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Section Two:
Teacher Candidate Background Experiences

Introduction

In this section you will learn more about my educational background, work experience

and working philosophy of education. This section will share in detail why I chose the teaching

profession along with the path I took to get to this point in my schooling and career. I have had

experiences observing classrooms in both New York State as well as Ontario through my

educational path as well as my work experience. Some of these observations have given me

inspiration for different procedures I would like to have in my classroom one day. At the end of

this section is a copy of my most updated resume.

Educational Background

Since I can remember I have wanted to be a teacher. It first started when I was a young

child, I would set up my dolls and stuffed animals as my students and “taught” them using the

homework I was assigned at school. In grade two and grade three I had a teacher that really

inspired me to become a teacher. She was able to teach us all the knowledge we needed for the

following year in many different ways. She was always patient and cared about us not only as

students but as people too. She had a very hands on teaching style, but was still able to instill

independence into us. I remember her classroom running itself very early in the year, I now

know this to be strong classroom management. We all had jobs in the classroom that we had to

apply for with a simple resume and explain why we feel we would be the best fit for the job. The

interviews would happen in front of the class and as a class we all voted for who we thought best

fit the job. We had to take responsibility and could be fired from the job if we didn’t keep up
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with our responsibilities. A few times a year, the jobs would be emptied and the application and

interview process would start again.

When I was in grade 11, I had the opportunity to complete a co-op placement in a grade

six classroom. I was there for the whole term from February until June. By the end of the

placement I was teaching full lessons to the students and helping the teacher to plan her lessons I

would teach. That time in placement was a pivotal moment for me. That placement solidified my

wish to teach and be an influence on the students in my classroom. I learned that I loved being up

in front of students and I enjoyed helping them when they didn’t fully understand the lesson.

Having to re-teach the students who did not fully understand the lesson allowed me the

opportunity to understand that material in more than one way.

In April 2013, I completed my Early Childhood Education Diploma at Conestoga

College. Throughout this program my end goal was to continue my education to become a

teacher. After completing the program I immediately began my Bachelor of Early Childhood

Studies through the Chang School of Continuing Education through Ryerson University. This

program was completed entirely online except for two courses that were delivered at Ryerson

University intensively, in one week for each class. Both of these programs offered education on

children from birth to age six. Throughout my Diploma and Degree programs I completed six

placements, four in a daycare setting, one in an Early Years Centre setting and one in a

Kindergarten Classroom setting. The Kindergarten setting placement was the one where I knew I

was making the right decision to be in a classroom setting. I completed the final classes for my

Bachelor of Early Childhood Studies in July 2018. In September 2018 I sat in my first Master of

Science in Elementary Education class. By the end of that first weekend of classes I was sure this
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was the right spot for me and I couldn’t wait to get into the education field. With February 2020

being my anticipated graduation date, I am one step closer to starting my career and my dream.

Work Experiences

After completing my Early Childhood Education Diploma in April 2013, I began

working as a preschool teacher at a daycare centre in a small community. With another educator,

we planned based on the children’s interests, ensured those plans were following the ELECT

curriculum guidelines and implemented those plans with the children in our classroom. Each day

we followed a routine the children were familiar with and fostered the children’s social and

emotional development. Twice a year we would assess the children in our classroom on their

developmental skills. We would come up with goals for the children to work on and over the

course of the next six months or so we would plan activities to foster these goals.

Just over a year into my time at the daycare centre, in September 2015, I chose to move

to the before and after school program that ran out of the school attached to the daycare centre. I

spent time with a group of Kindergarten students before and after school hours. The group of

Kindergarten students I had in the program were the same students who were in my preschool

classroom the year before. In this program I team taught with another educator and together, we

planned and implemented educational activities that fostered the children’s social and emotional

development.

