Introduction

Karen Donohoe

Introduction

April 28, 2015

            I am from a small town in the seacoast of New Hampshire. I went to a small K-8 school where everyone knew everyone in town. My brother had gone through the school before me and my Mom is still a teacher at the school today. I went to the public high school and found myself at Wheelock four years later. Growing up in a small-secluded town in New Hampshire, I never thought I would become a city girl, especially in a city that has such heart and passion for their own.

            The college application process was a stressful one for myself because I was in denial that my life was going to change. If it wasn’t for my mother and all of her help with my applications and college visits I would not be graduating from Wheelock College this year. I originally did not want to go to school in the city but once the letters of acceptation and polite declines came in the mail Wheelock seemed like the path I was going to follow.

            At the age of seventeen I was a director of a camp for children ages 3-5. I was responsible for 4 staff members, about 15 children, and each days planning. At a young age I was put into the role of a classroom teacher. At such a young age I thought it was going to be difficult but it felt natural. I had one camper who has severe autism. Over the years she has improved tremendously but when I had her she was non-verbal and transitions were extremely difficult for her. One day this little girl came up to me and hugged me and said, “smells? Like flowers?” This was the day that I knew I wanted to become an educator. Seeing improvement in one child over 5 weeks gave me a warm thrill of passion. This one little girl at the age of four at the time told me I smelt good, but she really told me what my passion was and what I wanted to do with my life. I will forever owe this little girl gratitude for being such a prominent part of my life’s path.

            Once I got to Wheelock I knew education was the program I wanted to be apart of, but I had no idea what I wanted my professional major to be. I thought long and hard and decided on Humanities with a focus in history. I do not have as moving of a story for as to why I chose history, I actually don’t have a story at all, but I am glad that I chose it. Being Humanities major has really adapted my skills as a learner for the better. I am able to think critically about my learning and I have learned to push myself to an intelligence level that I did not know I could reach.

            Throughout my time at Wheelock I have made myself a well known role model on campus by being a resident assistant my junior and senior year. This role has pushed me to be an adult in a student’s body. I have been trained to deal with a wide variety of issues ranging from roommate problems to suicide attempts. This role has helped me to better understand how to deal with other people in an appropriate way, helping me for my future career. I also have participated in the Colleges of the Fenway Dance Project for all four years of my college career. I have been apart of instructor choreographed pieces as well as pieces I have choreographed myself.

            During human growth and development I was placed at Project Hope in Dorchester working with infants, and St. Columbkille School in Brighton in a fifth grade classroom. I was at these placements three hours a week observing the students, conducting research, and evidence to support my learning of children of young ages and older ages. First semester of my senior year I was placed at the Pierce School in Brookline in a second grade classroom. This was an amazing experience for me. I was able to see each child’s parent at least once a week, because of the parent involvement in the school and schools involvement within the community. I created a warm relationship with these students as well as my mentoring teacher. I was only in the classroom a day and a half and the students gave me an extremely warm goodbye when I left. I am currently placed in a fourth grade classroom at the JFK Elementary School in Jamaica Plain. I have been in this classroom for about three and a half months now and have never met one of the students’ parents. I am in this classroom everyday all day and I do not know a lot about my students lives at home. I have connected strongly with certain students who have benefited from having an extra teacher in the room. This has made me feel like I have made a difference in these students educational experience through giving them the extra attention that they need.

Educational Beliefs

1.     I believe that educators need to teach to each student’s learning needs through diverse teaching strategies.

2.     I believe that educators have to understand each student in all areas of his and her lives in order to understand the child fully.

3.     I believe that the educator’s assessment of student understanding is important in the educator’s role to insure student understanding.

4.     I believe that in order for an educator to meet the entire student’s needs, extensions of educators knowledge needs to be an ongoing process.

5.     I believe that family and community involvement in the students’ learning will enhance their drive to learn.

6.     I believe that educators need to understand the advantages and limitations that come along with prepared teaching strategies or curriculum. Within knowing this everything should be modified personally to the specific students.