Please reflect on and reference your past schooling experiences in relation to the readings in this course and construct a “Teaching Autobiography” of 4-5 pages. You may use the following questions as starting points, but please craft a focused essay rather than a series of short answer responses. For this paper, you will complete a draft and a final copy and will engage in a revision process throughout the writing of this paper.

What metaphor could you use to explain your teaching philosophy/teaching autobiography? Did your childhood schools fit into any of the five categories Jean Anyon outlines in her research? What explains the similarities and differences between the schools (in terms of student achievement, teachers, resources, community and school demographics, or how the school “looks”)?

Describe your experience of growing up and specifically what you were told about who you are (in terms of race, ethnicity, social class, gender, and sexuality) and what you were told about people who are different than yourself. Examine the messages that you received from groups such as your family, school, peer group, religious experiences, and work. Include only the most important groups.

As teachers, we each have our own unique strengths that we bring into the classroom. We need to focus on those strengths and cultivate the harmony between strengths of individuals and groups. Consider what you believe are your top three character strengths and include them in your schooling autobiography. How do you exhibit these strengths in your everyday life? How will you utilize them as a teacher in the educational systems that are currently in place? Are there any strengths that you feel you would like to further develop? Which ones and why? How do you plan to develop these strengths? Which do you believe is the most important to develop in your students? Why? Be specific in your analysis.

Other questions to address might include the following:

In what ways did your school experiences influence or shape your life opportunities? What kind of learner or thinker are you today? What experiences or people in your educational background encouraged you to be imaginative, open-minded, and interested in ideas? Were there people or experiences that gave you the message that the life of the mind is not for you, or that you should be cautious, non-risk-taking or doubtful of your abilities? What were your parents/guardian’s goals for you? What were your own aspirations when you were a child? What were your dreams when you were younger? What role did teachers play in your life? Looking at your own experience, and those ofyour peers, did your teachers advance inequality or structural inequality for children? Was school a place of freedom or fear for you? Did it foster a belief in you that you should dream and strive to realize your dreams or not? How did you develop hope as a student? What was your mindset as a student? What type of mindset will you retain as a teacher? How are all these experiences reflected in your current ambition to be a teacher? What will your priorities be? Why? How will you create equitable learning experiences for all students in your classroom? Finally, looking at your personality/character strengths today, what do you think will be your most important priorities as a teacher? Why?