In September 2015, I joined a local school board as a supply Early Childhood Educator. I

stayed working in the daycare centre before and after school and supplied for the school board in

between my daycare hours. While employed at the school board I had the opportunity to supply

in many different classrooms. In April 2017, after returning to work from maternity leave with
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my son, I started working full time as an Early Childhood Educator in a Kindergarten classroom.

I was part of a team with an Early Childhood Educator and classroom teacher. We worked

together for just over a year and were a dynamic team. I learned more about inquiry-based

learning from my team teacher than I had learned in my placements and the years working in the

daycare centre. We had goals each week for the students and I would help the students meet

those goals through their interests. There are many aspects of the Early Childhood Educator role

that I enjoy but over the year I was working in the teaching team it became clear how much I

needed and wanted to be on the teaching side of the partnership. Being in that partnership gave

me the motivation to finish my degree and continue my education. That lead me to where I am

today, Medaille College.

School Observations and Classroom Application

During my time at Medaille College, my cohort was the first cohort of the new program.

Our cohort had the opportunity to participate in Saturday Academy at two different schools as

well as spend time in a gifted high school program offered to students of minorities. While these

experiences were interesting to participate in, I gained a lot of valuable knowledge from my

classroom observation hours we had to obtain in our own time. In my classroom observation

hours I was able to be an acting member in the classroom. The teachers who were supervising

me, put me to work and I was able to fully immerse myself into the classroom and into the

learning. There were pieces from the classrooms I observed in that I would like to implement in

my classroom, both in the physical classroom setting as well as the teachings by the classroom

teacher. In both schools I completed observation hours, the schools were located in rural areas

where many homes were of single income and one parent stayed home. The households where
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there are two working parents, at least one of those parents had flexible schedules that allowed

for parent involvement in the classroom.

Classroom Management

In one of the grade one/two classrooms I observed in, the students had tasks within the

classroom that were their responsibility. With just a few key words the students knew what they

had to do. For example, when the teacher would say “spelling test” the student would know that

is the cue word for her to take down the spelling words from the board. Also when the teacher

would say party points, the students who were keeping track of the party points would move to

sit together and get their fingers ready to keep track of the points gained for the class during the

lesson.

I also observed in a grade six classroom. It was my time in this classroom that I decided I

needed to spend more time with this teacher. His classroom management skills are amazing. His

class shows respect in everything they do in the classroom and they are expected to have that

respect in other areas of the school as well as at home. When speaking with him, he said he

learned from Harry Wong’s beliefs and also experience. Because of this I have asked to be in his

classroom for my first student teaching experience. Classroom management is immensely

important and I would like to learn this from someone who I look up to for my future classroom

management needs. This teacher believes the curriculum is important but he stresses that it is

even more important to give students the opportunity to learn to be respectful contributing

members of society. This is also extremely important to me.

Classroom Setting

When I think of setting up a classroom, I want my students to feel safe, known and

encouraged. I want my space to be literacy rich with some colour but not overly done. The grade
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one/two classroom I observed in had a great balance of literacy rich material and organization.

Everything in the classroom had a place and it was accessible for students to gather and put away

materials they are going to use. I am a very organized person. I pride myself on keeping things

organized and planned out. This is something I will add into my classroom

In the grade six classroom there was not as much in the way of classroom organization.

The students were required to bring their own materials to class and if it was not needed it was in

their lockers. The classroom was a full of student made anchor charts teaching different

concepts. It was clear what the students were learning. The teacher of this classroom provided

most of his lesson material on Google Classroom. Each student in the class has access to a

chromebook for his classes and that is what they use. Even though I do not want to rely solely on

technology, I was able to see the benefit of the use of the Google Classroom during my

observations.

Classroom Application

Much of what I observed I will be able to use in my own classroom one day. There are

pieces of what I have learned through my observations and work experience that I will be able to

apply to my own classroom. Giving the students jobs and teaching respect and responsibility are

just a couple of things that are mandatory to teach in my eyes. I also feel that having a good

rapport with parents is an important part of student’s success.

