Student teacher autobiography

Autobiography

One morning during my senior year of high school, I was preparing for class, and I had a

sudden feeling that I needed to pursue Elementary and Exceptional Needs Education. As a child,

I did not have any inclination towards one specific profession. As I have continued to explore

this field, I keep finding that my past has prepared me for my future profession as an educator.

My experiences in the classroom and other learning settings have only solidified my calling to

become a teacher.

Education has been a part of my life since I can remember. My sister and I would play

games that included doing math facts and reading words; however, this was just the start. My

grandparents passed down the importance of education to my parents, and my parents passed it

down to my sister and me. They wanted to challenge us through school, but they also said that

they wanted my sister and me to do our best. The effort that is put forth to learn is the accurate

measure of a student. My parents also taught us the importance of caring for people. No matter

where persons come from or how they are acting, they are still persons who deserve respect and

love. One way that my parents show everyone this respect is by trying to see everyone as

valuable, unique, and wonderfully made. I want the children to know that they are invaluable to

my classroom setting. In which they will be pushed to do their best and respected for their

individuality.

In my sophomore year of college, I had the privilege to complete a practicum in a self-

contained classroom of students with severe disabilities and were non-verbal. This was such an

eye-opening experience. I was a little nervous going into practicum because I was not sure how I

was going to be able to communicate with the students; however, I found it was easier than I
thought. All my students wanted was for someone to listen to them and to be understood.

Listening does not alw

I am grateful that God prepared me for a teaching career through preaching. My first teaching assignment at Trent University was to teach Psychology 101, and I was able to hold the students’ interest and inspire them to be good students in spite of my speech impediment.

It is a privilege and blessing that I have spent most of my adult life teaching. Even in my old age (over 80 years old), I still have so many opportunities to practice my profession. In 2018, I faced the challenge of speaking to more than 90 second-year undergraduates in Spain on the topic of “Psychopathology & Meaning”. As usual, I walked into the lecture hall with a broad smile, but also with some apprehension, not knowing how I would connect with so many young students through a translator.

Before I spoke, I looked at a few students sitting in the front row. They smiled back at me as soon as we made eye contact. At that moment, I knew that everything would be fine. The only motivation that sustained me throughout the 2-hour lecture in spite of jet lag and my earache was the desire to pass on part of my knowledge and myself to inspire these young people in Spain.

Once again, I experienced the magic of teaching: more than just the transmission of information, teaching can be an existential encounter that transcends generations and cultures, through which the teacher’s life can actually touch the students in a deep way.

In my teaching career, I have received numerous cards and emails from my former students thanking me for the difference I have made in their lives. In a few cases, I have had the great pleasure of hearing such testimonies in person.

For example, many years ago, after my wife and I had boarded a bus after visiting Canada’s Wonderland with our children, a distinguished-looking and impeccably dressed man approached me and introduced himself as one of my former students from three decades ago. Then, to my surprise, he t