Genelynn Pugliese

Final Portfolio

English A 108W Professional Writing

November 16, 2017

Professor Anne Walker

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Contents

Personal Statement………………………………………………………………3-4

(What is the biggest challenge I’ve had to overcome?)

Teaching Philosophy…………………………………………………………….5-6

(Overview of my teaching style and what I hope to achieve as an

educator)

Anecdotal Notes………………………………………………………………......7-9

(Run on notes on a child I observed in a classroom setting)

Child Observation Analysis……………………………………………….10-11

(Observation of pervious anecdotal notes)

Sample Newsletter…………………………………………………………………12

(An example of a newsletter I may handout to parents as a

Kindergarten Teacher)

Sample Curriculum…………………………………………………………13-14

(A sample of what we are learning in class and overview of what

students may take from the lesson)

Art Review……………………………………………………………………….......15

(Review on the mixed media art event)

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Personal Statement

Journey of a Lifelong Learner to a Lifelong Teacher

I was in 5th grade the first time my world got turned completely upside down. My

childhood leading up to the 5th grade was definitely not the easiest, but the news that

came my last year at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School was the hardest thing I have

had to overcome in my life. My parents decided that we were going to move to a different

country.

I was born and raised in America. At a very young age, I knew I wanted to be

American. I never really identified with my Filipino heritage even though I was born to

two Filipino parents. I have memories of confidently stating that I was “Filipino by

blood, American by heart.” I made posters and cards of this just to prove how much it

was true. I will never truly understand where my disdain for my own race came from, but

it is what I felt to be true.

We were driving home from the dental office that my mother worked at in

Berkeley when they first entertained the idea. “We’re thinking about moving to the

Philippines” is what they said. And then a week later their idea turned into a statement,

“We are moving to the Philippines.” At 11, I wasn’t completely sure of what the

Philippines was let alone where it was. I was horrified. Moving to another country meant

leaving all my friends and family behind. But it happened.

After my 5th grade promotion, we spent the summer packing and selling our

home. We tried to spend as much of the warm summer days with friends and family.

Then the fateful day came and we moved to the Philippines in September of 2011, three

months before my 12th birthday.

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In addition to the mixed hormones from puberty, I was told I had to learn a whole

new language. I had to learn how to live with less and adjust to two seasons: wet and dry.

Stores, parks, libraries and even malls were a rare commodity in my new country. But as

the days turned into months, and the months turned into years I began to learn my place

in this new country. I took a lot of Filipino courses and Tagalog language courses and

was able to learn about my roots. I saw the house my mom grew up in when she was born

and their family business in the Philippines. I made new friends and they taught me a kot

about myself.

This 5-year move to Philippines happened at my prime. Although it wasn’t my

favorite experience in life, I do believe that I gained a lot out of it. If anything at all, I was

able to overcome such a drastic change in my life and come out unscathed. In the end, I

was given a rare opportunity to not only live in another country, but also experience

education in another country and for that I am grateful. It taught me how to persevere and

to be flexible. It also reminds me of how fortunate I am to be living in one of the greatest

countries in the world, the United States of America.

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Teaching Philosophy

Myteachingphilosophyconsistsofmultiplethings:

• Creatingafunandwelcomingenvironment

• AppreciatingDiversityand

• Fosteringasafespaceforchildren

Itisinmyexperiencethatchildren,especiallythoseintheearlystagesof

learningsuchaspreschoolthroughelementaryschool,learnbestwhentheyare

havingfun.MygoalistogetmystudentstobeasenthusiasticaboutlearningasIam

aboutteaching.Iplantodosobyimplementingacurriculumthatwillappealtothe

5senses.Mylessonswillincludeart,music,andphysicalactivities.

Sincechildrenspendcloseto40hoursinaclassroom,Iwillcreateaspacethatis

occupiedbyfunandbrightcolors.Itwillbemygoaltokeepmyshelvesstockedwith

appropriatebooksfortheagegroupinmyclassroom.Iwillprovidea“quiet”areain

whichchildrencanopttoreadorusethisspacetocalmonesmind.Creatingafun

andwelcomingenvironmentwillrequiremyselftoalsopresentafunand

welcomingattitude.IfIputoutthevibesthatIhopetoreceivefrommystudents,I

willhavetoactivelyworkonbeingthepositiveinfluenceonthechildren.I

Mypersonalexperienceswithcomingfromablendedfamilythatalsohomes

gayandlesbians,Iamusedtomyfairshareofcriticismfornothavingtheideal

“AmericanFamily.”ItismyhopethatIwillcreateaspacewhereallchildrenofall

backgroundswillfeelsafe.Iwillmakeitmypersonalgoaltoincludebooksthat

coveralltypesoffamilies,personalorientationsandwillcelebrateourdifferences.I

believethatchildrencanbenefitsomuchbylearningfromothercultures.By

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introducingallofthesedifferentaspectsofmystudents’life,Ihopethatthechildren

willlearntobecomedecentmembersofsocietiesandallowthemselvestoaccept

thediversityofourworld.

Ibelievethatchildrenlearnbestwhentheirbasicneedshavebeenmet.

