Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Haraskevina
Haraskevina
Kevin A. Haras
History of Coursework
Table 1
History of Coursework
lesson planning
(CCSS)
fieldwork observations
teaching pedagogy
fieldwork observations
educational systems
fieldwork observations
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teaching philosophy
educational philosophy
TESP 503 Soul of
cultural beliefs and culturally
Teaching Summer/19’ Dr. Tammy Bachrach
responsive teaching
American Ed
equity in the classroom
inclusive education
EDUC 540
Technology
Reading Instruction
of Teaching (RICA)
Fall/19’ Dr. Amber Lynwood
Reading and Common Core State
Arts
TESP 502 Science
human growth and
of Teaching 1:
Fall/19’ Dr. Heekap Lee development
How Students
student learning styles
Learn
designing a website
EDUC 546
Instructor Kristi screencasting
Digital Spring/20’
Hernandez social media for professional
Communications
development
EDUC 547 Spring/20’ Instructor Kristen hyperdocs
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Special Topic:
collaboration using digital
Integration of Effinger
documents
Web Resources
Problem Based Learning
(PBL)
TEP 522 Methods
Dr. Nkechi Understanding by Design
of Teaching Math Spring/20’
DomNwachukwu (UBD)
K-8
Common Core State Standards
– Math (CCSS-MA)
TESP 512 Science diagnostic, informal, and
Assessment rubrics
EDTC 515/EDUC Project Based Learning (PBL)
Credential
TEP 524 Methods integrating the arts into social
Credential
EDUC 549
Capstone
program growth assessments
Experience in Fall/20’ Dr. Jennifer Courduff
ePortfolio
Learning and
Technology
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Personal Growth
In this program, it has taken a lot of work to become an effective educator. Personally,
this program has stretched me in my abilities as a student and lifelong learner. The program has
also stretched me as a person by examining my understanding of bias and equity. In the entire
program, in the process throughout, I’ve made moderate to significant changes spiritually,
Becoming a teacher has stretched me in my abilities as a student outside and inside the
classroom. It had been twenty years since I was a student and I was entering the program on
academic probation. I was nervous as I started my first class, Art of Teaching. I put a lot of
pressure on myself because if I lost this opportunity then I don’t know what I would do. As a
result of my nervousness and anxiety, I made the decision to start the habits I knew would make
compared to my silent self of the past. Writing five to six-page papers with references was also
stretching me as a student. I was not confident I could provide and find supportive information
on topics to fill the pages. However with the field experiences and the content covered in the
class, I would have the content needed to push through and overcome the anxiety. I’ve also
grown as a student inside the classroom. The younger me would’ve been satisfied with just
occupying space without much contribution to discussion. This program has given me some of
my best memories of being a student. As a student in the classroom, this program has given me
The program has forced me to examine my understanding of bias and equity. Prior to the
program, I had figured that at my age, I had worked through any biases I would encounter about
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culture, race, and social status. In my heart and mind I have always thought to give everyone the
best opportunity. However, through this program I have found there are slight hiccups in my
thought process which could inhibit me in doing my best for every student in the classroom.
There have been multiple courses that have helped me recognize my bias it doesn’t go unchecked
Spiritual Growth
In the entire program and in the process throughout, I’ve made moderate to significant
Christian thought into its programs. As a result of the Christian worldview within this program, I
have been able to develop a Christ-like mindset for the classroom prior to entering one of my
own. For this I can thank the professors and instructors who openly shared their Christ-like
hearts and minds about experiences they’ve had and those they continue to have about their
service to students. Dr. Heekap Lee was my professor for TESP 502 Science of Teaching 1: How
Students Learn (Lee, 2019). Dr. Lee was especially influential in my spiritual growth because his
tone of voice when he spoke about Christ’s love for me displayed and conveyed the mentality of
a Christ-like educator. Dr. Amber Lynwood was also influential in my spiritual growth. When I
took her class, TEP 521 Methods of Teaching Reading and Writing, I felt a connection between
her methods to teach the course to the educator I wanted to become based on her interaction with
Cognitive Growth
Through this program I have also grown in my cognitive skills. I strongly feel that
through my development in the program I have grown in my ability to pay attention, process
auditorily, memorize, along with processing visually, logically, reason, and process speedily
information in such a way that will help me excel in a classroom of students. I can attribute the
growth in these areas to my field experience in Art of Teaching I (Lynwood, 2019) and Art of
Teaching II (Gelso, 2019). I had experience in the classroom as a substitute teacher, however
taking these course to learn the basics of classroom management and pedagogy methods, and
then observing go into classrooms to observe it being lived out made it very applicable.
