Personal Statement
Project
“Why I Want to Teach”
Jennifer Thomas
3-3-14
INTASC Standard, Description and Rationale
• Standard #7 Planning for Instruction
The teacher plans instruction the supports every student in meeting rigorous learning goals by drawing
upon knowledge of content areas, curriculum, cross-disciplinary skills, and pedagogy, as well as
knowledge of learners and the community content.
NAME of Artifact: Personal Statement Project
Date: March 3, 2014
Course: EDU 201
Brief Description: For this assignment, I began thinking about my personal philosophy of education
by answering 5 questions in a Power Point Presentation.
Rationale: To document my understanding of Standard #7, Planning for Instruction because this
Personal Statement project helped me find out what I wanted to do as a teacher and what type of
teacher that I would be.
Reasons for Wanting to Teach
• I always was around children and my childhood dream was to be a teacher. Having my
own childcare led me to want to go further in helping children and their families.
• Gilbert Highet quotes: “A good teacher is a determined person.
Effective Teacher Traits
Some of the Effective Teacher Traits are:
1. Open mind: Each day there may be obstacles that come in the way and I must
be able to handle it. Also I have to be willing to explore new teaching
methods and strategies.
Lynn Columba Quotes: “Effective teachers are not born, they are made after an
enormous amount of hard work and dedication.”
2. Patience: Working with children requires patience. Every child is different,
and every child is going to learn at different paces and also act different with
their behavior. Dealing with all those personality requires much patience.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau Quotes: “Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.”
3. Dedication: This is something that I believe that is very important. If there is
no dedication then I believe its not in your heart. I have been dedicated to a lot
of things in my life , even with my daycare of 13 yrs. If I did not dedicate myself
, I would not be where I am today.
Jessie Owens Quotes: “We all have dreams, but in order to make dreams come
into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication and effort.”
Educational Philosophy
• I want to become a teacher that someone will remember that provided quality
education, was caring, supportive, and understanding.
Jean –Jacques Rousseau Quotes: “Plants are shaped by cultivation and men by
education. We are born weak, we need strength, we are born totally unprovided, we
need aid, we are born stupid, we need judgment. Everything we don’t have at our
birth and which we need when we are grown is given by education.
Student Characteristics
The characteristics of a student that I want to teach are students
that have good communication and is willing to learn.
Thomas Paine Quotes: “Character is much easier kept than
recovered.”
Community Characteristics
• I would like to teach in a Family/Living Community. I'm all about
families and will ne willing to help where I can. I also want to be in a
professional community. Even though you make work with children in
you own style, its still a certain type of professionalism that you should
have.
Tupac Shakur Quotes: “I am a reflection of the community.”
Contributions to the Profession
I will contribute what I can to the students to help them with their education, and
will try to impart to them what they need in order to survive in this world. If I
could I will help them if they are struggling emotionally and physically with
limitations.
Contribute doesn’t always mean money, but it can be time and dedication.
References
Columbia, L. Retrieved from www.tc.Columbia.edu
Shakur, T. Retrieved from www.mobilebrainquote.com
Highet, G. Retrieved from www.mobilebrainquote.com
Owens,J. Retrieved from www.jesseowens.com/quotes
Paine,T. Retrieved from www.mobilebrainquote.com
Rosseau, J. Retrieved from www.mobilebrainquote.com