Statement:
This portfolio was put together to represent the professional successes I have had in my life. Compiling my portfolio was something that took a long time; I went slowly and deliberated each thing that I put in and contemplated how it would reflect on me. My portfolio is something that is very important to me so it was important to take my time and make it so it can be used for many years to come. It is something that will be continuously updated as my schooling progresses and my career begins. This is significant to me because it is the marker that signifies I have started heading in the right direction to achieving both my short-term and long-term goals. This is something I can be extremely proud of because it marks successes in my professional life.
Also, this portfolio explains the reasons I chose to enter into the field of education. It illustrates my mentors, and the things that have affected my life and lead me in the direction I am going. I chose to go into education for two reasons, my mom was a huge influence on me throughout my whole life, and because the youth I got involved with in my hometown were an inspiration and I wanted to choose a career where I could be around youth all the time. My mom has taught for 30 years; when I was young I used go to the school early in the morning to help her plan for her day and I loved every minute of it. She worked in the resource room for quite awhile and that is why I chose to minor in special education. She always encouraged me to go get what I wanted, but would always made sure I did it on my own. My mom has been a real motivation for me throughout my whole life and I hope when I am done University and get a job that I will be half the teacher she is. Also, when I was 15, I joined the local youth group and I absolutely loved going out every Friday and hanging out with my friends. Soon I became one of the senior youth in the group and I was asked if I would join a leadership team where I would have to choose, plan, and run activities. I got to know the youth so well and wanted nothing more than to be with them; so I chose a career where I would get to be with them all day and teach them. I can hardly wait to get into my own classroom and start teaching.
Throughout my life there have been many successes and some failures as well. I was a very good student all through elementary school but when I got to high school my grades start to slip a bit and I had to work exceptionally hard to keep them up. High school was a challenge, but there are many things that show through with the experience. In grade 12, I won 6 scholarships and got accepted into the Faculty of Education (on my birthday)! However, along with success also comes failures; in my grade 12 year I attempted an AP English course to try and gain my first year English for when I came to university. I ended up scoring a 2 on the final exam (you need a 5) and failing. In taking the course, I learned a lot about myself and improved immensely in my writing. When I came to university and took my English 100 class, I finished with a final grade of 77. I do not think this would have been possible without the experience my AP class gave me. If there is one thing I have learned it is that failure is nothing to be ashamed of. The road to a person’s future is not straight, it is curvy and has bumps along the way. There will always be challenges that we have to overcome, but it only better us in the end. You can always go back and look at the positives as well; when I look back, I see that I graduated high school, moved away from home, enrolled in university, and got a job. I know my family is extremely proud of my successes and I am too.
Taylor Herback 