Affective Growth
Teaching is an emotional practice that needs to be developed over time. Like students in
the classroom, for teachers emotional skills might come easily or they might require more
attention and additional development. As a result of being in this program I’ve grown in my
ability to emotionally process information. Several classes have introduced me to the emotional
realities of teaching in the classroom. For instance the course, TESP 504 Schools and
Educational Systems with Dr. Greg Kaiser, helped me understand the stresses and challenges in a
district, a school, and ultimately in the classroom (Kaiser, 2019). These challenges can take their
toll. Therefore it is important to be educated about them, like the courses in this program has, so I
Professional Growth
This program has given life and purpose to my career. My past careers in marketing,
sales, and in business had their challenges. Some of the challenges were the result of not
applying myself in school and connecting the learning from elementary, to middle school, to high
school. An example of these challenges was when I had to write a marketing plan and budget for
a small business. I had a hard time. It took me some time to organize the pages and paragraphs
for several sections of the plan. This program has assisted in getting me back on track of
understanding how to correctly organize my thoughts and write. It has also provided the practice
so I may instruct others. Originally, I was in the credential only program at Azusa Pacific
introduction courses in the program I was approved to switch to the master’s program with
Growth as an Educator
nothing would prepare me to be an educator as much as this program. This program has provided
the framework to organize a classroom in such a way that it is conducive to learning. TESP 501
Art of Teaching with Dr. Amber Lynwood was essential to learning how to organize a classroom
with procedures to apply before, during, and after the school year (Lynwood, 2019). One area I
can say all of the courses provided growth, was in my abilities to create units of learning and
lesson plans. I learned the reason for planning a lesson in so much detail is because I need to
As for the programs’ emphasis in learning and technology, I’ve grown as an educator that
incorporates technology in the classroom. EDUC 546 Digital Communications with instructor
Kristi Hernandez provided the knowledge to use screen casting technology for instruction before,
during, and after class (Hernandez, 2020). EDUC 547 Special Topic: Integration of Web
Resources by Kristen Effinger provided an introduction to hyperdocs (Effinger, 2020). All of the
courses in the program have had a component of technology. My interest in the use of
technology has grown significantly because of the web-based applications and services I’ve been
Professional Accomplishments
perseverance at the graduate level of education and handling the demands of this program. I
didn’t do well at the undergraduate level. I also have test anxiety. Since beginning the program,
I’ve done alright with the writing requirements and the tests. I am also very proud of my decision
to focus on the learning and technology emphasis. When I began the program, technology for the
classroom was growing at a moderate pace. Since the pandemic, technology in the classroom has
been given a violent push into the professional life of everyone but especially educators. I’ve
been excited to be in both education and technology because of the heightened awareness.
