Abe Final
Abe Final
Abe Final
AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY
ANGELA CAIRNS
FALL 2017
AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY 2
Educational Background
When I think back to my childhood and my education, the first word that comes to my
mind is ‘chaos’. I attended a different school every year from the time I started kindergarten,
until I was a junior in high school. My family moved every year during my childhood, so my 7
siblings and I were forced to attend new schools every year, create new friendships, lose
friendships, and struggle with our grades. Born in Massachusetts I attended kindergarten there,
moved to California to attend 1st through 3rd grade, then back to Massachusetts for 4th through
10th grade, and finished out high school back in California. I took a few college classes after
graduating high school, but after I started working fulltime I stopped attending college. Ten years
later, I am now starting back this semester at earning my degree in elementary education. If I had
to explain any unique educational experience I have had, it would just be that I have experienced
all different types of people, schools, learning curves, etc. I have not been a part of a special
program or study, but I have experienced multiple different types of learning, including a year of
home-schooling one year from my mom. I believe that my education has contributed to my
development as a professional educator for the following reasons. I have a great sympathy for
children that are struggling in school for whatever reason it may be- social anxiety, learning
issues, problems at home, etc. I also have a passion for teaching anything I can. Whenever I am
knowledgeable on a subject I absolutely love to share that knowledge with whoever I can. I
When I was 16 years old I couldn’t wait to get a job, so it didn’t matter what I did, as
long as I was making money. My first job was at Burger King; I was a cashier- taking orders,
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cleaning, preparing food, and greeting customers. This is where I learned my first customer
service skills. My second job was about 9 months later as a cashier at Shopko. I had similar
responsibilities- cashiering, stocking store items, and assisting customers with finding products.
That job lasted about a year until I graduated high school and got a job as a teller at Bank of
America. There I spent the next 9 and a half years working first as a teller, then a personal
banker, and then a sales and service specialist. My teller role was where I spent most of my
career at Bank of America- assisting customers with transactions, referring bank products,
learning and implementing daily operations, submitting supply and cash orders, training new
tellers, and many more tasks I became incredibly efficient at. After 5 and a half years of telling I
decided it was time to branch off into personal banking. I found this role the most satisfying, I
could finally connect with people and their financial needs. As a banker I assisted customers with
opening accounts, completely maintenance on accounts, supervising tellers when needed, and
much more. After a year of being a personal banker I had my first child and was off work for
about six months. When I returned to work I decided to be a sales and service specialist- this job
was both tellering and personal banking. I was a true asset to the bank- a jack of all trades. This
was a tad overwhelming at times; I was running around the extremely busy branch doing
everything. I learned over the 9 and a half years at Bank of America more than I can ever even
explain- from customer service skills to everyday life skills. I was married (twice), divorced, had
a baby, moved several times, I grew up and experienced a large chunk of my life while working
here. In July of 2016 my husband at the time, daughter, and I decided to move to Meridian, Idaho
and my career with Bank of America came to an end. There aren’t any Bank of America’s in
Idaho, and the decision was very tough to leave, but I had bigger and better opportunities to
pursue. After moving here, I took 5 months off work to spend with my young daughter, then I
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got a job at Bank of the Cascades (now First Interstate Bank). My job at this bank is similar to
the sales and service specialist position at Bank of America- I am both a personal banker and a
teller. First Interstate Bank calls my position a Relationship Banker. I have the same
development as a professional teacher because everything I have learned over the past 12 years
of working has shaped me into the person I am. Had I not experienced empathy for the hundreds
of difficult scenarios I’ve gone through in my banking career, I may not have developed the
skills it takes to be a patient and kind teacher. I am not currently, nor have I ever been involved
in any service or extracurricular activities, but when I become a teacher I plan to change that.
Although I have enjoyed my work experiences, I could not be happier to get out of banking and
Ethics Designation
Before starting back in college this semester it had been over ten years since my last
college course. My experience with educational ethical dilemmas is actually pretty slim. I myself
have never cheated on anything during my entire education (that I can remember). I have
however observed my peers doing so. Growing up I was always terrified of getting into trouble
because of how I was raised, so cheating was not an option or on my mind throughout my entire
childhood. Sure, there are times when assignments were overwhelming or seemed too difficult to
do myself, but I did it anyway. Watching some of my peers go through their education copying
off of others papers, or having their friends write papers for them was mind blowing to me. Since
I changed schools every year of my education, I always wanted to fit in and get along with
everybody, so I never tattled or got the cheaters in trouble- I didn’t think it was my responsibility
to do so.
