Running Head: Autobiographical Essay

Autobiographical Essay
Jacob Doty
Carol Billings
EDUC 201 Foundations of Education
T-TR, 10-11:15, Spring 2015

Becoming a Teacher an Autobiographical Essay

Autobiographical Essay

I have always wondered as well as other young people do what am I going to do with my
life. People start asking themselves that as far back as when they are a freshmen in high school,
and most people dont even know until they get through a few years of college. After that some
people still do not know. I am one of the lucky ones who have figured out what I want to do and
that is to become a professional educator. I remember how much positive effect my teachers had
on me when my home life wasnt the greatest and I would like to have the opportunity to be a
positive role model for the next generation.
Educational Background
Growing up in a military family I attended a variety of school across the United States
and some outside of it. My current level of education is only a few credits away from getting my
associates degree. I wouldnt say that I have had special educational experiences during my
educational career other than going to a variety of schools. I believe that my education has
contributed to my development as a professional educator in many of ways.
While I was growing up my father was in the navy and that meant we moved a lot. I had
to change schools about every year or two from the time I was in preschool until about seventh
grade. So I attended a variety of elementary schools in Guatemala, California, and Georgia. I
was happy by the time I got to secondary school because I no longer had to move and I could
stay at one school. I ended up going to Vallivue High School and graduated in the top one
hundred in my class. Now post-secondary school I went back to changing schools again. First I
attended the University of Idaho for three semesters but could not afford it anymore after that. I
then took a semester off to figure out what I really wanted to do and now I am in my second
semester at the College of Western Idaho. After that I plan to transfer either to NNU or to Boise
State to finish up my schooling and get my credentials to become a teacher.

Autobiographical Essay

I cant say that I have had very many special educational experiences in terms of going to
a special school or any programs I have been involved in. One that stood out to me was that my
senior year in high school I was in the broadcasting class that made the school news every day.
In that class we learned how the local TV stations make the news as well as how to work all of
the equipment.
My education has contributed to my development as a professional educator in a variety of ways.
I always had the thought of becoming a teacher but I thought that I wouldnt be able to do much
with my life if I did that. But then when I went to college I ended up changing my major six
times in the first year. I would say that my college professors really opened my mind to the
thought of becoming a teacher, as well as remembering some of my high school teachers and
how they helped change my life. Just the ability that they have to impact their students was
remarkable. I didnt always have the easiest time with school, but there were always a few
teachers who were willing to help me out and not expect anything in return if I didnt understand
something and that really impacted me. One teacher that really stood out to me was my English
teacher my junior and senior year. When my father died during my senior year he helped me out
with all of my work and made sure that I didnt fall behind. I wasnt quite ready yet to start
going to all of my classes again so he talked to my teachers and they let me get all of my work
and go to his classroom throughout the day. If it wasnt for him I probably would have fallen
behind and would have been in jeopardy to graduate. One day I hope that I can make the same
impact on a student.
In all my educational background is different but similar to many students. I went to
school in a lot of different areas so I feel I will be able to connect with all the students from all

Autobiographical Essay

walks of life in my classroom. I am hoping that will come sooner than later as I am working
hard to get my degree and graduate from college.
Work History
The first job I held for more than two weeks was working at Vector. I waited until the summer
after my senior year to start working. This was a sales job in selling Cutco knives and kitchen
ware. I was pretty much my own boss, I set my own appointments and hours but my income was
all commission. After a while its tough for an eighteen year old boy to find enough people to
call or enough people willing to sit down and listen to them. So a month before I went to college
for the first time I stopped working at Vector.
My next job came at a place called National Marketing Solutions, it was probably my least
favorite job that I ever had. My responsibilities there were to make cold calls for telemarketing
small businesses to large businesses. After a while it was difficult for me to sit in front of a
computer screen for eight hours a day. I eventually went in a different direction from
telemarketing.
In my final semester at the University of Idaho I worked as part of the camera crew for filming
football games. One of them was actually on ESPN so it was cool to talk to guys that worked for
there. For this job I would assist the camera men by any means necessary. I would hold the
cable and run up and down the sidelines with them making sure they didnt trip or run into
anything.
When I moved back to Caldwell over a year ago I started working at the Caldwell Family
YMCA. It has been my best job by far, the pay isnt great but I love the job. I work in the youth
department generally in the After School program or in child watch. I assist children with their

Autobiographical Essay

homework and reading when they get out of school and then do various activities with them until
their parents get picked up.
I believe all of my job experiences have contributed to me becoming a professional
educator. Working for Vector got my skills talking to people to go up and not to be as shy as I
once was which is key if Im going to be talking in front of a whole classroom all the time. One
of the main reasons I did not like my job at National Marketing Solutions was because I felt like
I wasnt doing any good in the world. Working as part of the camera crew for the University of
Idaho brought back the sense of teamwork that none of my other jobs had really had. And I
believe team work is crucial in education between the teacher, students and the parent. My last
and most current job is what I believe finally drove me to wanting to become a teacher. Working
at the YMCA and helping kids ages six through twelve with their school working made me
realize how much I enjoy teaching and that it was what I should be going to school for.