Philosophy of Education

My philosophy of education has evolved over my years in the Early Childhood Education

field but one thing has never changed, I believe students have a right to education. I believe

students deserve to be heard and encouraged throughout their days with me as their teacher. I
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want my students to come to my classroom and know there are high expectations but those

expectations are met with a kind hearted teacher who just wants the best for my students.

School

As a parent myself, when my husband and I were house hunting the first thing we

considered was the school our son would be attending if we moved into that area. There were

many houses that would have been great for our family but because the school was not desirable

we passed on the house. If this is what I think of as a parent, I know I want to work in the school

that everyone wants their student to attend. My ideal school would have teachers who love

teaching and have access to resources to all students. Administration would back their teaching

staff with their decisions. To build a sense of community and belonging I would expect the

school to be open to inviting the community into the school as well as the school participating in

the community.

Ideally I would like to work in a school where administration believes in work-life

balance as well as appreciates the need to take care of family. I would also like to work in a

school where there is a community feel within the staff members and an appreciation for

continuing our education. Education is changing rapidly and as teachers I feel it is important to

be with the curve so we can learn alongside our students. I would like my lessons to be

interesting, effective and engaging with teaching the students up to date information on the

curriculum topics.

Curriculum

There are an endless number of valuable lessons we can teach the students in our class.

The curriculum has specific skills the students need to show before going to the next grade.
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Ideally the curriculum would include the opportunity to teach significant pieces of history as well

as current events.

In order to make my lessons engaging and in order for my students to get the most out of

the lessons I plan on making as many hands on experiences as possible. I would also like to

present information in different ways to allow students with different learning styles to learn the

material in their learning style strength. Giving real world examples and real world experiences

will give students valuable learning opportunities that will follow them throughout their lives.

Learning

The number one influential educator I would like to have in my classroom is Harry

Wong. His classroom management styles are my ideal classroom management styles. I have

always been an independent person who likes things to be orderly and organized. This is

something I would like to instill in my students - organization and independence. Maria

Montessori believes students learn best through their natural curiosity (Montessori Programs). I

know there is a specific curriculum that needs to be taught but if educators are able to teach the

required curriculum standards by allowing the students to choose the topic, they would be able to

use their curiosity to foster their learning. While I understand this is not always possible, anytime

I can teach a lesson this way I will.

If nothing else, I would like to create a welcoming environment where my students feel

their voices are heard and their curiosities are fostered. I would like to learn as much from my

students as they learn from me.

Learner

While there is a curriculum to follow it is our job as teachers to find what makes our

students tick and become the best learners they can be. I would like to present assignments and
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material in many ways to allow students to choose what is best for their personal learning style.

Each student is different and it is my job as an educator to give my students the best opportunity

to learn the material taught. I would like my students to feel that they are all valuable learners

and educators in our classroom.

As an educator I need to get to know my students so I can tailor lessons to their interests.

While I am aware this is not going to be possible for every lesson, it is possible for many lessons.

Getting to know my students is not just a September thing, I need to continue to know them

throughout the year to be there to support their needs, interests and wonderings.

Assessment

Assessing my students is extremely important. It allows me to track their progress and

help them with their mistakes or struggles but it also allows me to track any students if they are

gifted. I plan on using multiple assessment strategies in the classroom. Some of the best

assessments come from observations during work time. Giving students choice on their

assessments will allow them to have some control over their education. During projects, the

students will have to choose an assessment method from a predetermined list. This way the

students can choose something they are interested in or choosing something from their strength.

Assessment is an important piece of education, but the assessment needs to effectively show the

students capabilities.

Classroom Management

Ideally, I would like to have differentiated seating choices in my classroom, however the

students would have to earn those spots. I have high expectations for my students and would like

to help them become strong, independent learners who thrive in my classroom. Being able to self
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regulate, solve problems independently and work independently are all part of being part of a

classroom community.

