Autobiographical Essay...SAMPLE

autobiographical Essay Portfolio Martha L Brown I.D. # 1234567 My Learning Journey Whether positive or negative, the learning experiences throughout my professional career have molded and shaped me into the educator I am. I will explore how my experiential learning has facilitated my knowledge and skills through all areas of my learning journey. Each step in my journey has provided me with different levels of conscious learning from slightly different perspectives; for example, providing service as an early childhood educator, a pre-school resource assistant, a deafblind intervenor, and an educational assistant. Throughout this essay I will expand on and relate my learning to the criteria used to evaluate my interpersonal communication skills, my abilities in relating practice to theory and my use of critical thought processes and perspectives. My familiarity and understanding of the diversity within the human service field, my professionalism and my success as a human service educator will also be examined. This portfolio is one of many steps to realizing my true potential and expanding my skills as a lifelong learner. My name is Martha Lynette Brown and I was born on February 22, 1962. As a teenager, I met and bonded with my soul mate. Through mutual respect and deep love we built a relationship that continues to grow and evolve after almost two decades. The most important part of our life together is our two little boys, who provide us with astounding love and joy. My husband and children provide me with continuous love and patience that empower me to continue to reach for my dreams. My journey into my professional career has been filled with wonder and enthusiasm. After graduating from the Early Childhood Education program I accepted a position as an Early Childhood Educator at Pleasant View Daycare in Fairview, Ontario. During the three years I spent performing duties as an early childhood educator, I achieved vast experiential knowledge in many areas. Through continual interactions with parents, staff and community agencies, I developed the following valuable skills: to express my thoughts clearly, to deal with difficulties in a proactive and professional manner, and to work collaboratively within a team. I also gained valuable and extensive working knowledge of the Day Nurseries Act and its policies, the Early Childhood Educator’s Code of Ethics and legislation for providing care for young children in an early childhood setting. While providing care in this manner there were circumstances when I needed to demonstrate my ability to critically analyze situations and report to Family and Children's Services in order to protect the children in my care. For the duration of this part of my journey I was required to design, implement, evaluate and revise daily programs, learning plans and individual program plans that would develop learning through all areas of child development for children aged 18 months to six years. I effectively developed and sharpened skills that enabled me to observe and analyze the children’s development utilizing developmentally appropriate observation techniques. The data I collected provided me with the information I needed to implement a well-rounded program for the children in my care. I became skilled at working within an established discipline policy, anticipating and managing behavior constructively in order to support children’s self-control, independence and self-esteem. In addition, I developed valuable skills collecting relevant information and analyzing it to reach a logical professional opinion as to the potential reasons underlying a child's behavior. I also enhanced my knowledge and skills in behavioral techniques, such as positive reinforcement, motivation and reward systems. My pre-school group had the opportunity to provide an integrated setting for a variety of children with different abilities. This challenge taught me to see outside the box and incorporate a variety of multi-sensory activities and experiences within my inclusive program. I began to realize that every child has his or her own strengths and I gained insight as to how to identify those strengths and use them to facilitate learning in other areas. While working in conjunction with Community Lifestyles - Preschool Resource Services, my pre-school classroom piloted the new “Consultative Model”. This new model placed children with special needs in mainstream pre-school classrooms with an assistant who was there to support the entire group not just the child with special needs. Through my skills at positive communication, focused analysis, collaborative problem-solving and constructing innovative and workable solutions, I succeeded at incorporating this consultative model into a working model. My experiential learning as an early childhood educator was the beginning point of my career. During this stage in my journey I also attended a first aid course. I have continued to recertify my first aid certificate throughout my career. With a hands-on approach, these credentials have provided me with confidence and skills for analyzing and managing emergency situations. Some of the skills I learned included how to complete a primary and secondary survey of the scene and how to perform a head to toe examination of the victim. Procedures for performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation and rescue breathing for an adult, child and an infant were examined in great detail, along with protocols for managing shock, fractures and bleeding. I have used these skills numerous times and value my abilities. I believe these learning experiences are necessary to be prepared and competent especially when supporting people with exceptionalities. As I look back on this part of my learning journey, I appreciate the fact that I found my calling. Supporting and caring for children was the career path that was perfect for me. The experiences I had confirmed my proficiency in relating to and teaching young children. These experiential learning situations also provided me with confidence in my abilities and allowed me to discern other areas within the human service field that I had interest and skills in. I became aware that there were diverse paths I could pursue to utilize my talents and increase my knowledge. My role as an early childhood educator impacted my career by enhancing my self-esteem and enabling me to return to further my education and focus on special education. The next step in my professional journey was returning to college to obtain an Early Childhood Education-Resource