Teaching Portfolio
Rebecca Jamieson Cooley
Hello, and welcome to my professional teaching portfolio - I’m thrilled you're here! My name is Rebecca Cooley, and I am a graduate from the University of Virginia with a Masters of Teaching in Elementary and Special Education, and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology.
The goal of this portfolio is to provide a preview of what my classroom will look, feel, and sound like. Please take a moment to explore my site, where you’ll find examples that demonstrate my beliefs about teaching and learning, classroom community, and family and community engagement.
About Me
Prior to my last year of college, I would have never predicted that I would choose to pursue a career in education. My memories from middle school and early high school are tarnished with shameful feelings of failure and frustration as I fell further and further behind in class. I was diagnosed with several learning disabilities which resulted in being placed on a lower track than most of my friends. For the next several years, my schoolwork became a major source of insecurity, and my excitement about learning new subjects transitioned to fear of exposing my documented inadequacies.
Since then, I have learned a lot about myself. I have shifted my thinking, become more confident, and learned to embrace the unique ways I understand and learn new things. I realize now that my self-perceptions in grade school were rooted in what I believed I could never accomplish. Fortunately, my path through college led me to teachers who required me to unabashedly assess my strengths and weaknesses. While I still carry my differences with me, I no longer see myself as disadvantaged because I have gained the tools and confidence necessary to achieve my goals.
Looking back, I realize my school experience is a manifestation of how significant the role of teachers are in helping students develop the skills essential for future success. I believe that building healthy relationships is the foundation needed to instill confidence and motivation in children so they can start believing in their talents, and develop a vision of their future. With my own personal challenges in mind, I feel that I can provide the support and guidance needed for students to see mistakes as learning experiences, which makes asking for help easier in the future.
The knowledge and experience I have gained through my program at Curry has helped me move into the role of a self-aware, reflective teacher who challenges students to capitalize on their full potential and discover what they love about themselves. Over this past year, I have grown increasingly passionate about teaching as I learn more ways to connect with children. I know that teaching is an ongoing process with endless ways to improve over time. I look forward to experiencing what my future students and I are able to accomplish as we learn and grow from and with each other!
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