Unfortunately,wedonotliveinaperfectsocietywhereallchildrencometoschool

fedandreadytolearn.Notallchildrenhavetheoptiontobuynewshoes,clothes

andschoolsuppliesatthebeginningoftheyear.IunderstandthatIwillnotbeable

toprovideforeachchildandtheirfamilies,butIwilldomybesttoactivelytry.If

childrenhavethefreedomtonothavetoworryaboutthehardshipsofthereal

world,theywillbeabletoopentheirmindstoacademics.

Ultimately,myphilosophyisthatourchildrenareourfuturedoctors,

lawyers,presidentsandteachers;thereforeitismyresponsibilitytoteachthemto

thebestofmyabilities.

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Anecdotal Notes

Child Observation (3-5 Years Old)

1. The child I observed was a 3-year old boy. I arrived for my observation just a

little before 10 in the morning. There were 4 girls and 5 boys eating breakfast at

the tables in their kitchen/cafeteria area when I arrived. Halfway through my

observation, one more girl arrived. All the children were between the ages 2-5 at

this location. There were 3 teachers walking around, pouring cereal and

interacting with the children. In the first room where I started my observation,

they had two long tables with 8 chairs around each table. All of the furniture was

appropriate for the age group at this location. The kitchen/cafeteria area was

nicely lit with a lot of natural lighting shining through the glass sliding doors that

were decorated in stickers. To the left, the wall was made of chalkboard that

exhibited children’s drawings.

After breakfast the children were directed outside for play. Outside, they were

welcomed by artificial grass, a jungle gym with a slide, a swing set, a pyramid

and a seesaw disguised as an airplane. There were also a lot of small battery

operated cars; bikes and balls open to them.

2. The child I observed seemed to have functional motor skills. His ability to run

around and chase the children shows good hand/eye coordination. He also seemed

to exhibit good cognitive/language development for his age. I believe this because

when the teacher approached him about why he was on a time-out approached

him he seemed to understand why and promised the teacher that he would model

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better behavior in return for getting out of time-out. He told her that he would be

nicer to his friends if he could go outside too.

3. A. The first interaction I witnessed was between the teacher and student. The

student was sitting in the hallway on a time out. The teacher sat down next to him

and asked if he was ready to join the others. The child nodded yes. In my opinion,

this was a good interaction between the student and teacher. From what I was

told, he was on a time out after multiple reminders to keep his hands to himself.

By the teacher sitting down next to him and not leaning over/towering over him

she is able to connect with him in a way where he shouldn’t feel ashamed for

making a mistake. The teacher also made sure he understood why he was sitting

in the corner instead of enjoying breakfast with the others to remind him of the

consequences of not following directions.

B. Another interaction he had was between his self and two other girls. By the

time he was excused outside, two of the girls immediately approached him and

told him he was a monster. I assume he took this as his cue to start chasing them

while roaring. This interaction shows that he is a good sport and knows how to get

along with others. However, the fact that the girls immediately deemed him a

monster can have a negative effect as well. Unless, of course, they take turns

playing monster. Then it could just be a game.

C. The last interaction I was able to witness was between him and a different

teacher. This interaction stemmed from him falling off of the seesaw. He started

to wail (no tears) and the teacher approached him. I couldn’t really hear the whole

conversation, but a few minutes after he was approached he got up and started

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running again. I saw this as a positive interaction as well, because it was obvious

that he showed trust in the teachers because he knew that if he were to cry they

would respond. And by the teacher being attentive and responding, she justifies

his response.

4. Starting at age 3, children begin to develop empathy. I believe that the student I

observed showed this when he took it upon himself to play monster after he was

approached. Instead of being offended or hurt that he was titled a monster, he ran with it.

At 3 years old, I believe that the child was where he needed to be developmentally.

Although he was placed in a time out, it may not have necessarily been a knock on the

child, but the teacher instead. This is more of a tricky subject and can be seen differently

by many different age groups and cultures.

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Child Observation Analysis

ChildObservation

A. BasedonPiaget’sstagesofdevelopment,thechildIobservedseemedtobein

betweenthesensorimotorstageandpreoperationalstagesofdevelopment.

Onhisown,hewasabletoseekstimulationbypickingupagreencupthat

hadaballinitandthrowingtheballoutofthecup,thenchasingitanddoing

italloveragain.Hewaspasttheobjectpermanencestagebecausehewas

abletounderstandthattheballstillexistedafteritfelloutofthecup.He

wouldthenlookforthecupbywalkingaroundtheroomuntilhefoundit.He

wasalsocapableofthoughtandlanguage.Thiswasdisplayedwhenhe

communicatedthathewashungrywiththeteacher,orwhenheshowed

frustrationwhentheotherkidwouldtakehisballandrun.

B. BasedonGardner’smultipleintelligencetheory,Liamexhibited“Linguistic

Intelligence”becausehewouldyellouttheotherkid’snameandaskfor

“ball”back.Hewouldalsoexclaimthattheballwashis.Ialsoobservedthat

Liamexhibitedspecialintelligencesincethedaycarehadnewlybeen

renovatedbuthewasstillveryawareofhissurroundings.Hewasabletorun

totheslidesandchaseaftertheotherchildwithoutbumpingintothings.

