About Dr. Brenda Heslip's Professional Profile

Hello and Welcome to Dr. Brenda Heslip's Professional Profile

I, Dr. Brenda Heslip, invite you to explore my website as I guide you through a journey that provides opportunities to create a supportive and safe learning environment for each 12th-grade learner. Teaching is my passion. I say this because, as an educator, teaching became my passion at an early age. Therefore, when I was presented with an opportunity to teach and reach students, I knew my goal had been fulfilled. My level of professionalism is evident in the support I provide to each student, ensuring they achieve their goals and receive their high school diploma.

My Professional Growth Plan

My background and experiences prompted me to commit to teaching 12th-grade learners. I am currently the founder of HesFree’s Texas Virtual Charter High School and a retired high school teacher in the state of Texas. Although I am a retired high school teacher, I am also the founder of HesFree’s Texas Virtual Charter High School in the USA. My experience as an educator spans from 1989 to the present, encompassing teaching elementary, middle, and high school learners in the state of Texas. My goal was to become an educator at an early age; Teaching is my passion. I say this because, as an educator, teaching became my passion at an early age. Therefore, when I was presented with an opportunity to teach and reach students, I knew my goal had been fulfilled. My level of professionalism is evident in the support I provide to each student, ensuring they achieve their goals and receive their high school diploma. I knew then that I would be able to teach and reach students throughout my lifespan.

My goal was fulfilled, and I was a dedicated educator. After four years of teaching, I decided that it was more difficult than I had anticipated. After reading Mulvihill's article, which stated why teachers quit, it brought back memories of when I began teaching and had difficult students. Even though they were great students, they just had a lot of behavioral issues that I had to deal with. Moreover, that is when I realized that even though they were difficult, I knew that I could use this type of experience to make sure that I helped reach and teach these students. To teach them, I had to reach them. So, I lost my passion, as I stated, and it was due to heavy workload and time constraints, challenging students' behavior, lack of respect and recognition from those students, administrative bureaucracy, and demands from the administrators to make sure I always keep my students in their classroom, which I did do.

There was a lack of resources for my students because I taught students with special needs. Although they were resource students, they were able to read, but due to their behavioral issues, they had not performed well throughout their school tenure. So, when they reached grade nine, there were many situations involving them because they did not show respect for any of their teachers. Although I experienced some emotional exhaustion that led to burnout, I struggled to keep those students actively engaged. There was a lack of parental involvement because the majority of my students' parents were either not with them because they were in foster care, or those parents were just not in their lives at all. So, due to the lack of support from those parents, it also caused me to have emotional exhaustion, and it did lead to burnout; however, once I decided. I knew that this was something I wanted to pursue because I had tried to do it from a young age.

I knew that I had to stay in the educational profession. I decided to do that after taking a few months off due to summer break. It allowed me to attend a teacher development class that not only enabled me to teach and reach, but also to learn how to teach outside the box, not just by the book. So, rather than using teaching strategies, I decided to ensure that I taught the students and that they would, in turn, ensure their positive success. I also examined several factors that threatened my passion, and it made me think that this is why many teachers lose their passion for teaching. As I stated before, administrative workload, a lack of support, challenges with students' behavior in or out of the classroom, cognitive dissonance, burnout, and ever-changing educational policies took a toll on me and other teachers. Although I experienced a situation in teaching that led to burnout and a desire to take a break from teaching for a while, I decided it would be beneficial to continue teaching and pursue my goals. I wanted to ensure that each student I taught was successful and able to progress to their next grade level without issues.

I enrolled in the MSED program to become more tech-savvy. As the founder of HesFree’s Texas Virtual Charter High School, I was inspired to enroll in the MSED program at Walden University to gain a deeper understanding of the intricacies of technology. Moreover, I created my website, located at https://drbrenda-heslipsprofessionalprofilewebsitemedu.com/, as part of my professional practice, exemplifying the importance of my educational background.

