Initial Reflection

    Going into my 3^rd year teaching I have noticed that I am a very reflective individual, not just in my career of being a teacher, but in most aspects of life. As a teacher, I am constantly reflecting on lessons and conversations that I have with students and coworkers. I am the one that takes the job home and lays in bed at night thinking of lesson plans, creating anchor charts, which kids need to work on such and such strategy etc. My goal as a teacher is to be the best I can be, for my students. Working in a Title 1 school in a high poverty area, they NEED and deserve me at my best. Which sometimes causes my reflections of myself to be extremely high and criticizing. My strength in my individual self-reflection is that I am very goal and data driven. I am able to take the data and noticing’s I collected during my lessons and use them to drive my instruction further that would be best for my students. As for collaboration with peers, I find I do some of my best learning from my fellow teammates and colleagues. I love listening to their ideas and fresh perspectives. This year, I have recently taken on the role to be my grade levels Instructional Leadership representative. This role allows me to lead our grade level’s PLCs. I will be the one to receive extra Professional Development on the new reading curriculum our district just adopted and come back to my team and teach them. It will also be a place that my team will be able to analyze data to drive our team goal for our students. My strength in this role is I am extremely passionate in curriculum and analyzing data to drive instruction. I come to these meetings well organized and with a set agenda on what our team needs to accomplish during our time together, which I feel we don’t get much of. Taking on a leadership role is a little outside of my comfort zone. I am known to be a listener and an observer, rarely voicing my opinion and thoughts out of nerves or fear of being wrong. I am learning that even though I am the youngest and have the least amount of experience on my team, I still have a lot to offer.

    One of my strengths in teaching is my planning and organization skills. My classroom is well organized where my students know where materials are located and are easily accessible. I tend to have high expectations for my 4^th graders and work with them to be self-mangers and leaders within the classroom. In order for them to become that, it takes set procedures and expectations. I am known as the “sticky note” planner. I write all my plans on sticky notes, so that they are not “locked” in. You never know how a lesson is going to go. It may take two days, it may take another day to reteach and try and new approach. With my sticky notes, I am able to self-reflect and MOVE my day’s forwards or backwards depending on how each day went. I am the teacher that has the entire week and its materials planned and set in designated containers in case of emergencies and anyone could come in and find all materials and plans laid out.  Another strength I feel that I have is building a safe, positive, learning environment. I have had many peers tell me, “your class is like a family, and they all really love and care for each other. They support each other in their learning.” I always smile and think that this really does exist in my room. Each one of the classes I have had, we create this amazing bond. I am not really sure HOW I do it, but I am extremely proud that I am able to create that type of learning and supportive environment for my students. 

   Some challenges I have as a teacher is during some lessons following Gradual Release of Responsibility. Math is an area that I feared and “struggled” with as a student growing up. I had one teacher that instilled that fear and it has followed me up to my profession, where I sometime fear teaching math. Hoping that the strategies and skills I am teaching are reaching my students. So with GRR, I struggle with the “you do.” I have a hard time letting them go…knowing that they seem to be getting it with me. However, I am learning that letting them work together and on their own, is the time to gather evidence and data to guide further instruction for all or some students. I also feel that I struggle with differentiation with the wide span of learners that I have. I have to figure out how to offer the best support for my students who are new to America and just learning English to challenging my student who is at a 6^th grade reading and math level. Really setting those differentiated supports in place.

   The TPEP framework that the Mukilteo School District uses is the CEL 5D+ Framework from the University of Washington. Having been on this framework for the past two years, and entering my third year I have gathered more and more knowledge over the years. The rubrics and the language that is used is key to understanding how evaluators approach their observations within your classroom. I am one that really studies the rubrics and the verbiage that is used to make sure that I can get the highest marks---I am one of “those” teachers. Always striving to be “Distinguished.” I use the rubrics and evaluators notes to set goals and better my teaching practices.