Thinking back on my opinion of education
at that time leads me to realize how innocent I was. I really had no clear idea of the challenges
involved, and I just really wanted to help kids. I did very little thinking about the challenges of
classroom management and behavior. In the four years of college courses and related
experiences, I have a much more solid view of classroom management. While this is still
something I struggle with, I am taking steps to improve, based on what I have learned.
When I was just beginning in my education career I put very little thought into the option
of teaching upper elementary. My mentor was my former first grade teacher, and I was sure that
I wanted to teach first grade myself. As I entered my third grade student teaching placement, I
began to understand the value of the challenges that come along with educating older children. I
appreciated the fact that they could read and write, and were so independent in the learning! I am
proud to say that I will begin job searching with an open mind. I would be happy to accept a job
at any level because I know how great of an opportunity it is to work with students in both upper
and lower levels of the elementary setting.
The education program at Manchester College is designed to create a system of support
and success. My professors have been nothing but incredibly helpful throughout my college
experience. They have formed an education program that encourages teaching candidates to
spend time with children while also researching educational data and philosophy to help us
develop our own experience-based educational philosophy. Our professors have also integrated
guest speakers for us to listen to, bringing in personal opinions of those who have put years into
the education field. Even with the recent decrease of available education position openings in
Indiana, my professors have always kept a positive outlook on my future in elementary
education. This has kept me so excited about my career and encouraged me to keep working hard
toward my goal, regardless of the challenges and obstacles.
In addition to the wonderful guidance I received, the courses that I completed as part of
my education journey were also very beneficial for me. I enjoyed the gradual progression in the
course load throughout my 4-year career. The curriculum is planned very well, with a beginning
based on observations and introduction to the teaching profession, and an ending with real
hands-on, lesson planning based courses and student teaching. I loved my introductory courses,
such as child development and educational psychology. I felt that these courses gave me a deeper
look into the aspects of working with children that I hadn’t necessarily thought of before. Child
development is a crucial look at the advancement of a child into adulthood, and teaches helpful
knowledge for being a great teacher and a great parent. Also, learning more about the
psychology of education in Educational Psychology gave me a more clear understanding of the
meaning behind so many theories and ideas in education.
After I had successfully completed my education courses, it came time for me to
complete my student teaching and give my own teaching abilities a real working chance. I was
placed in Columbia City, in a third grade and a kindergarten. I truly enjoyed my 4 months
teaching. I encountered struggles and challenges, but they only made me stronger as an educator.
I developed a bond with my students that was amazing, and only solidified my goals to enter the
education profession. The guidance I received from my cooperating teachers was invaluable, and
I learned things from them that I will carry with me into my own classroom. The combination of
support from my cooperating teachers and my professors was perfect, and I am so thankful to all
of them.
In addition to these crucial supporters, my family has always been a great support system
for me throughout my life. Although my economically-minded father was skeptical of my career
choice at first, over time I have convinced him that this is what I truly want to do, and he has
joined my mother in full support. My three younger sisters have also had an integral role in my
education path, as I was able to watch them grow up and begin to foster my leadership skills at a
very young age. I am thankful to all of my family for their encouragement that led to my success
in my college career.
Throughout my experience with education, I have focused on the four core objectives,
which have included teaching curriculum, assessment, relationships and environment. These are
viewed as the most important aspects of education that, with mastery, will create a successful
teacher. The first objective, curriculum, has formed an understanding of gradual progression and
brings in standards and lesson planning. I have worked to improve my curriculum planning
abilities, and practiced with this in many subject areas with my student teaching. In my third
grade placement, I used a standards map that the school district provides to form a curriculum
plan that worked very well in my math and reading subject areas.
Another objective that is a large part of successful teaching at all levels is assessment.
Completion of this objective is crucial to successful learning, as it is up to the educator to assess
regularly and from that, form new lessons to address discrepancies in understanding. I had
studied assessment of all types in many education courses, but it was difficult to truly understand
until I could put it to use in the classroom as a student teacher. With my third graders especially,
I was able to administer a mathematics test and use the results to form my following lessons,
improving learning and understanding in my classroom. In addition to assessment, relationships
encompass a third objective. Most important to me in my teaching journey, this objective is all
about creating meaningful relationships with all involved in education, including the fellow
teachers, students and their parents. Learning so much about the importance of relationships
from the many guest speakers I was able to listen to, I used my personal value of relationshipbuilding in my student teaching experience. I consider my ability to relate to my students one of
my strengths as an educator.
One final objective that I have improved on throughout my college experience is
environment. Also critical to the success in an elementary classroom, environment is something
that a teacher must work at daily to create a fun, inviting atmosphere that makes students excited
to learn. In the education program at Manchester, I was instructed on the many theories held by
education professionals. I loved the opportunity that we were all given to take in what has been
researched and then pull from that our own teaching strategy and classroom management plan. I
am very happy with my resulting classroom environment that I am able to create because of this.
Overall, I feel very thankful to Manchester College and the education program that I was
able to grow and learn from over the past four years. The best lesson that I have learned at
Manchester is the importance of becoming a lifelong learner. In the education profession, it is
inevitable that practices will adapt and change regularly as time passes. Therefore, I know that it
will be necessary for me to constantly be researching and adapting my style to include new
educational ideas. I have been able to, over the past four years, work with the C.A.R.E.
objectives in so many aspects of my education, including theory research, curriculum mapping,
lesson planning, and hands-on teaching experiences. I am looking forward to a meaningful career
working with lower elementary students, using the tools I have gained from my time at
Manchester.