Teacher Post Diploma. I have received credit for this diploma, except for one course. The course was titled “Advocacy and Professionalism in Early Childhood Education.” I completed a regular semester, earned three college credits and received a final grade of 78%. The learning I attained through this course dealt with professional ethics, support systems for early childhoodeducators and current issues and attitudes within childcare systems in Canada. Through practical examples, I gained the ability to determine appropriate statistical sources of information and to analyze the data obtained. I achieved the ability to differentiate between the roles the Federal and Provincial governments play in relation to various childcare settings. I also developed valuable insight into the philosophy and goals of existing childcare options in Canada and I am able to compare and contrast each of these options. This course enlightened me as to how the early childhood education system is interconnected within the human service field. Completing this resource teacher post diploma provided me with an inner strength. I began to see myself as a competent professional with important skills and knowledge that I could share. I was able to provide specialized abilities when integrating children with special needs into pre-school programs, which gave me essential skills that the Organization for Community Lifestyles was searching for. This program gave me the courage and self-confidence to further my career and expand my aptitudes. The next stage in my experiential learning comes from my role as a “Preschool Resource Assistant.” While working for Community Lifestyles - Preschool Services in Midtown, Ontario, I acquired proficiency in working as a team member to support children with special needs within the daycare setting. In numerous case conferences and team meetings, I have demonstrated my ability to communicate effectively, express my professional opinion and defend it, influence how programs should be delivered and creatively problem-solve to formulate workable alternatives to handling difficulties. I have also increased my knowledge and skills in many specialty areas; for example, I have the ability to place and remove leg splints, perform proper lifting and transferring techniques to assist children in and out of wheelchairs and assist with catheterization, insertion and removal of nasal-gastric tubes (N.G. feeding tubes), manual coughing techniques and infant massage. With my thorough understanding of child development and excellent skills in observation, I have become adept at selecting, creating and implementing developmentally appropriate activities designed to increase abilities and meet the needs of the children I support. The skills I acquired as a resource assistant enabled me to move on in my learning journey. The most significant aspect of this phase was the impact it made on my independence. For the first time in my career, I was given autonomy to make independent decisions and gained respect for my professional accountability. This level of trust from my superiors facilitated personal growth in many areas such as interpersonal communication skills and confidence in my ability to use critical thought processes and perspectives. The confidence they showed in my abilities encouraged me to reach for more. The freedom to develop my self-reliance was one of the most valuable learning experiences of my career. A very significant part of my learning journey was my acceptance of a position with the Garden District School Board. With my extensive knowledge and understanding of the needs of a particular child, I was hired as a Deafblind Intervenor in September 1995. Due to the fact that this child was the first student with this exceptionality to be enrolled in this school board, there were many opportunities for me to influence policy change. By means of effective collaboration between the multi-disciplinary team, and the Board of Education, the term Deafblind Intervenor/Communications Assistant was created for my position. Through my knowledge of deafblindness, capacity to bond with this child and ability to teach adapted modes of communication, I was able to provide him with a way to interact with the outside world. He taught me to never underestimate the power of a child; even with all of his complexities, he managed to learn how to communicate using physical hand over hand sign language. Since my abilities in sign language were limited at this time, I decided that I needed more skills and returned to college to take two courses. In the first course titled “Sign Language I” (25 hours) I earned a grade of 88%. During this course I obtained the ability to sign approximately 350 words and gained accuracy and fluency in the production of the finger spelled alphabet. In the second course “Sign Language II” (25 hours) I earned a grade of 85%. This course provided me with the skills to sign approximately 700 words and gave me greater fluency in signing phrases and short sentences. Through extensive training from a registered nurse and experiential learning, I became an expert at managing grand-mal seizures and the problems surrounding those episodes. Some of the skills that I obtained dealt with emergency protocols. For example, I obtained the confidence and ability to analyze and evaluate the seizure induced emergency situation and make an informed decision as to which steps should be taken next ( EMS support or to administer emergency medication –Ativan/ Lorazepam.) Due to the fact that I had such expertise in dealing with this child, there were many instances where I would train other intervenors and professionals in appropriate methods to interact and support him. In the course of my learning journey with this child I had a great deal of practice with a multi-disciplinary team of professionals from whom I gathered and synthesized many capabilities and experiential learning. Some of those capabilities are: ability to operate a frequency modulation system (augmented hearing device), arrange and incorporate therapy goals into motivational play experiences and professionally advocate for my students and their families. Through my experiential learning I was able to formulate the position that I was not just supporting a student with exceptionalities but, that I was also creating a bridge between my student and the interconnected elements of society. My role as a deafblind intervenor has impacted me on a very personal level. Although the importance of accepting limitations is crucial, I learned to never underestimate the