St Mary's Eight Standards

As a future middle school teacher, I know I have much to learn. I have to learn how to effectively make engaging lesson plans that meet the academic standards of my content, I have to educate myself on how to efficiently and promptly determine all of my student’s different learning styles and motivation, and I have to learn how to professionally build classroom management and a safe classroom environment, while still developing a sincere relationship with my students. However, of all the things I still need to learn, there is just as much that I have already learned which has helped build and strengthen my beliefs on what I believe a middle school teacher is and my responsibility as such.

In order for me to meet the requirements of “the maximum for each question is one page,” I must first share how unique my situation is and how beneficial Fundamentals in Methodology and the book “Excellent 11” are to me at this time. I am pursuing teaching as a second career, after spending over a decade in corporate American and over 12 years as a stay home mom, school and church volunteer. I was encouraged to become a certified teacher by a friend who an educator and entrepreneur in her own right. It was my friend, Sheila Newton-Moses, who took me to Saint Peters University, introduced me to Dr. Doria and encouraged me to do this. I am now finishing the second semester in the program and am very excited at the prospect of teaching.

The Framework for Teaching by Charlotte Danielson has been developed through research as a guideline for current and future teacher’s professional responsibilities in and out of the classroom. Districts throughout the country are using this framework to assess and guide their teachers to build successful methods of planning and preparations, setting up the classroom environment, instruction and professional responsibilities. Each of these domains builds off of each other to form a successful learning environment. Domain 3 focuses more specifically on instruction using communication, discussions, engagement, assessments and flexibility.

​Throughout my journey as a student at Winthrop University, I have faced many different experiences that have helped mold me into the educator I am today. My journey as an educator has just merely begun, and at this point, it is extremely important for me to use this time for self-evaluation. My time at Winthrop University has provided me with my largest educational experiences, such as my class time in CRTW, my field placement in EDCO 201, and my time working with Clover High School’s Marching Band. These educational experiences have made an enormous impact on my personal understanding of teaching and learning.

In truth, you cannot be reminded too many times about good teaching practices, passion for education, and the need for constant reflection and

After three years of being accountant I realized i need to do more than sit at a computer all day. I decided to go back to school to get my teaching credential. Becoming and being a teacher It is the most challenge thing I’ve done, but that’s what makes it so great. The challenge is what I need, and there are new ones everyday. These challenges lead to discover new ways to create successful students.

An outstanding teacher will not only display effective practices connected to their classroom environment, lesson planning, classroom instruction, and student assessment methods, but will also engage themselves in reflective practices in these areas. Such outstanding teachers will have tried and true methods by which they manage their classrooms, and they will also consider the outcomes of those methods to ensure that the rapport they have with students is positive and engaging. Outstanding teachers will consistently prepare well thought out lessons with appropriate materials, and they will also continue to discover new methods and materials to include in their instructional practices. The classroom of an outstanding teacher will display authentic

Best practice methods of preparing teachers for the classroom were addressed in an article by Cochran-Smith, et al. (2011). This study reviewed research on how to best prepare teachers for the classroom. 6 different genres were reviewed. Qualitative studies were conducted to help understand policy and practice for the best ways to train teachers. The genres that were tested were teacher certification, educational background, entry pathways, teacher preparation, age of beginning teaching, and life history. Studies consistently found that university bases preparation helped pre service teachers. The research showed that there was evidence that teacher characteristics and school workplace conditions affect teacher retention. According to the article, further research is needed to understand more about teaching practice and retention. They recommended using more federal funds and grants to research best preparation practices more.

If one possesses the passion of becoming a teacher, there are requirements that need to be met and many educational strategies and instructional methods that one can utilize to keep them focused on the primary goal and purpose, educating the whole student, helping them reach their fullest potential, and experience success. One who possesses a desire to become an educator must understand their role as a teacher and role model, to enhance student learning by

Finding out the process of becoming a teacher was were I began, out of simple habit of wanting to know the backstory. After observing Mr. Winborne’s second grade class, I asked first how he had become a teacher. “I got my bachelors of Science and arts education” He said, “and even beyond that, I’ve had a bounty of professional development coursework.” He went on to explain that before getting his degree he’d had experience working in after school and youth

As aspiring teachers, our overall objective is to be successful. This involves being effective in the way that we teach, knowledgeable in our areas of expertise and facilitators on our student’s educational journeys. As Fraser (2011) states “we are in the privileged position of contributing to the life chances of the young people we teach and have more knowledge than ever before as to what makes quality teaching” (p. 57). Quality teaching is established by a teacher’s ability to design and instruct lessons that take into considerations a multitude of factors including pupil and curriculum needs. This is no easy feat, which we discovered when working with the Kirkwood Intermediate students.

The standards I am strong in are Standard 9: Foundations, Reflective Practice, and Professional Development, Standard 10: Collaboration, Ethics, and Relationships and Standard 4: Instructional Planning. While student teaching I took any available opportunity to reflect on my lessons or the lessons of others with my cooperating teacher, Peggy Hotopp. I also worked each week to focus on a specific teacher education standard. I wanted to make sure that I was growing in all areas of education, while giving myself time to reflect on the week as a whole compared to my day to day reflection with my Peggy. I did this to better myself as an educator and gain valuable insight into the profession from experienced professionals. Peggy often commented on my willingness to reflect on everything I observed or taught. “I appreciate the fact that you are willing to reflect on what you have done and ask questions when you don’t understand” (Hotopp, 2015). This skill will help me improve my instruction as I progress as an educator. It will also help me build on my collaborative skills by reflecting with others.

Change is a part of life and I view myself as a life-long learner. I have frequently been called on to change. Once again new ideas are presented on being an effective teacher and I will discuss how my teaching will change as a result of this course. There are five areas of interest that I found will elevate my teaching skills. I will briefly describe them as structure, groupings, instructional strategies, the concept of linking assessment with teaching, and more effective collaboration with my peers.

UAB School of Education is dedicated to educating and providing support to future professionals who wish to become an educator. UAB provides prospective teacher candidates with field experience in diverse settings to prepare them to be an effective teacher and professional after graduation. Prospective teacher candidates are assessed for their performance and effectiveness as a teacher throughout their time in the pre-TEP and TEP programs. This essay will answer four prompts that will be both informative and reflective in nature to demonstrate my understanding of the assessment framework in which I will be assessed during my time as an undergraduate at UAB. As a prospective teacher candidate, I appreciate and respect the assessment

Martin Luther King, Jr. once said “We may all have come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.” This quote describes how Mrs. Behrens, an experienced english teacher, and Ms. Mileki, another english teacher with only three months under her belt, were influenced by different things in their life that encouraged them to become teachers. For Behrens, it was a love for education and continuing her educational experience. Whereas for Ms. Mileki, it was an eighth grade english teacher who was extremely motivational. As individuals they have been influenced by different things, but as teachers they come to work each day with the same task - to educate. With more time comes more experience in education. Therefore, an experienced teacher is more well-versed when it comes to things within the classroom setting such as behavior, class participation, and overall more advice for someone going into the profession of teaching but that is not to say that the new and experienced teacher do not share similarities in the way that they go about each of those.