With a class discussion I plan to have just one classroom rule, respect. If the students are

showing respect to themselves, their peers, their educators, their belongings etc., they are

following the classroom rule and showing respect.

Resume

Introduction.

My resume will show future employers a snapshot of me as a student, a volunteer and an

employee. The resume is my first chance to showcase my skills and to show why I would be a

good fit in the school board and classrooms.

My resume.
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EMILY SCHUMACHER
36 Main St W, Drayton, On, N0G 1P0 · 519-501-6504
emilyschumacher2012@gmail.com · https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-schumacher-
70b76084

Professional in education with an Early Childhood Education diploma, Bachelor of Early

Childhood Studies and Master of Science in Elementary Education. Experience with children
from birth to sixth grade. I believe everyone has the right to an education and want to give
everyone the best opportunity to learn.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
JANUARY 2019 – PRESENT
SUPPLY DESIGNATED EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATOR, UPPER GRAND DISTRICT
SCHOOL BOARD
- Team teaching in Kindergarten classrooms
- Collaborating, planning and implementing age appropriate curriculum as it aligns with
the Full Day Kindergarten Curriculum document

SEPTEMBER 2015 – PRESENT

SUPPLY DESIGNATED EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATOR, WATERLOO REGION
DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
- Team teaching in Kindergarten classrooms
- Collaborating, planning and implementing age appropriate curriculum as it aligns with
the Full Day Kindergarten Curriculum document

APRIL 2017 – JUNE 2018

LONG TERM OCCATIONAL DESIGNATED EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATOR, ST
JACOBS PUBLIC SCHOOL
- Team teaching in a Kindergarten classroom - Collaborating, planning and implementing
age appropriate curriculum as it aligns with the Full Day Kindergarten Curriculum
document
- Team teaching before school program – collaborating, planning and implementing
activities for range of student ages (Junior Kindergarten to Grade Three)
- Documenting learning and assessing student’s abilities
- Communicating with parents in a professional and positive manner

MAY 2013 – FEBRUARY 2017

REGISTERED EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATOR, CREATIVE BEGINNINGS CHILDCARE
- Team teaching in preschool classroom
- Collaborating, planning and implementing age appropriate curriculum as it aligns with
the ELECT document
- Communicating with parents in a professional and positive manner
- Assisting with basic needs (toileting, eating, sleeping)
- Referring to services when necessary (speech therapy, occupational therapy etc)
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EDUCATION
SEPTEMBER 2018 - PRESENT
MASTER’S OF SCIENCE IN ELEMENTARY EDUCATION, MEDAILLE COLLEGE;
BUFFALO, NEW YORK
Currently enrolled, expected graduation February 2020
Current GPA: 3.92

SPETEMBER 2013 – JULY 2018

BACHELOR OF EARLY CHOLDHOOD STUDIES, RYERSON UNIVERSITY; TORONTO,
ONTARIO
GPA: 3.2

JANUARY 2012 – APRIL 2013

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION DIPLOMA, CONESTOGA COLLEGE; KITCHENER,
ONTARIO
GPA: 3.7

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
• Assistive Technology Workshop (April 2019)
• Kagan Strategies Workshop (April 2019)
• Trauma-Informed Teaching Workshop (April
2019)
• Experiences with ELLs & the Refugee Population
Workshop (April 2019)
• SAVE workshop (April 2019)
• Child Abuse Workshop (April 2019)
• Roots of Empathy (October 2017)
• First Aid & CPR (February 2017)
• Seeds of Empathy Training (October 2013)
• American Sign Language 3 (January 2014)
• American Sign Language 2 (April 2013)
• American Sign Language 1 (January 2013)

REFERENCES
Available upon request
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Conclusion

The second section of this portfolio gave you an in depth view into my experiences and

my why for teaching. You have been able to see my resume and see a snapshot view of my

qualifications. In the next section I will present my artifacts and how they are important to my

portfolio and my future career.

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