My Professional Mission and Vision

•  Professional Mission Statement:

The mission of my professional educational journey, though challenging, motivated me to help each 12th-grade learner achieve their full potential. As a responsible member of this diverse educational community, my mission entails providing a safe learning environment that fosters intellectual growth, encouraging a healthy and creative educational environment that promotes respect for each learner, and ultimately leading to positive social change. Social change aligns with and supports Walden University’s mission and vision statements, which focus on promoting positive social change through education (Walden University, 2017). For example, the mission of this educational entity is to challenge and motivate each 12th-grade learner to help them achieve their full potential as responsible members of our diverse community. My mission also entails providing a safe learning environment that fosters intellectual growth, encourages healthy creativity, and promotes respect for oneself and others. The mission of this educational entity is to reach and teach 12th-grade learners, which is crucial to help them succeed and, in turn, lead to positive social change (Walden University, 2025b).

• Professional Vision:

My vision for this educational entity is to reach and teach 12th-grade learners, which is crucial to helping them succeed and, in turn, lead to positive social changes. Therefore, developing a strong portfolio of curriculum and materials will provide an opportunity to continuously support 12th-grade learners throughout their educational journey. Promoting a positive learning environment through providing this cohort a solid educational foundation, which will ultimately lead to positive social changes.

• Professional Thought Pieces:

•  It is essential for me to emphasize the diverse steps required to support 12th-grade learners by designing a personalized core curriculum tailored to each learner, and by teaching and engaging with each learner. I will focus on providing 12th-grade learners with an adequate core curriculum that addresses the importance of challenging their existing knowledge and understanding, as well as creating a safe environment within their high school setting.

• It is essential for me to focus on providing teachers with a comprehensive core curriculum to help them support 12th-grade learners in both their academic and personal development. I will also ensure that the well-being of teachers is prioritized to maintain a safe and supportive educational environment.

• It is essential for me to focus on the impact that positive social change has on learners, offering them opportunities to gain a deeper understanding, aligning with Walden University’s vision and mission, and promoting positive social change. The exclusivity of positive change is essential in today’s educational environment, regardless of the location [i.e., local, national, or global] (Chankseliani et al., 2021). For example, to ensure positive social change occurs in and out of educational classroom settings, it is essential to support positive social change by addressing each learner's individual needs. Positive social change is a driving force at Walden University because it impacts and augments the lives of society at all levels, at the local level, which is truly an admirable accomplishment (Chankseliani et al., 2021). Moreover, it is fundamental to focus on the meaning of positive social change and how, as an educator, it impacts learners in and out of their educational setting. In my opinion, a concise and precise definition of positive social change encompasses strategies, ideas, and focuses on actions that advocate for positive social change by enhancing the well-being of communities, individuals, and society as a whole (Walden University, 2025b). This involves shifts in behavior, social relationships, and institutions that lead to beneficial outcomes beyond just those directly involved in the change. It is about creating a more just, equitable, and sustainable world. Focus on betterment, positive social change is not just any change (Walden University, 2025a). It is a change that demonstrably improves the human condition and the overall quality of life (Walden University, 2025a). The development of a strong portfolio of curriculum and materials will enable learners to continue their education, leading to positive social changes (Walden University, 2025a). Promoting a positive learning environment, found at Walden University, will provide this cohort with a solid educational foundation, ultimately leading to positive social change (Walden University, 2025a, 2025b). Developing scholar-practitioners who are equipped to address critical social challenges and contribute to the greater global good is important to ensure positive social change transpires (Chankseliani et al., 2021). This aligns with a definition that emphasizes the use of knowledge and skills to improve the lives of individuals and communities, promoting equity and fostering positive societal transformation, empowering positive social changes in this educational school setting.

