Ms. Yorke's
Standard #10: Collaboration
The teacher seeks appropriate leadership roles and opportunities to take responsibility for student learning, to collaborate with learners, families, colleagues, other school professionals, and community members to ensure learner growth, and to advance the profession.
Summary: To me, this standard means that I must act as a leader and work with students, parents, colleagues, and the community to develop meaningful instruction that meets all students and engages them. I must also collaborate with other professionals to ensure that I am growing and learning as an educator.
Artifact 1: Parent Letter
Performance: 10 (d) Works collaboratively with learners and their families to establish mutual expectations and ongoing communication to support learner development and achievement.
Description: After the first week, I sent students home with a letter to their parents/guardians which included a few questions about their child. The letter included some information about myself, while also providing them with contact information should they have any questions or concerns. The survey consists of questions about students’ skills, their interests, any concerns the parents have, what motivates their children, and what goals they have for their children. While I only received parent surveys from about half of the students, I was very interested in the alternative perspective, and I think my students also liked to see what their parents had to say about them. It was very uplifting to see what the parents felt were their child’s strengths and what motivates them. It gave me a glimpse into the students’ lives at home which is a huge indicator of how they perform in class.
Rationale: The attempt to reach out to parents was a great stride in establishing my position in the classroom. Additionally, it showed that I have interest in their child and want to help them learn. The letter opened up the lines of communication between school and home and demonstrated the mutual desire to ensure that their child has a positive learning experience. The parent perspective was very honest and played a large role in my planning, especially the responses regarding student motivation and concerns.
Artifact 2: Civil Rights Seminar
Performance: 10 (f) Engages in professional learning, contributes to the knowledge and skill of others, and works collaboratively to advance professional practice.
Description: As a group, all student teachers participated in a civil rights training seminar. Together we identified specific biases and biased-based behaviors. We discussed common examples of these behaviors and what they look like in our schools. We also discussed different strategies to minimize and prevent these behaviors. It was beneficial to see what steps other schools are taking in improving their school climate and what small things I can do to raise awareness of bias.
Rationale: Having the opportunity to discuss civil rights issues in this format allowed for very honest and intellectual conversations. Being able to have open discussion and share experiences was very enlightening. Together we brainstormed ways to help students in these situations and to prevent certain behaviors from occurring. This training made me pay closer attention to my students' behaviors and has given me some insight as to why they may be occurring. This has developed me into a more attentive teacher and has made me more confident in standing up for students and their rights.