Professional Development

Professional Development Assignment

Brittany Clayton

Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana

Professor Diane Smith

ECED 120

January 27, 2020

As an educator, I would like to focus my teaching on school aged students. My desire to

work with children in kindergarten through fifth grade stems from my experience with children
Professional Development
2

in this age group. Most of the time I have spent with children that was beneficial to them, they

were around a first grade level. Another reason that this age group is the children that I would

like to work with is because I love being able to help children expand and grow intellectually and

as a person and children in this age group need the most guidance. Many kids in preschool and

younger have adults at home who ensure that they are getting adequate care, attention, love and

help, while many early education students do not.

The first early education course I took was Introduction to teaching. While in this class I

learned many different things. The thing I remember most about this class was learning about the

NAEYC website and the standards, or rules, that teachers abide by. This class was very

informative and helped me better understand the things that I would need for future education

classes. Another thing that I learned what what things I would need to put into a portfolio for

future employment. This teacher helped us make a Weebly to keep all of our assignments in as

well.

The second education course that I took was Intro to Early Childhood Education. In this

course I learned about technology and the age group that is recommended to use it in a school

setting. I also learned about the difference between a running record and an anecdotal record.

Along with both of these, I also learned the importance of observation and taking notes.

Another education course I have taken was Health, Safety and Nutrition. In this class I

learned about myplate and the options the website has for things such as making menus and

portion sizes. I also learned about how portion sizes differ with each age group as well as what

they are offered as meal and snack choices. Another important thing I learned in this class was

how to write a letter to parents and the importance of this.

The next course I took was curriculum early childhood education. In this course I learned

what basic curriculum should include that contributes to a child’s development. I also learned the

importance of teaching art to children. Another interesting thing I learned while taking this class

was about the ⅓, ⅓, ⅓ rule.

I am wanting to be an early education teacher in the future. Lately I have been learning

more about a CDA and have been leaning towards getting my CDA while I continue working

towards my bachelors degree. Even though being an early education teacher is my main goal, I

would like to continue my studies to be able to work with children and have the option to

become a speech therapist or physical therapist as well.

There was miscommunication between the me and advisor I spoke with and I was

working toward myA.A.S., but now am on track for my A.S. and I believe I am going to begin

working towards my CDA as well. On the A.S. track, I realize that I have many more things to

learn and more classes to take and up until now, I have been solely working with my own

children and babysitting. I would like to be able to begin working in a classroom setting as soon

as possible, this is why I am going to work on getting my CDA as well.

Being a teacher can be one of the most difficult professions for a person who doesn’t

have a passion for it. Without proper schooling, we wouldn’t have doctors or nurses, we also

wouldn’t have dentists or any profession that requires knowledge. Every doctor, nurse, dentist

etc. began with an early educator in an elementary school. Teaching our future the skills that they

will need to be successful is one important job of an educator.

While teaching knowledge is important, another thing that we as educators do is to teach

social skills, emotional skills, cognitive skills and physical skills as well. No one person is born

with the ability to write, or how to handle stressful situations. As humans, we have to learn to
Professional Development
4

process situations and thoughts correctly in order to succeed. As an educator, we help children

learn these vital skills and help them to continue growing them as they move through their years

of schooling and beyond.

Teaching children knowledge and how to handle emotions is the main job of every

teacher. As an educator I want to be able to do these things but I want to do more than this. I

want to change the lives of children who have no hope. I want to show them they have talents

that may not be as obvious to them as they are to the rest of the world. I want to show children

that giving up isn’t something that should be taken lightly because with the right help, they can

and will succeed. I want to go in to the place I love and to be excited because I know that I will

be helping every child feel loved, safe, and to have a happy place when they may not have

another.

Being a babysitter is by no means an easy job, if it is done correctly. I know first hand

that watching children that aren’t yours can be stressful. On one hand you may have different

parenting styles than their parents do, you also may have different religious or views on certain

things in the world that may cause a conflict. Watching kids as a profession should be done

properly, with the correct certifications and education, but being a teacher, we aren’t watching

kids. As a teacher, yes we do make sure that are children are safe while they are with us, but this

isn’t our main goal. Our goal is to prepare these children for the next stage of their lives.

Positive, nurturing, educational these are some definitions of being a teacher. Once again,

this isn’t the only way to describe a teacher. Teachers must be enthusiastic about what they are

teaching and how it is being taught. If a teacher is bored with what she is telling the students, the

students will be as well, which will change how they learn the subject. “According to the

National Association for the Education of Young Children, the most important characteristic for
Professional Development
5

teachers of early childhood development is enthusiasm and passion for children.” (Bean-

Bellinger, 2018)

When you have a classroom full of enthusiastic children, being able to get them back on

task and stay focused is a job in itself. This takes patience, understanding and communication

skills. If a teacher were to get their class excited while they were reading a story, when the

children want to be enthusiastic and a teacher must be understanding. They have to understand

that the children in their class are children so calming them down takes longer which also

incorporates patience. Using their communication skills they have to get on the children’s level

and work with them to set an example for how they are able to play, read and learn at the same

time without interrupting other students.

Although teachers should have many different characteristics, the last one I would like to

mention is one that is at times forgotten. This trait is simply to be able to get on a child’s level

with them and to be able to see things from their point of view. At times, as teachers, we will

stand at the front of the class and teach because that’s what one would think. I, on the other hand,

think that although at times teaching this way is the best way because of the availability of things

that may be needed, most of the time it isn’t. As a teacher I want to do morning work sitting on

the floor, or maybe out loud while we stretch and get fully woken up. Instead of teaching, as

often as possible, I want to play. Playing games is a great way to help children fully understand

what’s being taught because they are engaged and having fun at the same time.

Now that I am back on track for the correct degree, I plan to take as many classes as

possible each semester. I am wanting to take physical science, earth science, world geography

and world civilization 1. Once I finish these classes, I will have remaining; intro to biology

educational psychology, mathematics for elementary teachers, child and adolescent development,
Professional Development
6

scientific inquiry, the exceptional child, literacy development through children’s literature and

intro to health & physical education for elementary education teachers. To get my C.D.A, I only

have to take CDA process.

Bibliography

1. Bean-Bellinger, B. (2018). Qualities of a Good Teacher in Early Childhood Development.

development-8694.html