Garcia 1

Final Growth Statement

Haidee Garcia
EDUG 768
November 28, 2013

Garcia 2
As the fall semester comes to an end and I reflect on my past experiences, I realized that I
am a completely different person now than when I began the semester. The education course 768
(Integrated Curriculum: Math, Science and Technology I for the At Risk and Disabled Student
K8) was one of my first education courses in college and in my life. Being relatively new to the
field of education I found myself questioning my abilities and filled with anxiety, as I struggled
in understanding the concepts behind the common core standards. As well as, the different
terminologies and principles implemented in the educational system. As the semester
progressed, with the help of my professors and peers I began to comprehend and attain a better
insight into the field of education and finally my fears and trepidation began to dissipate.
Although I have a long way to go, these past weeks have been life changing. They have helped to
reassure me that I made the right decision to change careers and embark on this new journey that
would allow me to do exactly what I was meant to do and that is to become an educator.
One of the most important things that I learned in this course is the importance of
instilling a sense of community within the classroom. I began with minimal knowledge of what
constitutes a classroom environment and by far I personally believe that creating a secure,
nurturing, supportive community is an extremely crucial part of being a teacher. With professors,
Howard, Libfeld and Montens expertise we were able build a competent learning community in
our classroom that allowed me and all of us to become acquainted with one another. At the
beginning of the semester the first few classes consisted on exercises in which we all participated
to allow us to discover something new and exciting about each person in the class. This made me
realized that like my peers; my students would all bring with them divergent interests, abilities,
cultures, and family backgrounds that would aid in enriching our curriculum. As a future teacher
and I get to have a class of my own, a main aspect in my class would be in building a community

Garcia 3
and its importance in a classroom. I am certain that by demonstrating acceptance and support, I
would be modeling how I want my students to be with one another. Thus, create a productive
learning environment that fosters not only academic success but also social interactions,
collaborations, problem solving and overall a sense of identity within a group.
In addition to learning the importance of building a community, this course helped to
raise self awareness of why I want to become a teacher and what I hope to accomplish as I
become a teacher. In reviewing the articles, The Many Levels of Inquiry and Science Success for
Students with Special Needs for Professor Monten, I was able to learn various techniques and
approaches that would definitely become handy in incorporating in my classroom. One of these
approaches that I found most useful was engaging students in scientific inquiry. As a future
educator one of my responsibilities would be to plan lessons that engage, challenge, and motivate
my students. This article provided me with great strategies that would aid me as I work towards
promoting understanding and stimulate higher levels of inquiry. My exposure to teaching has
been minimal, but I am aware that I would be facing many challenges ahead, especially in
creating curriculums that are accessible to all students even those with special needs. In
reviewing Science Success for Students with Special Needs, I was able to acquire valuable skills
to incorporate in the classroom that will ultimately assist all types of students.
One of the features of teaching that I find essential is in engaging students in academic
activities that simultaneously develop content knowledge and challenges them to assume
responsibility for their own learning. For this reason, I find that one of the most exciting
accomplishments I had in this course was in creating a website along with the webquest that was
engaging, relevant, useful and Informative. When I began this project I felt hesitation, as the idea
of creating a website seemed daunting. Nevertheless, as I acquired more knowledge and I was

Garcia 4
exposed to lesson plans and activities we did in class, I became more engrossed in incorporating
all the small details that are involved in creating this website. In the end I realized that I was
more creative than I had imagined and I was able to find it rewarding and pleasurable to succeed
in designing something that I found challenging at first.
While my studies in the field education are just beginning and I have yet to start student
teaching I am confident that by the time I get to that point I will have enough experience and
exposure to be successful as a teacher and undertake any challenges that may arise. I believe this
course along with the professors and my fellow classmates provided me with many insightful
ideas and strategies that I would be able to apply in my classroom and with my future students.
Additionally, it gave me the opportunity to reflect upon myself as a person, a student and as a
future educator. I have a lot of more growing and learning to do but I have no doubt that the
education courses at Manhattan College will prepare me and allow me to flourish as an
individual and an educator.