Andrew Robert Kaszuba

February - 2 - 2021

An Elementary Portfolio Project submitted to the

Faculty of the Graduate School of Education of

Medaille College

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

Master of Science in Education

______________________________
Student Name
Medaille College Graduate Student

______________________________
Faculty Advisor’s Name with Title
Project Director
 Table of Contents

Section One: Teacher Candidate Introduction to the Elementary Portfolio Project……..… 4

Section Two: Teacher Candidate Background Experiences………………………………

Section Three: Teacher Candidate Artifacts……………………... ……………………… 6

Artifact #1: Title ……. …………………………………………………………….

Artifact #2: Title……………… ……………………………………………………

Artifact #3: Title…………………… ………………………………………………

Artifact #4: Title…………………………………………………………………….

Artifact #5: Title …………………….………………………………………………

Artifact #6: Title ………………………………………. ……………………………

Artifact #7: Title ……… ……………………………………………………………

Artifact #8: Title ………………………………………..……………………………

Artifact #9: Title ……………………………………………………………………..

Artifact #10: Title ……………………………………………………………………

Section Four: Alignment to Curriculum & Professional Standards ………………………

Section Five: Teacher Candidate Reflection …………………………………………..….

Section Six: Teacher Candidate Interview Video ………………………………………..

References ……………………………………………………………………………….
 Section One: Teacher Candidate Introduction to the Elementary Portfolio Project

Introduction, Overview and Rationale

Welcome to my Elementary Portfolio. I have created this portfolio so that decorated

professionals such as yourselves can get a better understanding of the knowledge I have gained

over the last four semesters. This portfolio will show you why education is my chosen path. At

its core, my teaching is grounded in concepts of student learning and development. Our

profession has focused on the education of the whole student and I apply this philosophy to my

everyday teaching. The main goal that I have in my teaching career is to encourage the students

to explore research and knowledge in order to incorporate it in their own lives. I have always

said that teaching in this field requires a teacher to attend to technical knowledge and student

needs and to their evolution as students in the classroom and life. It is also important to make

both the theory and practice are both inextricably linked as one. I also have the ability to enhance

certain subjects to keep the students engaged, by using different techniques to keep them

interested in the lesson. I view teaching as a performative act and you will always have to learn

something new on the fly. Teaching is a constantly changing in the way that teacher have to

constantly have to adjust their lesson plans. For example, there are new technology tools, new

students, and always different obstacles that get in your way. As an educator I relish the

challenge of trying to take difficult concepts and explore them in accessible, interesting and

engaging ways. I believe that it also good to strive to experiment with new innovative ways of
getting the students into your lessons. This portfolio will show you all different ways to keep the

students engaged and have an interest for the subject or projects we will be teaching.

Portfolio Development

Section one will provide insight on the information that I have gathered over the past few

years in my school career. It will provide different philosophies and theories that connect all

aspects of my feature teaching career. The information will inform you on how I will incorporate

perspectives and ideas in my classroom. As I stated before it is important to always be inventing

new and fun ways to keep the students engaged in what you are trying to teach. An educator

knows that it is important to keep everyday different, which will keep the students wanting to

learn. A great quote I had from a mentor in my time of being a teacher aide is “Do you want to

teach the same thing for thirty years or do you want to teach for thirty years” (Pat Burke).

Section two will provide the reader with insight about my teacher candidate experiences.

The education and work-related experiences will give information on my background with

working in a school atmosphere. The reader will be able to see the information on the work

experience, which will give insight on my work experience as a teacher aide/library aide. These

certain experiences have helped me guide my development as an educator.

Section three will provide the artifacts from the teacher candidate’s last three semesters.

The artifacts that will be provided are as follows and are not limited to, teacher website, student

projects, certain demonstrations, and lesson plans on certain subjects. The specific artifacts that

have been chosen are the ones that will be shared in the classroom. These specific artifacts that I

have omitted will show different ways that I will be able to incorporate lessons, have the students
stay organized during the school year and make sure the students and the parents know every bit

of information on due dates, field trips and when school is cancelled. Also having this section

detailed and aligned with professional standards will show the reader what is exactly exacted of

the students in the classroom.

