Professional Growth Goal:
My goal at the beginning of this year was "to help parents meet the needs of their individual students and their different learning modalities."
Did I meet my goal?
Yes! I was able to help parents meet the needs of their individual students in ways that taught to their distinct learning modalities. That being said, boy do I sure have a long way to go! That is one of the joys of teaching- it never gets old because no two students are ever alike and the possibilities of growth and learning are always new for the teacher. I was able to learn some new strategies that were effective, to get to know my students and their parents better, and to grow in my appreciation of the differences in each unique student. That was one of the things that surprised me about myself. I always thought of myself as a compassionate person, but as a busy teacher, I wasn't as sensitive to the struggles that my students were going through. Taking time to reflect on the needs of individuals helped me to re-set the way I perceive my students and to appreciate the struggles, and the successes, that are going through. It helped me to think through perspectives through the eyes of my students who think and process things differently than I do.
Moving Forward
I couldn't teach my students to be life-long learners if I didn't practice it myself. As I mentioned in the above section, one of the joys of teaching is that it is always changing and there is always room for growth. Now that I have completed the induction process, I plan to continue in my professional growth and development. One goal that I have specifically is to become more familiar with the standards that my school uses. Because I came from a private school that followed the philosophy of Classical Education, I have only used state standards for a few years. On top of that, I have students from grades TK-12, so I have a lot of standards to get to know. I will be working with other teachers from my regional team to find and share lesson plans that meet the standards for each grade. My plan is to start with one grade and core subject at a time and try to find at least one resource that meets each standard. I will know that goal is met when all of the grades and core subjects have sample lesson plans for each standard. I realize that this could take a while.
I plan to continue collaborating with my fellow teachers often to remain connected as an educator. I am fortunate to have a regional team that communicates several times a day. We are constantly asking for advice and offering ours as well. We have shared lesson plan folders that we all contribute to so that we have a variety of resources available to help out our students. The students I work with are blessed to have the resources of a team of teachers, not just myself. If I go back to a brick and mortar school, I will be purposeful in collaborating with my colleagues as well. I am a big advocate of eating lunch with my co-workers. That is the best way to build relationships and glean advice in a relaxed setting.
Burn out is a big problem for teachers. I plan to continue pursuing my interests in areas outside of education in order to maintain balance in my life. Running, being active in a book club, and learning to draw are a few activities that I plan on doing on a regular basis. I also try to take weekends off from work. That has helped me the most in staying balanced.
A Little Advice
The best advice I can give to teachers just getting into the profession is to learn from those who have gone before you. When I first started out teaching, I was so anxious to prove myself, that I was reluctant to use ideas and lessons from other teachers and insisted on trying to do things my own way. I wasted a lot of time and missed out on a lot of wisdom from seasoned teachers because of that. Make good use of your colleagues and collaborate with them ofter. Don't be afraid to implement tried and true strategies in your own classroom.
Flipgrid Reflection:
https://flipgrid.com/9f805290?av=1