Service and/or Extracurricular Activites

In my life I have had a few extracurricular activities that I have been involved in, and
almost all of them have to do with basketball. The first one that comes to my mind though was
band throughout middle school. The second activity was simply playing for my high schools
basketball team. Also being a player and assistant coach on my spring basketball teams. The last
activity that I can think of was coaching youth basketball with the organization Boise Slam.
Throughout middle school I was in the school band. I loved it but I could never stick to
one instrument. I would drive my teacher mad because in those three years I went from the
trombone to the trumpet to the saxophone and then the clarinet, but he couldnt tell me not to

Autobiographical Essay

because in a few weeks I would be the best in the band at the instrument I changed to. By the
end of middle school I was already playing in the high school band. It helped me in my
development to become a professional educator because that was the first class that I loved to
learn in. It made sense to me as to why people said that they enjoyed school because it was
something that I had never experienced before.
Basketball has been a big part of my life and at one time it was the only thing in my life.
I would always be playing either at my high school gym or the Caldwell YCMA. I ended up
being on varsity as a sophomore. Being on my high schools team helped me in becoming a
professional educator because without basketball I probably wouldnt have tried as much in my
classes so I could be on the team. We had to maintain a certain GPA to play and that made me
pay attention and give extra effort in my classes. I would have continued to play in college but I
ended up blowing out both of my knees but its still a big factor in my life and how I approach
school.
On my spring basketball team that me and my friends made I was made the assistant
coach. My job was to be in charge of the offenses we ran and help everyone develop the skills to
be in the offense. This was a huge factor in me becoming a professional educator, even if I
didnt know it at the time. It was the first time I was in a position to teach anyone. And I loved
it, I loved being able to pass on my knowledge and seeing people put it to use.
Another job I did with coaching was with a club called the Boise Slam. At first I worked
with kids that were all in middle school at a skills camp. Then when the season came around I
started working with kids in second through fourth grade most of them playing organized
basketball for the first time. At the time I was considering working with fifth grade and up. But

Autobiographical Essay

while coaching for Boise Slam I realized that I did not want to work with younger kids as much
as I thought I did and would prefer high school.
Reasons for Choosing Education as a Career
The first time I considered education as a career I was a junior in high school. I wasnt
serious about it at that point but thats when the foundation was laid. There are many reasons
that made me decide that I wanted to become a teacher but one that stands out to me the most is
the ability to have a positive impact on many different students. Other careers that I considered
were business, and counseling. With these career fields I expected to make a good amount of
money but as I got more in depth in those fields I realized that they were not what I wanted to do
for the rest of my life.
During my second semester junior year was when I first realized I would want to become
a teacher. This was around the same time that I began being a player and a coach on my spring
basketball team and was teaching my teammates the offense and the skills necessary to play on
our team. I remember sitting in my English class thinking, you know what being a teacher
doesnt seem like it would be a horrible career, I thought that the teachers didnt have the
hardest or most stressful job in the world.
The most important one though is the ability to positively impact young peoples lives. Another
reason which I believe is just a perk of the job is having summers off. This would give me time
when I do have a family to spend time with my kids and have family trips. My family was never
very close but being a teacher I would be able to be at home when my children are at home and
be able to spend the time with them that I want to.

Autobiographical Essay

I had considered a variety of other careers before I settled on becoming a teacher. I

changed my major about five times in my three semesters at the University of Idaho but really
only focused on three career fields. The first one I considered was general business to one day
have a business of my own or climb a corporate ladder and run a department. But I soon realized
that it wasnt for me and I switched to counseling. I thought I would be a good fit as a counselor
as I had to go to counseling growing up and moving all around the country I would have the
ability to see different viewpoints easier than most.
In all of the career fields that I chose I was planning to make a lot of money. I wasnt
choosing my career fields to do something that I would enjoy doing everyday but rather what I
thought I could do to make the most money.
Professional Goals
I believe that it is essential for any student to have both long term and short term goals,
and be able to tie in the short term to make the long term possible. Now for me I have a few
short term goals such as graduating from CWI with my associates degree. Another short term
goal for me is to miss as few classes as possible and pass all my classes with at the very least a
B. Some long term goals I have are to go to either NNU or BSU and become a history teacher at
a high school in the treasure valley. To go along with being a teacher at a high school I would
also one day like to become the head basketball coach at whatever school I teach at.
I intend to graduate from CWI by this December so I can finally move on to a four year
school. Even though this is still quite a few months away to me this is a short term goal of mine.
With work and other obligations it is impossible for me to get to every one of my classes
throughout a semester but I am trying my hardest to not miss more than three sessions for each.

Autobiographical Essay

Another short term goal of mine is to pass all of my classes with at least a B. When I went to the
University of Idaho I would get flustered and fall behind because I was always looking ahead at
what I would eventually have to do rather than what needed to be done at the time.
Now a long term goal that I have is to go to either NNU or BSU to get my teaching
certification and eventually teach at a school in the treasure valley. I am not sure on how long
that will take me because of factors such as time and money. I would like to get this goal done
sooner than later but I know that I am still a couple years away from achieving it. Another goal
of mine is I would like to become the head basketball coach at the school that I teach at. I have a
vast knowledge of the game and would love to pass on what I know.
In all I believe that my short term goals tie into my long term goals. And with these goals
I hope to one day realize my dream of becoming a teacher. I know that it will not always be easy
but it will be worth it. One quote that I like to think about is take the road less travelled because
at the end you will be more grateful that you did.