A sample autobiographical essay from EDUC 201

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Running head: AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL
Autobiographical
Name
Instructor Dr Luelinda Egbert
EDUC 201: Foundations of Education
Fall, 2006

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Autobiographical Essay
Since childhood I have had a hard time deciding what I wanted to do with my life. I have
always known that I enjoyed working with people, and this has guided my decisions to become a
teacher. I did not really know for sure until my mother went back to school, and she decided she
was going to go into elementary education. She ended up being the example that I try to base my
life by. After struggling to get myself on the right path leading me to the point where I can start
my education, I am finally getting somewhere. It has not been an easy path to follow, but in the
long run, helping students find their place in life will be worth the journey. Because of my past
and current educational experiences, my work experiences, and my extracurricular activities, I
believe I will be adequately prepared to teach children with inquisitive minds. When the day is
done, their smiles will be the only reward that I need.
Educational Background
I attended elementary school in Utah at Summit Elementary. School was not a fun task
for me when I was a little girl. I struggled at first to get started. My reading skills were not
exactly up to par in third grade. I remember as a child I use to sit in silent reading and just stare
at the book. I would turn pages to make it look like I was reading, when I was actually just day
dreaming. Eventually, my teacher caught on to my reading problem. My teacher put me into a
resource class during reading with a teacher’s aide, and reading eventually came easy to me with
a little practice.
I attended Cedar Ridge Middle School, where I had my aunt as a teacher in sixth grade.
My aunt taught me during my three-hour block class, which consisted of reading, language arts

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and social studies. She made English fun for me. As a result, I began to write in my spare time
for fun. Her influence changed my perspective on English and school dramatically.
High school was not exactly my fondest memories of school. My family moved to Idaho
for my mother’s teaching position and I hated it in Idaho. I attended Twin Falls Senior High
which was not a pleasant experience because I was already a junior and the clicks were already
formed. I struggled to make friends and I also had some health issues which prevented me from
attending classes on a regular basis. I ended up getting my G.E.D. I am now attending CSI,
which has been an ongoing process for me since about 2005. Raising a family can make school
difficult to accomplish quickly, especially with twin toddlers whom I was blessed to conceive
my first semester at CSI. I have enjoyed my experiences that I have had so far in the classroom
from my field experience class and some other assignments for other classes like physical
education for elementary students.
Throughout my school career, I have had many teachers who have influenced my
decision to become a teacher. Some influences have been good and some bad. Both the good and
bad have shaped me into the person I am today. Both contributed to my choosing education as a
profession. There were those who helped me, like my aunt. She was an amazing teacher who
went so far as to buy clothing for students whose parents could not afford clothes or winter
jackets. She would buy lunch for students and she did all this often times without the family or
student knowing. People like her who have a positive influence in their students’ lives are the
teachers that I aspire to be like. My teachers whom I did not get along with helped me decide
what I do not want to be like as an educator. I had several teachers who were not as
understanding with my health problems and my weight. I would often get very ill from my

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medications or after lunch that I would run out of class sick. Many of my high school teachers
would turn me in to the counselors claiming I had an eating disorder even though I had a medical
excuse for leaving my classes. I also noticed these particular teachers were harsher on essays
than the teachers who understood. These teachers were so used to having the students who
skipped class they refused to believe I had a plausible excuse. Because of this experience as a
student, I feel I am more open to listening than making assumptions about my students.
Work History
When I was seventeen-years-old, I worked at Taco Bell. My job title was “team member”
which entailed cooking and preparing food, clean up, the general stuff you do with a fast-food
job. I worked there for about a year until I moved to Utah after I turned eighteen.
In Utah I worked at Fred Meyer in the deli. I worked there for eight months until I moved
back to Idaho. When I moved back, I worked at Sizzlers for a while as a host and didn’t care for
it. I ended up getting a job at The Oasis, at store eight, which is a gas station where I cashiered. I
now have twin daughters so I do not work. Taking care of them and going to school would be
next to impossible if I added a job to the list of things I do.
All of these jobs have had an impact on my development as a person and educator. I have
learned that it takes a great deal of patience when working with the public. I have also learned
that even when people and work seem to push me to my ropes end, there is always tomorrow.
That will come into play many times as a teacher. Some days I may want to just quit because
nothing is going the way I want it to go. The next day may be the best day I have ever had. If the
students were not minding me today, tomorrow they may listen to me and follow instructions
without any problems.

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Service and/or Extracurricular Activities
I’m not currently involved in any extracurricular activities or services at this time. I am
having a hard enough time working and staying caught up in my classes to do much else. I would
like to get involved with a club or organization relative to education when I find the time. I am
interested in volunteering at one of the elementary schools, possibly in one of the after-school
clubs. I sometimes visit my mother’s classroom, and if she needs help with anything, I help her
with what I can. I also take my daughters to visit the class because my mom’s fifth grade class
loves the twins and as a reward she sometimes has me bring the girls by to say hello. The
students really seem to enjoy having my little ones around for some entertainment. It is really fun
for the students because my mother actually has a lesson she teaches her class involving the
conversion of measurements and she uses my daughters as an example. She has a picture of them
when they were born and explains how they were only one pound, fifteen ounces and two
pounds, thirteen ounces and twelve and thirteen inches long. She has the students convert those
measurements into grams and centimeters. Seeing my mother teach these students in such a
creative manner is really inspiring to me and helps me see things from a different perspective
than just teaching from a text book. Making a lesson not only different but personal really helps
the students’ and teacher enjoys the subject.
Reasons for Choosing Education as a Career
Ever since I can remember, I have always been interested in doing something that would
make me feel like I was making a difference in life. I thought about nursing but I was not so sure
I could handle someone dying; it would make me sad. I also thought of anthropology but I did
not really think that was the sort of job I could do and raise a family. I like to make a difference

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in others lives, but I cannot think of any people more special than children to make an impact on.
I have always loved to help people in any way I could, whether it were elderly people or small
children. As a child, I volunteered in a nursing home and went around to the different residents,
bringing a smile to otherwise sad faces.
When my mother started teaching, I saw the influence she had on her students. Many of
her students would call her at our home just to talk when they needed that adult interaction that
they do not always receive at home. She helped children so that they felt they had a sanctuary to
go to when they went to school. Children who did not have the most ideal home situation had my
mother to look up to as a role model, so they knew that they did not have to end up in the same
situation as their parents Ultimately, I decided that I could make a bigger impact on children’s
lives as a teacher. As a teacher I can make work as fun or as boring as I want. I have control over
how I make impact on others and how my impact will influence the world.
Professional Goals
My short-term goal right now is to get my teaching certificate and bachelor’s degree. I
plan on going to Idaho State University to finish up my college career. I will achieve these by
completing my degree at CSI, completing the necessary entrance requirements for ISU, and then
completing the requirements to earn my bachelor’s degree.
As for long-term goals, I would really like to find an elementary school close to Hansen
to teach at since my husband and I recently bought our first home here. I am going to see if it is
possible to do some of my school work there such as student teaching. Hansen is really small and
one day at the city office I was talking to the secretary about Hansen Elementary and the
availability of jobs there. She said they often get positions open so she thought it would not be

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too hard to get in with some good recommendations. I am hoping that because I live in such a
close knit community it would not be hard to get a position at the local school.
I have always wanted to be an elementary teacher. It has taken me a few years to get on
the path to achieving this goal. However, the journey has been fruitful as I have learned and
gained much experience form my education, work, and extracurricular activity. These
experiences will truly benefit me when I acquire my own classroom.