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Technical Growth
educator. The program has increased my knowledge in the use of technology for planning and
preparation. For instance, in TESP 501, Art of Teaching, with Dr. Amber Lynwood, a few of my
classmates and I had our first experience in using Google Slides to plan a demonstration on how
to make accommodations for diverse learners through the use of text-to-speech and screen reader
options (Lynwood, 2019). My technical expertise has increased with regards to the use of
technology in the classroom environment as well. I’ve gained a broader knowledge of the aspects
of digital citizenship and how it is intertwined into the in-person classroom environment as well
as the online classroom. On the opposite side of the niceties of digital citizenship, is the
illegitimate use of technology with regards to the Dark Web and The Onion Routing (TOR). I
had the opportunity to learn about these in EDTC 515/EDUC 548 Emerging Trends in
Technology with Dr. Jim Brown (Brown, 2020). Technical expertise has also grown in my
instruction with the use of individual tools and a combination of their use together. All of the
courses in this program contained a technology assignment. Therefore the use of a computer was
essential. I often found myself planning and implementing lessons that incorporated a computer,
projector, document camera, and an interactive whiteboard. As a result, I was able to gain in my
expertise of their use for teaching. A final area of growth in technical expertise is in my
is extremely helpful for the success of an educator during the school year. EDUC 546 Digital
Communications with Instructor Kristi Hernandez was a course with significant impact in
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establishing tools for communicating with all parties related to an educators classroom
(Hernandez, 2020).
The specific resources impacting my teaching since beginning the program are plentiful,
but I will only mention a few here. The Google Suite of applications are the simplest resources to
mention and they have been the most used. Specifically, Google Slides has easily been my most
used application in my courses and in my teaching. It has been a great application to present
clear, visually entertaining, content to students. Also, it has been helpful for me to gather the
items in preparation for sharing the content. I can see it continuing to be a vital resource for me
in the future. Google Docs is another resource impacting my teaching as it allows for
collaboration between myself and the individual student, as well as the students with their
classmates. Another resource impacting my teaching is Pear Deck. Pear Deck is an extension of
presentation applications like Google Slides and Power-point. Pear Deck has allowed me to
insert questions and prompts to interact with the students. This is a helpful extension of the
presentation applications because it allows me to hear from the students who are verbal and non-
verbal, giving all students in the classroom a chance to participate. All of these tools have made
in impact because they have allowed me to educate in the classroom and online.
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Life-long learning is a continuous process. There are opportunities for informal learning
and there are opportunities for formal learning. Informal opportunities could be an insightful
conversation with a colleague to discuss classroom management. Or, I might read an article on
the web or listen to a podcast. I could even watch an amazing teacher in action and implement a
new strategy in your classroom the very next day. On the other hand, I could take formal learning
opportunities like taking a graduate class, obtaining a higher degree, or enrolling in a community
education class. Something I could feel proud of adding to a resume. Here are a list of informal
- learn Spanish as a second language to communicate with English Language Learners and
their families
- learn the guitar to entertain and provide diverse learning for the students who have a
Conclusion
Through this program I have begun, and will continue to become, an educator for the 21st
century learner. This program has expanded my personal knowledge in the effects and efforts to
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make my classroom a place where access is given to all. I have made great progress as a Christ-
like educator who is looking forward to serving students thanks to the modeling by the
professors and instructors. Based on my past career experiences, and my new path as an
educator, I feel confident to create and inspire future generations to identify and take advantage
of opportunities. This program has provided an excellent base to begin my career in teaching.
Some may think this is not the ideal time to become an educator, however I do not. Education at
this time may be difficult, but the difficulty has heightened the importance of educators and the
needs for educators who have a focus on learning using technology. I am excited to exercise my
knowledge from this program, continuing to be a life-long learner, and ultimately being a
difference maker.
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References
Brown, J. (2020). EDTC 515/EDUC 548 Emerging Trends in Technology. Azusa Pacific
University. https://canvas.apu.edu/courses/20199
Effinger, K. (2020). EDUC 547 Special Topic: Integration of Web Resources. Azusa Pacific
University. https://canvas.apu.edu/courses/19081
Gelso, N. (2019). TESP 511 Art of Teaching II. Azusa Pacific University.
https://canvas.apu.edu/courses/16597
Kaiser, G. (2019). TESP 504 Schools and Educational Systems. Azusa Pacific University.
Lee, H. (2019). TESP 502: Science of Teaching 1: How Students Learn. Azusa Pacific
University. https://canvas.apu.edu/courses/14284
Lynwood, A. (2019). TEP 521 Methods of Teaching Reading and Writing. Azusa Pacific
University. https://canvas.apu.edu/courses/14086