The Medgar Evers College standard under Personal and Global consciousness is defined as a teacher candidate’s examination, deconstruction, and reconstruction of their personal beliefs, values, and perspectives toward themselves and others in order to better understand their own culture, as well as to develop empathy and acceptance toward other cultures. Prior to enrolling into Education 102, I began to question the main reasons behind my decision to major in Early Childhood Education. I’ve always dreamed of becoming a teacher,

however, I never truly understood why I chose to pursue a degree in Education. Many times, ifnot most, I like to express my thoughts towards any problem or situation through writing in order to gain a better understanding of the actual problem or situation itself. Consequently, the education related autobiography required for Education 102 has given me a better understanding and awareness of the many aspects that make up the person I am today, as well as the numerousindividuals that have influenced my overall life.

   For instance, I noticed a great difference between the person I was before and the person I am today in terms of my emotional and intellectual growth. I’ve become more open minded towards the many different ideas, perspectives, and opinions of everyone I encounter in both my academic and personal life. As opposed to arguing or shutting down a person who disagrees with my beliefs and values, I now try to place myself in their perspective in order to understand their reasons for thinking or behaving a certain way. For example, I am better able to sympathize with the reasons behind my mother’s frustration and anger towards my progress in school. Because my mother was also raising a child with mental disabilities, she thought it was unfair to feel proud of one child while the other was continuously struggling. As a mother, she believed her

scolding at me would make everything fair in terms of the rate of progress between my sister and me. However, I would never hold back any one of my students from excelling in a subject solely for the purpose of fearing an unfair outcome between exemplary and exceptional students; rather, I would figure out a way to modify my lessons to best fit each individual learner.

   As an emerging teacher candidate, I’ve learned that anyone is capable of learning; however, everyone’s perception and attraction to the information given is extremely different from those around them. Furthermore, I believe that a teacher should always be conscious and accepting towards the unique qualities within each student. As teachers, we should portray ourselves more as a guide, as opposed to an all knowing "sage". Overall, this current knowledge

of my position, beliefs, and understanding of what "being an Educator" truly signifies has increased my commitment and determination to positively influence both the intellectual and emotional growth of all children. The development of my personal and global consciousness has taught me that Education is a never ending process. As a result, I am well aware of the fact that I have much to learn in terms of how to make my role as a teacher more effective towards the

needs of each and every one of my future students.