My personal growth as a teacher is illustrated among the links of this web site. The courses I have taken in working toward certification as a teacher have provided me with the tools I need as an educator. My student teaching experiences have allowed me to put this knowledge into practice.
Evidence of my growth as a teacher can be found in my lesson plans, which illustrate creativity and the ability to incorporate state and district standards. Student feedback and normative and summative assessment of learning indicate that I am able to present information to students in a manner which they can understand and relate to their own personal experiences and background knowledge.
I have demonstrated growth as a teacher in that I am no longer hesitant to engage students in group activities. I have experienced that these are situations which require confidence and strong classroom management skills, as middle school students can quickly turn "cooperative learning" into "chaos". As a teacher, I have put into place an effective plan for managing my classroom regardless of the activity, implementing classroom management strategies developed during my coursework and learning from experienced teachers within my student teaching placement.
In my student teaching experiences, I have had the opportunity to work with students from diverse cultural backgrounds, evidenced by my student teaching placement school's attendance boundaries. I experienced the opportunity to communicate with parents using a translator during Parent-Teacher Conferences. These experiences have supported my learning in the writing of scholarly papers on parental involvement and multicultural education, and have provided me the opportunity to effectively put these ideas and strategies into place.
My coursework and student teaching experiences have provided me with numerous opportunities for growth as a teacher. I know that as I further my journey in the field of education, I will continue to grow as I build on personal strengths and teaching skills and adapt to the changing needs of my students.