C. PhysicalDomainsofIntelligence:

a. Physical–Liammasteredwalkingandwasshowingsignsofstarting

torun/walkinincreasedspeeds.Liamwasabletoclimbupanddown

theplayslidewithoutanyhelp.Hewouldalsopickupandthrowthe

ballinandoutofthegreencup.

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b. CognitiveDevelopment–Heusedsensorytrialanderrortosolve

problemswhenhewouldlookfortheballafterit’sbeenthrownoutof

thecuporevenwhenhewouldchasehisclassmatedownfortheball

back.Hedidfollowdirectionswhenthedaycareteacherswouldtell

himtoplaywithanothertoyortohelptidysomeofthetoys.

c. Heexhibitedparallelplayandevensomecooperativeplay.Attimes

hewouldplayalone,butwiththeotherchildrenorteachersrightnext

tohimwithnointeraction.Butatothertimeshewouldinteractwith

theotherchildrenaswell.Hetriedtotakeownershipofthegreenball

sincehewasthefirsttoplaywiththeball.

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Welcome to Kindergarten! My name is Mrs. Genelynn Pugliese. In class you can call me Mrs. Pugliese (Pull-yay-see). I am so excited to start this year with you!

About me: I graduated from Holy Names University, which is also where I received my California Teaching Credentials and Masters in Education! I’ve always wanted to be a teacher and before I became a Kindergarten teacher I was a Pre-Kindergarten Teacher! I believe that early childhood education is essential in creating life-long learners. What to expect: We are going to have so much fun this year! This year we are going to learn the alphabet with the help from our friends at Zoophonics! An example would be “Allie Alligator” who likes to go “Aa.” In addition to learning to write our letters, we will practice reading high frequency words such as “it”, “at,” “we” and more! We are also going to learn to count to the number 100 and we will learn how to add and subtract with those numbers too! When I am not teaching: When I am not in the classroom I like to spend time with my husband and our daughter, Madelynn. One of our favorite things to do is go to Disneyland!

Mrs. Genelynn Pugliese Roosevelt Kindergarten Genelynn_pugliese@my.h

nu.edu

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Sample Curriculum

Month: December

Theme: What the Holidays means to me!

Handwriting Developmental Goals:

• Letter recognition

• Sequence Alphabet

• Fine Motor skills

• Following directions (Step by step

process)

• Self-awareness of self and others

• Practice left-right progression

Social Awareness Developmental Goal:

• Recognize own uniqueness

• Engage in social interaction with peers

• Foster self-esteem

• Use a variety of words to express feelings

and ideas

• Begin to understand kindness and respect

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For the Month of December we will concentrate on what the “holidays mean to

us.” During in the month of December, we celebrate many different holidays

such as Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. This month we will take a look each

of these holidays by reading stories such as How the Grinch Stole Christmas by

Dr. Seuss, The Story of Hanukkah by David A. Adler and The Seven Days of

Kwanzaa by Angela Shelf Medearis.

We will discuss in class what we love about the holidays and use this time to

remind them that the holidays are meant for spending time with family and

being grateful for what we have. We will take a look at how Christmas is

celebrated around the world. By doing so we are broadening the children’s

horizons about holidays and what they truly are about.

This month our project will be to create our own books and stories about what

the holidays mean to us. To create these book, each student will write three

ideas about what Christmas meanst to them. Then they will draw pictures to go

along with their ideas. Lastly, we will come together as a group to share our

stories.

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Art Review

Inlieuofclassoneweek,wemetattheBayVistaHallatHolyNames

University.Therewewerewitnessestoaneventcalled,“Mixed-MediaArtEvent.”

Therewasakeyboardplayer,apainter,aperformanceartistsandourEnglish

ProfessorwhoreadherownPoetry.

Thiseventwasveryintimidatinguponwalkingin.Therewerechairscircled

aroundemptybowls,waterjugs,roses,blocks,mudandotherthings.Beforethe

eventstartedwewereeachgivenstripsofpaperthatcontainedalinefromthe

poemsthatweregoingtoberead.Theperformanceartistthenorchestratedusto

readourlinesasifwewereperformingasong.Atfirstitwasweird,butthenitwas

beautiful.

Theeventfinallybeganandallartistsworkedsimultaneously.Professor

Walkerreadingherpoem,theperformanceartistcreatingthevisuals,whilethe

painterpaintedapictureofthebayandthemanonkeyboardsprovidedsound.

Therewerealotofmomentsofuncertaintyforme.Iwasn’tsurethatItruly

comprehendedwhatwashappenedbeforeme.

Whentheeventwasoverweweregivetheopportunitytoaskquestionsand

itwasprettycooltryingtounderstandwhateachartistwasthinkingasthey

performed.

Finally,Ileftwithanewappreciationforart.Iknowthatittookalotof

courageforthemtoputthemselvesoutthere,especiallyinfrontofabunchof

collegestudents.Buttheydidabeautifuljob.ItisdefinitelyaneventthatIwould

liketoattendagaininthefuture.

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