Running Head: BIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY 1

Autobiographical Essay

Tori Fidanza

Professor Carol Billing

EDUC 201 Foundations of Education

Spring 2017
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Introduction

Becoming an educator has not always been the dream I was chasing after; although in

retrospect it seems quite fitting for who I am as a person. Since high school I believed I would

find myself working in the field of health occupations. However, as my schooling advanced on

the subject matter I found that the politics and other ugly sides of the industry where not

something I could cope with. I found myself lost as my interest in the material had not waivered,

but my passion was already dwindling, looking within to find some clarity upon personal

reflection I realized that since setting out on my journey to higher education my interest in

subject matter across the board had peeked. I love to submerse myself into new concepts and

expand on other knowledge. I would love to pass this passion to help others inspiring students to

explore the world around them, and perhaps help spark a passion in their life.

Educational Background

My educational background has all taken place in the Nampa School District, where I

have attended Sherman Elementary, South Middle School, and Skyview High graduating in

2012. I continued my education at the College of Western Idaho the following fall and have

since then earned an associate’s degree in Liberal Arts. I am currently working on earning my

bachelor’s in Elementary Education, and plan to transfer from CWI to Boise State University to

finish my degree.

Throughout high school I had an excellent chance and privilege to work in the special

education department; it was something that I hold quite valuable in my list of life opportunities.

By the end of the four years of high school of my being a part of that classroom every other day I

had worked my way up from a teacher’s aide to a student teacher. Of course not legitimately as I

was still a high school student, but I helped with daily lessons, conducted reading sessions, had
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one-on-one time with the students as a mentor, and participated in their life skills class that

pertained to helping with cognitive skill in the place setting of their home such as cooking.

Having this background has always been something I have appreciated, and now that I am

pursuing a teaching degree it will really be a benefit to me in many different aspects.

My education thus far has brought me a long way from both an educational perspective

and outlook on life. I have found through education that there is so much to the world. Nothing is

black and white, you must keep looking further into something and always keep questioning.

There were times that I look back to and think about how lost, drained, and confused I was about

a certain subject not believing that I would be able to make it. Now I am so happy that I persisted

as I have found new interests and questions to be answered every day. That urge to understand

and seek answers that has been instilled in me by great educators of my past, along with the not

so great ones, pushes me to believe that my love for knowledge will spark that same curiosity

and passion in my future students to come.

Work History Service and Extracurricular Activities

My previous work history includes a small part-time high school summer job as an

assistance secretary, where my responsibilities included, managing phones and emails, using

computer programs such as Microsoft Office, Excel, and Word to accomplish daily tasks. My

duration there was not a long one, but helped me build my customer service skills that I would

later come to rely on each day as I have been in retail since graduating in 2012. I have kept the

job for these past four years as I have come to find I love it at this company; helping people is

such a great joy in my life. Hired on as a fitting room attendant I had the responsibilities of

greeting customers as they came through, assisting them to a room, and with anything else they

may need from me while there—whether it was a different size or a price check. As customers
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came in and out it was my responsibility to keep a clean and orderly atmosphere, while

organizing the clothing within their correct departments. As the fitting room attendant I was also

the main person to handle phone calls as they came in, along with other “secretary” type duties.

My main title was the fitting room attendant, but I was never limited to just that area and was

found as help all over the store. I have since mastered each department of the store from home

décor, to stock room freight, to assisting customers at guest services with the more complicated

issues one may have.

Customer service skills are a foundation I find everyone should build as it is a key

component of being able to communicate well with others and problem solve; skills that will be

necessary when speaking to parents of my future students. These skills will be valuable in the

classroom as well, but even more so when communicating with adults over their child’s

education. Customer service has helped me conquer my fear of confrontation and find my voice,

again something that will be valuable in the classroom but more so with the parents. Being able

to voice what I believe and resolve issues in a calm manner, all while appeasing the customer is

an ability I will rely on quite often with students and their parents as a professional educator.

Throughout high school my membership within many clubs made it easy to access a vast

amount of volunteer opportunities, National Honor Society required 50 hours each semester on

its own to stay a member. I was given the chance to help at major events such as the Special

Olympics or the March of Dimes, along with opportunities on more of a community based level,

such as Rake up Nampa. My volunteer work wasn’t always served as a group, for I have also

volunteered on my own at places such as the Food Bank. Though my volunteer rate and

opportunity has dwindled since high school, I still visit the food bank as often as possible.

