Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. My Rationale
3. Current Resume

Professional Standards

1. Content and Curriculum
   
   
2. Knowledge of Students and their Learning
   
   
3. Learning Environments
   
   
4. Assessment
   
   
5. Planning and Instruction
   
   
6. Professionalism
   
   

Professionalism

"Teachers recognize, participate in, and contribute to teaching as a profession."

"Who dares to teach must never cease to learn"

John Cotton Dana

 

Artifact (as evidence of meeting standard)

Before we embarked on our journey as student teachers we were given a list of “Professional Expectations” by the Department of Social Science Education. This list illustrated the importance of being on time, responsible attendance, meticulous record keeping and preparation, as well as professional posture, demeanor and dress. I believe that these standards are universal expectations for all professional settings and a foundation I plan to build upon in my quest to becoming a professional teacher. However, to me, being a professional teaching does not simply mean showing up on time to school everyday in a suit to stand in front of a class and deliver my prepared lesson. As a teacher I plan to exemplify the basic “Professional Expectations” listed above, but more importantly take an active role in teaching as a profession by making a commitment to my own lifelong learning, as well as that of my colleagues.

I believe as a teacher it is imperative to constantly examine and extend my knowledge of social science content as well as methods of teaching. I firmly believe that teacher learning is directly related to student learning. In order to improve and grow as a teacher I must understand my current status- through regular reflection; identifying my strengths and weaknesses. I believe that through on-going realistic self-assessment and in-put from other professionals it is possible to identify your shortcomings and then strive to eliminate them. As a student teacher I was in a constant state of self-assessment and reflection. I reflected on my current practices in an attempt to determine if I was meeting the needs of all students in the best possible way. I was blessed to have a Cooperating Teacher that offered frequent and detailed assessments of my teaching and learning progress. Through self-reflection and discussion with my Cooperating Teacher and other seasoned teachers during my student teaching experience I was able to identify my weaknesses and shortcomings and begin the journey of improvement.

As I become a professional teacher I plan to continue my journey of self-reflection and improvement that I established as a student teacher, but I also hope to aide in the reflection and improvement of other teachers around me. Ideally I want to participate in a working environment where I am able to utilize my people skills and the power to motivate people to achieve their goals as part of a supportive team. I was able to participate in collegial reflection as a student teacher through our “peer observations” and found it to be one of the most gratifying activities I participated in as a student teacher. It was rewarding to offer observations and suggestions to other student teachers and the team reflection we engaged in was more than worthwhile. I gained so much insight into my own teaching simply through observation and assessment of my peer and was once again thrown into a state of self-reflection.