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Virtue Ethics is the ethical orientation I believe would play a huge role in solving the
dilemma of in classroom cheating. I believe that if Virtue Ethics was taught in classrooms, more
students would be prone to doing their own work and not copying off others. Sure, teachers use
threats and scolding to let students know that it’s not okay to cheat, but that doesn’t always
resonate with all students. “Virtue allows you to seek what is good in life and be able to do the
right thing, at the right time, and for the right reason.” If this were engraved into students’ minds
during early childhood education and in their home life, there would be less cheating. Aristotle
focused on the strength of character, but believed in a middle ground for character traits. An
example of this would be- if someone is deficient in their danger experience they may be
cowardice, if they have an excess of experience they may be foolhardiness, but the middle
ground would be to just have a good level of courage. It is hard to teach ethics and morals, but if
children had the right education on these matters, ethical dilemmas may not be so common.
I suppose the biggest reason I chose to be a teacher as my career is simple- the children.
Just being a part of the process of a child growing, changing, and learning every day is the
intrinsic reward I seek. I have always enjoyed watching how quickly a child can learn something
new. I have a four-year-old daughter that, at this stage, is quite the little sponge. It really is
fascinating watching her practice something she’s just learned, and say phrases I didn’t even
know that she knew how to use. Knowing that I can be even just a little part of a child’s life
makes me extremely excited to become a teacher. Another reason I will enjoy being a teacher is
the schedule. I enjoy being home with my daughter in the evenings, and I can’t imagine that
changing as she gets older. Being able to be with her after school is definitely a bonus.
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Teaching has its downsides, don’t get me wrong. One reason I would not enjoy being a
teacher is the curriculum I may be given and forced to use. I always like to put my own spin on
things, so I hope that I am able to make it my own- in the sense that I can make it fun for the
kids. Another reason teaching isn’t the best career, is the pay scale. Fortunately, this isn’t a
concern of mine. Sure, I would love to make a healthy salary, but knowing that I am not going to
be making a great deal of money does not shy me away from a teaching career. The rewards of
I hold skills and qualities that would enable me to become a phenomenal teacher. Some
of these qualities and skills include friendliness, a great sense of humor, engaging, organizational
skills, great time management and something not everybody carries- and that’s a sense of
empathy. I had a really rough childhood and will be able to relate to many students’ situations or
issues. I have a really big heart, and know that some students need some guidance when they are
at school that they don’t get at home. It is a safe place for a lot of children and I am easy to
confide in. I do have qualities that may make it difficult for me to be a teacher. Those include my
struggle with listening and patience. I have ADD and can find it extremely difficult to listen to an
individual speak for a long period of time without getting distracted. I also struggle with having
patience for individuals that I think should know better. I mostly lack patience in disrespect and
outright stupidity. I do need to find ways to cope with my weaknesses before getting into the
classroom.
I do believe that I would be a good fit to be in the education field as more than just a
teacher. I have considered getting into counselling, administrative, and a few other avenues, but
tend to always end up extremely passionate about teaching second or third grade. I believe I
could be a great counsellor, but I may find it difficult to listen to students talk all day. I would
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numbers would put me right at the top. However, I may feel like I am missing something without
I have been in customer service for my entire working life, over 12 years, so my customer
service skills may place me in a career like retail management, guest services, food industry, etc.
I have also always been really great with numbers and am extremely accurate, so there are
definitely careers that I would be suited for that could use that skill. Some may include,
accounting, controller, and treasurer. I simply have no interest in any of those career pathways,
and will use those skills in my teaching career in one way or another. I will use my skills in
customer service to help me communicate with other teachers, parents, my superiors, and even
my students. I will use my skills with numbers in teaching for sure as well. No matter what skills
or weaknesses I carry, I will definitely put my all into every aspect of teaching. I am sure I will
Professional Goals
If you asked me ten years ago what my life goals were, they would be similar to what
they are today. Why it’s taken me so long to finally get on the right track to fulfill my goals and
dreams, all I can think of as an excuse is, life. When I was 18, I attended three college courses
in which I wasn’t taking very seriously. My grades were two C’s and a B. After one semester in
college I dropped out to focus on working fulltime. Up until this semester I hadn’t attended any
more college courses. I have always dreamed of becoming an elementary school teacher, and
am finally working towards that degree. I have both short term and long term goals I need to
Idaho through the end of summer 2019, then transferring to Boise State University to finish
getting my bachelor’s degree. I intend to complete between 12-14 units each Spring and Fall
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semester, and 5-6 units each summer in order to get my AA in Elementary Education by the
end of Summer 2019. After I receive my AA, I am going to continue with a full course load at
Boise State. During my entire college career I will be working fulltime in order to support
myself and my family financially. I am aware that I am taking on a large load of schoolwork on
top of my crazy life, but it will all be worth it once I receive my degree, and can start teaching!
I have such a passion for this career path, and will do anything and everything I can to achieve