My Professional Library

I have also finalized my Vlog, which can be accessed by clicking on the following link: https://waldenu.instructure.com/accounts/1/external_tools/103?launch_type=global_navigation. I am also providing a copy of my transcript, which is labeled as Attachment A (see Attachment A). Therefore, I am providing the above Vlog from Module 4, which I shared with my colleagues and professor to further demonstrate my passion for teaching. My transcript (see Appendix A) is also included to provide further explanation of the context and content for my professor and colleagues within this course (i.e., MEDU 6610) as part of my professional profile project.

References

Chankseliani, M., Qoraboyev, I., & Gimranova, D. (2021). Higher education contributing to local, national, and global development: new empirical and conceptual insights. Higher Education, 81(1), 109–127.

Walden University. (2017). Walden, 2020: A vision for social change: 2017 report. https://www.waldenu.edu/-/media/Walden/files/about-walden/walden-university-2017-social-change-report-final-v-2.pdf?la=en

Walden University. (2025a). 5 things that everyone should know about social change. https://www.waldenu.edu/about/social-change/resource/five-things-that-everyone-should-know-about-social-change

Walden University. (2025b). Social change. [Multimedia]. https://www.waldenu.edu/why-walden/social-change

link to vlog:

Please cut and paste the following link to view the VLOG

https://waldenu.instructure.com/accounts/1/external_tools/103?launch_type=global_navigation  

VLOG Transcript:

I, Brenda Heslip, am here to share with my colleagues how to add my voice to the field of educational professions. When I think of why I began teaching and the importance of being a teacher, I must say that teaching can be a source of deep personal fulfillment and passion because it allows individuals to make a significant positive impact on the lives of others, fostering growth and inspiring a love of learning. Witnessing my students' progress by sharing knowledge and contributing to the development of future generations is a common reason why teaching is a fulfilling and passionate career. Teaching has been my passion because it has profoundly impacted my students as well as how I work with others and the teaching profession has impacted not only my students and how I relate to others it also helped them grow and myself grow as we learn together teaching is a partnership between students, their parents, administrators, faculty, staff members, and community stakeholders. It truly takes a village to raise one child. As I witness each student's growth throughout the school year, I am happy that I was able to reach and teach each student. Teaching is not my job; it is my passion. Although I might have days when I am not as passionate as other days, because in my opinion, my good days outweigh my bad days, which reminds me why I decided to teach and reach each student for who they are to help them to become what they want to be. Teaching also allows me an opportunity to make a difference in my students' lives because I can have a positive influence on them by helping them to reach and achieve their goals. I love providing students with the opportunity to shape their attitudes and create a positive learning environment, ensuring each student develops a positive attitude and a desire to learn. I have witnessed students grow throughout the school year. I see the long journey that each student has endured. Some of the students struggle to comprehend that learning is a precious gift. It is incredibly rewarding for me as a teacher to observe my students and see them use their problem-solving abilities, ask probing questions, and appreciate the answers to their questions. As a teacher, I take pride in helping my students, as I witness their growth throughout the school and watch them successfully move to the next grade level. As an educator, my role in the 21st-century learning environment is to evolve into a knowledge-based dispenser. A knowledge-based dispenser to a mentor, facilitating and guiding each student individually by creating and maintaining a positive learning environment to foster students' well-being, helping them develop the essential knowledge and skills they need for future growth. I also want them to be able to think critically, to be problem solvers, and I want them to crave, to continuously lean on me as an individual teacher. I want them to be able to go through life without wondering if they could have made it, but if they had a teacher who cared, maybe they would have. The other thing that I want to mention is the five core propositions, which are professional dispositions, and there are five of them that actually align with my teaching. The five are: Proposition 1, teachers are committed to students and their learning. Proposition 2: Teachers possess knowledge of the subjects they teach and are skilled in teaching those subjects to students. Proposition 3: Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning. Proposition 4, teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience And Proposition 5, teachers are members of learning communities which are important to teach education teachers are the most important part of a student's educational future if we want to make sure our students are successful we have to give them those tools to be successful individuals thank you so much for listening and you have a blessed day goodbye.