fortitude and determination of a child. Every person has a contribution to make to this world and through accepting others’ differences; I learned how to accept myself. I found an inner force that encouraged me to advocate for this child and in doing so I gained confidence in my ability to influence change. I believe this child taught me more than I ever taught him; I learned to see and listen with my soul. Throughout the next stage of my learning journey as an Educational Assistant, I have established myself as a professional in my field. In the area of communication I have extensive practical skills. I have acquired the ability to effectively establish successful lines of communication between myself and a variety of people. These interactive and respectful contacts are facilitated by my capacity to engage in active listening, evaluate and interpret nonverbal signals, determine the main facts or information being relayed, consider underlying reasons for the exchange, analyze the information and formulate my own independent conclusion to the information presented. I have also acquired a broad knowledge-base through a variety of learning experiences within the last decade. Through extensive interaction with a variety of children, I have gained confidence with and knowledge of many developmental and physical disabilities, for instance: Autism Spectrum Disorder, Down Syndrome and Tourette’s syndrome. Some of the skills I have obtained from these learning journeys are: ability to utilize a variety of teaching strategies to facilitate learning, for instance, a multi-sensory approach and the ability to design and implement behavior management strategies; the ability to interpret and employ working knowledge of individual education plans; the ability to create, adapt or revise activities to promote student success and the ability to effectively work within a multi-disciplinary team to support the needs of the students. I have been trained in non-violent crisis intervention and safe management techniques. These protocols have provided me with many skills, for example, the ability to assess and de-escalate problem situations, the ability to select appropriate measures to protect the student as well as myself during violent situations and the ability to effectively interpret non-verbal signals. To use these techniques responsibly, I have learned to problem solve within very intense situations, evaluate the circumstances, measure emotions within that context, formulate a plan of action, implement that action and reflect on different ways to manage similar situations. Theses skills and abilities attest to my level of professionalism within my career. Throughout my daily role, I have had numerous opportunities to expand my knowledge of the human service sector. I have had continual and ongoing interaction with speech pathologists, behavioral consultants, autism specialists, school staff and occupational therapists. I have learned to collect and relate information and knowledge from each area and create an intricate teaching style of my own. My comprehensive professional style enables me to provide extraordinary support for my students, the school community and the other professionals I collaborate with. During this stage of my experiential learning I realized my need for professional development in the areas of behavioral techniques and behavior modification strategies when managing explosive and violent behaviors. I effectively advocated for my student with severe autism and the other children within the class for specialists in behavior to be involved with programming for this student. My success as an educator and consequently the child’s success as a student have evolved from my active pursuit of specialized skills along with advocating for necessary support. The learning that I have attained in this section of my journey has assisted me in believing that I am an accomplished educator and that with determination I will achieve my dreams. Reflecting back on the diverse capabilities I have acquired from these experiences, I believe this stage has honed and polished my proficiencies. I have practiced skills in promoting values and ethics within my profession along with utilizing appropriate concepts and resources when problem solving or supporting my students. My critical thinking skills have progressed and I am capable of conceptualizing effective strategies to promote change. The experiences I have had with such a wide variety of human service professionals have enabled me to view this sector from many different perspectives. Each professional perceives the person or the situation in a slightly different way and my ability to evaluate and compare each of their ideas and integrate my own knowledge allows me to formulate innovative and individual support for the students I teach. While collaborating and maintaining professional relationships, I have had the opportunity to advocate for many of my roles within the human service profession. I believe that when intelligent and confident advocates express their views, others will gain interest and that is the start to enhancing professionalism within our field. The multitudes of skills I have acquired through this phase of my learning journey have enhanced my self-confidence and leadership qualities, and now I can visualize my dreams becoming reality. In conclusion, my experiential learning has made many of my skills and knowledge possible. In my adult life, I have been an active learner and acquired valuable knowledge, skills and abilities. Hence, with my professional capabilities and background, the next step in my learning journey is to pursue my dream of being a teacher. Returning to school is a decision that was not made lightly. With family support, friends and colleagues I am determined to reach my goal of being a certified teacher. Throughout this autobiographical essay, I have explored and demonstrated my expertise within the areas of interpersonal communications, relating my skills to the theories and philosophies within the human service sector and my ability to use critical thought processes and perspectives. I have also demonstrated my knowledge and comprehension of a variety of human service fields, my outstanding professionalism, my success as a human service educator along with my personal reflection regarding my learning. I believe that I have given a detailed account of my experiential learning and in doing so, provided a vivid picture of the professional and lifelong learner that I am. http://priorlearning.athabascau.ca/virtual-portfolio/autobio-essay.php