Introduction

Dear Reader,

This portfolio details my preparation to become an effective teacher.� Throughout the portfolio, I�ve used the same emblem to represent my unifying theme.� The woman is running, holding a briefcase and a torch; I want to light the passions of children to learn (torch) using my in-depth preparation (briefcase) and my endeavor to battle time restrictions (running).�

My goal as a teacher is to help children become life-long learners with strong desires to find challenges in their lives.� I have always loved language arts, natural sciences, social studies, mathematics, art, music, physical education, and technology equally; I want children to enjoy the variety of activities each subject offers.� I want to give the children skills that will empower them to be successful in life.� I am committed to their numeracy as well as their literacy skills; both are crucial for them to communicate in the 21st century.� My lesson plans will be interrelated so that the children find meaning in every activity of their school day.� Children will be allowed choices in the classroom activities, presentations, and assessments, so that they may take ownership for their education.� I want them to feel confident in every area, so that their futures will be open to unlimited choices.� I want them to develop lifelong learning skills

I enjoy the excitement of seeing the reactions of the faces of children when you know they have experienced a "Eureka" breakthrough!� My parents are both teachers and instilled in me the desire to work with children in creative ways to mold their characters and value systems.� I know I can have a positive influence on children in developing healthy attitudes of morals and ethics and non-prejudices as they learn to live with each other.� I am a citizen of three nations: one by birth, one by parentage, and one by marriage; a world-view perspective and an acceptance of cultural diversities are priorities in my life and will be in my classroom.

Following this introductory letter, you will find my philosophy of education.� Next, I have included the program goals set forth by the Wichita State University Department of Education.� A program goal checklist is with this list of program goals to show how my Block 1 portfolio meets the criteria so far.� The next entry is a list of my relevant courses indicating how they pertain to the professionalism, instructor, and manager goals.� Because I knew I would be a teacher someday, many of my liberal arts courses gave me insights into teaching, such as the literature and psychology courses.�

Three entries that I have selected are next.� The first is the Cultural Awareness Activity paper that I wrote for the CI430 Social/Multicultural Education class.� I have included the professor�s comments on the original paper, and a clean copy with the revisions to meet the APA standards.� I chose this paper because of the my experiences in preparing the paper; I evaluated a textbook, observed several classes and interviewed several teachers, met with parents of a selected child, and wrote reflections on how this information impacts me as a teacher candidate.�

The second entry is my Culture Clips assignment for the same course.� I have included photos of my exhibit, the professor�s evaluation and one of my peer�s evaluations.� The clips are important because I need to understand cultural scripts in order to reach my students and make their lessons relevant and meaningful to each of them.

The third entry is a research paper I wrote, arguing the need for a learning-centered style in education.� I wrote �Teachers: Firefighters or Arsonists?�� in the 2001 Fall semester as an English class assignment, so I do not have any relevant comments from a Block 1 professor.� I intended for this research paper to be in my portfolio when I chose the topic and wrote the document.

At the end of this portfolio, I have put in two honors that I received this semester: a letter from Jon M. Engelhardt, Dean of the College of Education, and the �Most Comprehensive Award� for my culture clips exhibit in CI430.� The last item in the portfolio is a current resume.

Thank you for your interest and time in reviewing this portfolio.� I am eager to improve it in any way, so I welcome your advice.