The fourth section of this education portfolio will inform the reader about on the current

NYS Education Standards. These standards are the ones that we have to abide by when we are

planning our lessons and teaching the information to the students. Providing this information in

the section will help the author set the foundations for the lessons and learning factors. The

teacher and professional standards focus on accountability with a large landscape of both

schooling and teacher practices. The curriculum standards that the education program has today

is made to ensure better accountability holding teachers and schools responsible for what goes on

in the classrooms. The practice of aligning learning to standards also helps ensure that a higher

level of learning is attained, guides teachers in the process of assessment and helps keep them on

track.

The fifth section of the portfolio will show my accumulated reflection of this project. It

will give insight into my journey to become an educator and provides that I was meant to teach

children. I find extreme excitement in enhancing a classroom which is designed to educate a

child with the best practices. The part about becoming a teacher will provide insight on how I

started my journey of becoming an educator. This part is essential on proving to the reader that I

was meant to do this type of work and I am in the job to help enhance the students not only in the

classroom, but in life as well.

The sixth and final section of this portfolio will consist of the teacher practice interviews

and websites to showcase what I have learned. During this section I will answer mock interview
questions and have practice as if I were going to be interviewed by the committee of the school I

applied for. This section is important because it will show that I have confidence in the way I

portray myself as a teacher and person. You will be able to see what I have to offer in these types

of artifacts I will be posting in the portfolio.

Theories, Theorists and Experts in the Field of Education

Aristotle once said “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at

all”. This ties into my philosophy in education because it means it is important to teach the kids

about empathy, compassion, self-awareness, and self- esteem. This helps children be more

successful in the classroom and it helps them be more successful in life. As educators we should

not just teach the students through sentences, homework, or lectures. We should be creating

conditions in which the students feel that positive relationship with others, and feel connected to

others. One thing that I learned over the past three months is do I want to be teaching the same

thing for thirty years or do I want to teach for thirty years? It took me awhile to really realize

what that meant. This statement ties into my philosophy by teaching. Teaching is not just about

the lessons and the lectures. Education is more than that. A teacher must be a role model for the

students to look up to throughout their entire education. It is my goal that what they learned in

my classroom will impact them, so they will carry it with them until they graduate and beyond.

When people usually think about education the think math, science, social studies, ELA,

art. If course there are some of the important parts of school, but we need to teach the students on

the other positive human qualities and make sure they are building those positive relationships.

Aristotle’s educational thought is by no means set on a certain topic or subject. This theory has a
broader range of certain studies and it is not set in stone for one thing. It is also appropriate to

note the attention to the educational dimensions of one’s certain ethical work. As an educator

you have to look at one of the big pictures and that is making sure that you are doing lessons, and

teaching students in an ethical manner. These works have primarily focused almost exclusively

on the account of moral development. This is the concept in moral psychology that relies on the

assumption that if there is a right and wrong in the world, or in this case the classroom. In this

day and age people will take anything seriously and also way to far. Students have to understand

the idea of moral development and get an insight of what Aristotle talks about in the education

world. The use of education is consequently a topic of practical philosophy and its views on the

nature of the law and the relationship with virtue, happiness, and requirements of justice.

Morality develops across your career in education and has a major influence on your own

performance as a teacher and the student’s behavior when faced with moral issues not only in the

classroom, but in life as well and it is our job to guide them in that understanding. In short,

Aristotle concerns an individual's growing sense of what is right and wrong; it is for the reason

that young students we teach in the classroom, make sure they have different moral judgement

and character than that of a grown adult. Morality in itself is often a synonym for "rightness" or

"goodness". It refers to a certain code of conduct that is derived from one's culture, religion or

personal philosophy that guides one's actions. Benjamin Bloom who is another theorist in

education proved that educational settings and at home environments can foster human potential.

As a teacher you want the students to come to class and have them keep the mindset that the

class environment is exciting and engaging. There is not just a simple routine every day and

make it seem like a prison. There has to be new and innovative ways you keep the students

excited to come to school for six hours day, which is what Bloom set out to prove.
Conclusion

Most people believe it is the student who becomes educated in the classroom.  I plan on

being that teacher who learns every day to apply the best practices to become a quality teacher.  I

have gained a great deal of knowledge over the last four semesters.  Being a teacher requires you

to give one hundred percent devotion and you have to want to do your very best, every day, for
the kids.  I plan to be that teacher.