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Portfolio Introduction: After completing my student teaching experience, I have found a new world of possibilities for my relationship with English Language Arts. My teaching experience has taught me that I can share my love for the subject with students in a way where they find their very own, specific connection to the material. Given the opportunity to instruct within the classroom environment has taught me new methods for classroom management, instruction, and teacher to student relationships. This internship has also allowed me the time to discover my own identity as a teacher. With the guidance of my mentor teachers, I have developed an ideal balance of instructor and mentor. I have learned to understand the importance of motivation and the connection to the student’s relevance for classroom lessons. I have also found and experienced the impact that it will have upon their interest and performance in the classroom. With my time in the classroom, I now have the experience and developmental insight for how to instruct and manage students in a way that will connect them to the material. This has also become one of the most valuable aspects for me with my connection to my students. I believe that the material in the English classroom should have a different and meaningful connection with every student. I would like to be able to serve as a facilitator for learning for my students by questioning them, and giving them insight into the subject. I believe that this is the most efficient way to gain the interest and motivation for students within literature and writing. Just as a piece of literature may have a different affect on every individual, I will be sure to be open to different perspectives and interpretations of the material within the classroom. I believe that it is within this underlying connection that students build their own love and interest in the subject. As an educator, I believe that one of my strengths will be the ability to understand and invest in each of my students as an individual. Growing up with an IEP and accommodations of my own, I now have the experience and understanding that every student learns differently and at their own pace. It is also with this information that I know that I need to understand my students as individuals to understand how they can be successful academically. Still, I understand that as a beginning teacher, there is so much more that I want to learn. Through my student teaching experience, I was given the opportunity to handle difficult situations and reluctant students. This is an aspect within the classroom in which I would like to continue to grow. I understand that every student has their own sense of individualism, and because of this one method for motivation won’t work for every reluctant student. It is with more experience and careful reflection that I will be able to find new methods, individual to every student, to help motivate and inspire the reluctant student. Ever since I was a sophomore in high school, I have dreamed of the moment where I will be able to question students on their thoughts, creativity, and critiques within the subject of English. I have always desired to have the opportunity to instill a connection and passion for the subject, just as I experienced.