Barbara's Blog

Introduce yourself and share why you chose the education profession and if you are currently teaching

Hi!  I’m Barbara.  I chose the education profession because I love to have an impact, facilitate growth and learning in others, find new ways to solve problems and use my experience to help others.   After I finished college, I worked as a teacher’s aide (now called paraprofessional) for a mainstreamed (now called fully-included) student with severe cerebral palsy.  She could only control her eye movements – she was in a wheelchair and had no speech. These were no personal computers in those days, so assistive technology was not an option. I developed a communication system for her, which consisted of four tic-tac-toe shaped tables – giving spots for 26 letters and ten digits.   If she wanted to signal the letter A, the student would look up and to the left to signal the upper left hand table, then she would look up and to the left again to signal the upper left spot on the table, which held the letter A.  In this way, she would spell out words.  Now, 35 years later, even with current assistive technology, her dad tells me that this is her fastest way to communicate. 

I really enjoyed that experience, and went into a multiple subject credential program the following year.  I taught elementary school for two years, and then stayed home with my own children until the youngest was 6 years old, when I started substitute teaching.  I also did some tutoring and picked up my math and English single subject credentials by exam.  I began teaching full-time again when my youngest went away to college, but was laid off in the 2008-2009 recession.  I enrolled in National University’s Education Specialist program in 2011, and just finished and received my Special Ed Credential in January 2014.  I have been substitute teaching and am now looking for a full-time special education teaching job.  I have passed the Foundational Science exam and am adding that authorization as well.

How did your personality affect your choice of content area?

My personality type, using the Myers-Briggs assessment, is ENFP.  The ENFP personality type is enthusiastic about new ideas and activities and enjoys making social and emotional connections, as well as focusing on the big-picture and creative possibilities.  ENFPs usually have a broad range of talents. 

This interest in a broad range of ideas has affected my choice of content area.  My college degree is in Dramatic Art, but my first single subject credential was in math – a subject many consider to be diametrically opposed to drama.  I then picked up my English credential and now am working on science.   I really enjoy the investigative side of science – using intuition to analyze results and find patterns and relationships in data, people skills to work with others solving problems

How does or will your personality affect your relationships with your students?  

I enjoy making social and emotional connections.  This characteristic will be beneficial to creating strong beneficial relationships with my students.  I can see situations from various perspectives, giving me the ability to empathize with my students. 

How will your teaching and learning style affect your teaching and your students' abilities to be successful?

The results of my teaching style survey show high scores as facilitator and delegator, as well as formal/authoritative.  I am also strong in the collaborative area.  Using these predispositions, I will be able to draw my students into active learning situations where they will engage with content and with each other. 
I am a very visual, intuitive learner, but I have the ability to communicate verbally and I understand others who rely more on their senses than intuition.  Knowing my own learning styles will help me be more aware of my students’ different learning styles and take care to present material and develop activities that will make content accessible to all my students.