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Amari Johnson
EDU 201: College of Southern Nevada
Professor Bridges
19 November 2023
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I am choosing this profession because I have always had a passion for leading the youth.
My experiences with babysitting and teaching younger family members inspire me to be a role
model for kids. I love how they look up to me and see me as a big sister or a second mother.
Having a natural caring and leading personality will help me in this profession. I’m aware of the
amount of patience and discipline that this profession requires. My field observation surely
helped me understand the teaching environment. I learned so much and am very grateful for that
experience. It was nostalgic, and it brought back memories of me as a child. The experience
helped me understand the mindset, passion, confidence, and leadership skills that are needed to
teach. It showed me how kids and their parents are counting on teachers to lead them and prepare
them for the future. It also showed me how much patience you have to have to teach a classroom
full of unique personalities and emotions.
There are many educational philosophies and psychological orientations that apply to me
and my personal beliefs of teaching. Behaviorism, Perennialism, and Constructivism best fits me.
I believe we should teach learners reasoning skills as well as ethically moral and problem-
solving skills. They also should have a sense of independence, and appreciate themselves as
unique individuals, but also be able to accept change and adapt to new environments.
When I think about a historical event that shapes the way I view children and schools, I
think of the segregation of schools in the 1800s. It still amazes me how the world was back then,
but it also makes me happy to see how desegregated schools are and how equal everyone is.
Regardless of their race, every individual deserves equal treatment and the chance to learn in the
same environment..
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My instructional strategies would be a behaviorist and experientialism approach. I believe
rewarding students when well-behaved, high test scores, engagement in class, and helpfulness
will be effective and will encourage them to perform better in class. Also, allowing students to
experience real-world problems through classroom activities will give them something to relate
to that will spark a desire to learn more, and also help them retain information. I will also
implement group activities and pair them up strategically so students can learn from each other
rather than just me. Doing this will strengthen students' weaknesses by collaborating with
students that are stronger in certain aspects. Incorporating diverse lesson plans will also be
helpful in approaching diversity in the classroom.
Characteristics and skills that I need to possess to pursue this career would be better
critical thinking and decision-making, because I can be indecisive. Also I will need more
confidence in my profession; I tend to doubt myself and the decisions that I make because of fear
of failure or disapproval. Lastly, having creativity and diverse learning strategies will help me
become a highly qualified teacher.
The steps I need to take to strengthen my “weaknesses” and achieve my goals and the
requirements for teaching licensure are passing classes and exams, volunteer experience, and
employment.
