Hello and welcome to my PLP (39) Portfolio for EDUC 402/407! I wanted to begin by telling you a little about myself and my journey and beliefs before beginning PLP.

My name is Jennifer Romano. I was born and raised in Abbotsford, British Columbia. I have three siblings and two parents who worked incredibly hard to ensure we never went without. I attended a private school, took dance lesson, and was taught the value of hard work and goal setting from an early age. The idea that if you work hard enough, success will follow was ingrained in me from the beginning. So, that’s what I did.  I got married, had kids, and worked hard to be the best mom I could be while working part time in the evenings as a server, dance teacher, and during the day as an in-home daycare provider.

Eventually, I went back to school, got my special education diploma and worked as an E.A. for many years.  During that time, my marriage broke down and I was left raising three children (pic 2) on my own with a very small income-the hard work didn’t seem to be paying off, maybe I needed to work harder? I decided to go back to school and pursue my dream of becoming a teacher! Balancing three children, work, and school was no small feat, but I did it and I did it well, because…hard work, right?

During that time, the student that I had worked with for 6 years passed away and left me absolutely devastated (pic 1). My experience with her has shaped who I am as an educator and guides my compassion, inclusive practice, and beliefs in the importance of connection and relationships.

When I began my degree (pic 3), I had no idea what classes I would be taking and stumbled across sociology.  This changed my life and my ideas that working hard always equals success. My lens of the world shifted, and I began to see barriers and social inequalities that others suffered at no fault of their own.  Systemic and social barriers restricted many people from simply just working hard enough.  I realized, despite my own privilege that many of the choices I had made in my life were a result of what I thought society expected of me as a woman.  I realized that these expectations and learned behaviours also contributed to how children behave, learn, and develop.  This changed my perspective as a parent and an educator.

Mental health is at an all time high for adolescents. Societal and familial expectations have put pressure on children to perform and express themselves in ways that are not authentic to their inner selves.  It is my goal, as an educator, to create a safe and inclusive space for children to learn, grow, and express themselves. It is my goal to create a space where children learn acceptance of one another and themselves.  It is my goal to create equitable opportunities for all learners by forming relationships and getting to know my students.

Understanding my own barriers, biases, and beliefs will give me perspective into the barriers, biases, and beliefs that my students bring with them. It is only through knowing who I am and why I am this way will I have the ability to understand the same for others.