Through volunteer work I have learned some valued life skills the most important of which is
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that there is a bigger picture than yourself. After volunteering as much as I have, or even once,

you see that others do not have the same luxuries as you and the bigger picture starts kicking in.

Being able to identify yourself and understand where you fit in life is only the first step of

understanding the world around you. I find that the ability to understand and relate to different

people of diverse cultures or religions, or even social demographics is going to be a huge asset as

I embark on a mission to aide in the education of children that come from diverse cultures,

religion, and social statuses.

Ethical Reasoning in Education

Classrooms can be a difficult place to thrive in for both students and teachers when

judgement calls are required. I learned this lesson in the 6th grade from my English teacher.

English has always been an easier subject for me, therefore I’ve always been one to enjoy the

class but about half way through my 6th grade year I dreaded stepping foot into her classroom.

This was all due to a lie told to the teacher about myself, another student had decided they were

going to give them a piece of their mind for keeping us late one day—but it was told it was said

from me. The teacher made snide comments and remarks towards me for the remainder of the

school year while I did all I could to survive her class. The comments may have had a sarcastic

ring to them, and may not have been directed to hit my heart as it did—but it did. I had always

had teachers on a different platform in my mind, they were there to help and guide us in

education not partake in the childish rumors circulating the school halls.

Looking back, I understand the teacher was young and may have been trying to relate to

the other students she was now “buddies” with over the situation, and that perhaps her remarks

were that of a joke. In any case the instance was dealt with improperly as a professional

educator, as she made one of her students feel victimized. Ethics must be a backbone to the
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classroom, especially of young minds as we are teaching them more than just textbook material.

They are sponges and will soak up all that you provide, including how to problem solve life

issues of ethical and moral dilemmas. Of all the ethical theories and principals, virtue is the one

that stands out to me as what should be enacted in a classroom. The kids one is given to teach

come from different backgrounds of moral right and wrongs and I find the one that works the

best in existence with those backgrounds of differences would be that that places emphasizes on

our moral character.

Reasons for Choosing Education as a Career

I first became interested in teaching when I was in high school, during those four years I

was a teacher’s aide for the special education department at my school. In that time I

contemplated becoming a teacher, but had my mind set on going into the medical field. Almost

five years after graduating high school and exploring a higher education, I have decided that

though the material would be interesting the environment of working in the medical field is not

for me. I believe I have now found a career path that I feel will be entirely fulfilling in the work I

will be doing, along with the environment I will be in daily.

As a young child I used to pretend to be a teacher with my friends and cousins that would

come over, as I am sure most kids pretend to do in their imaginary world—but I believe I took it

a bit more seriously than the other children as I had a binder with a filesystem in it that I stored

their homework in and prepared lessons for them for when they would come over. I have also

wanted to help people with whatever it was that I decided to take on as a career and find that

even though it has not always been what I wanted to do with my life, it suits me well.

I anticipate that working with the young children of the world will be reward that is far

more gratifying than I can imagine at this point in time. Aiding in the education of others and
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hopefully sparking an inspiration within to believe in themselves in what they can accomplish

and to stimulate them to want to learn and explore the world will be all the fulfillment I could

wish for.

Professional Goals

I aim to finish my schooling at the College of Western Idaho and continue to earn a

bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Boise State in the near future. I hope to have

my own classroom—the grade of which does not play a huge role in what job I take as a teacher,

although if I am given the opportunity I find that a 2nd grade classroom would be optimal.

Until I reach said goals in my life I will be working to achieve smaller ones to put me one

step closer to my endgame. Completing the courses I need to before transferring to BSU is one of

the greater short-term goals I plan to accomplish. Until I am conducting a classroom of my own I

need to make certain that I am prepared for such a privilege, this is done by first perusing such

education through college but also by having hands on experience. I plan to continue to look for

guidance in this by continuing to observe classrooms of elementary teachers in hopes of gaining

an insiders perspective of classroom management, styles of teaching, problem solving skills put

to use with the array of issues teachers are presented with and more. I hope that by doing so my

skills in these areas will be refined better equipping me to be able to pass on my passion for

education, to ignite a spark of curiosity and desire to learn in their young minds.