Briefly share a little about your background experiences that have led you to choose a

career in education?
From a young age I have been passionate about teaching and have immersed myself in
volunteer and work experiences which are education related. This began at the start of high
school, where I volunteered as a camp counsellor at a local summer camp in my community. For
a month, I organized daily lessons and activities for the children as well as weekly trips and a
talent show at the end of the camp. This experienced allowed me to interact with children
between the ages of 5 and 12, as well as their parents and other camp counsellors to facilitate a
fun summer camp experience for the children. It was during this experience that I realized that
my passion was not in architecture as I had previously intended to pursue, but instead in
teaching, and working with children in a learning environment.
Since then, I have spent thousands of hours in the classroom volunteering with
numerous elementary teachers, working as a tutor for the past 4 years, and have private tutored
and worked as a grade 4/5 and 7 teacher at a private school. My experiences in teaching have led
to my confident decision that a career in education is truly ideal for me. I feel at peace in the
classroom and believe it is the ideal place for me.

What have you learned in your teacher training program that will make you an excellent
classroom teacher and colleague?
During my studies at Medaille through the teacher training program, I have gained
immense knowledge which will help me be an excellent classroom teacher and colleague.
Though I have a lot of experience and comfort in the classroom, I did not know the technical
aspects of teaching such as unit planning, lesson planning, and the various theories and practices
which influence teachers. Through my time in this program, I was able to refine my skills in unit
and lesson planning, familiarize myself with the curriculum, learn the theories which support
best teaching practices, learn classroom management strategies, and culturally responsive
teaching, and how to accommodate diversities and disabilities in the classroom. Furthermore, I
learned many practical skills and tips through the wisdom of my instructors and their
experiences.
I also learned and studies amongst peers who have diverse experiences with teaching, and being
surrounded by so many passionate teachers reminded me why I have picked this career; it is so
incredibly rewarding. After completing this program now, and presenting my artifacts which I
created during my studies at Medaille, I am confident I will be a competent teacher.

Provide us with an example of a lesson you taught. How did you integrate it with other
curriculum areas, address the CCLS, technology, student engagement and
motivation? What were the results of the lesson?
An example of a lesson I taught was an ELA lesson, which is provided in this portfolio.
The lesson was based on a culturally responsive piece of literature, which is a book called My
First Ramadan. This introduces Grade 1 students to a religious and cultural holiday practiced by
Muslims all around the world. Besides being culturally responsive, the lesson introduced the
literary skill of recounting, to the students, which they practiced after reading the book.
Therefore, the lesson met the standards of Grade 1 literacy in NYS and Ontario. The lesson is
engaging as it has students learn new vocabulary, work in groups to complete the task, engage in
class conversation, and try some of the food which Muslims break their daily fasts with in the
month of Ramadan. The lesson also engages students as it encourages them to share their own
family practices, holidays, and festivities which are respected and celebrated within the
classroom. The lesson draws on technological resources as the teacher will encourage students to
further educate themselves on different practices and holidays through research and activities on
their class iPads and laptops. The lesson therefore encourages student engagement and
motivation, and incorporates curriculum, addresses the CCLS and uses means of technology to
teach the content.

How will your knowledge of the current trends in education inform you as an educator in
our district/board/school?
As a future educator, I have stayed updated and informed about current trends in
education, to help prepare me for my classroom and teaching. These trends will assist me in the
classroom, as it makes me aware of the areas of education which the district, board or school put
significant emphasis on. For example, before volunteering in the board which I am interested to
work in, I did immense research on the philosophies of the board and the trends which are
adopted in the board and school, to become aware that the use of technological resources are
increasing in the classroom. Therefore, when I entered the classroom, I was ready to use different
technological tools with the students to help practice and learn new material, and also will keep
this in mind when preparing lessons and classrooms within this board or school. Another
example, is the increase in community and family involvement within the classroom. As a future
teacher, I should be aware of the ways in which I can involve the community and families of the
students. In this manner, I meet the standards and philosophies of the schools and boards in
which I hope to meet, which is incredibly important.

Why should we hire you instead of the other applicants we have interviewed?
My desire to be a teacher is not something I have recently adopted or come to realize; it is
something I have wanted to do for as long as I remember, and something I have worked hard
towards ever since. Every moment I am in the classroom, I showcase my desire and passion to be
a teacher. I am dedicated to creating an inclusive and accepting classroom, which creates a safe
space for my students regardless of their abilities, disabilities, differences, diversities, and unique
characteristics. I am a hard worker, and have been fortunate to volunteer and work under skilled
and experienced teachers who have already taught me the strategies and practices which are most
effective in the classroom. This paired with the knowledge I have gained from Medaille College
makes me an ideal candidate and competent teacher who is all rounded, well prepared, eager and
excited to teach a bright and talented generation of students.

Conclusion

This portfolio process has been a strenuous and reflective process in which I have been able to
showcase my capabilities to be a competent educator. The final section of the portfolio allowed
you to get to know me better by listening to my interview, viewing my Weebly website and
reading my thorough responses. I hope by viewing this portfolio and the supplementary videos
attached, my passion and commitment to education has been showcased through my love for
teaching and dreams to have a classroom of my own, one day.