My Hopes for the Future

I used to see the teacher as the ultimate authority in the classroom. All knowledge would come from the teacher, and all dilemmas would be solved through the teacher making rules. I now know and respect that each student has their personal funds of knowledge that they bring to school with them each day. Students have powerful thoughts and experiences, and I want to encourage and cultivate those. I believe it is important to set up classroom values, in collaboration with the students, in the early days of school to establish a desired classroom culture where everyone feels safe, heard, and can thrive.

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I believe I have nurtured the development of some teaching superpowers during my year-long residency. Firstly, I do well at creating a warm and welcoming environment. Each student is seen and accepted in my room. I want to hear their voices and explore their thoughts. Some days can be hectic, but I am often complimented on how I manage to remain calm, with a smile on my face, assuring my students they are safe. I have also learned to guide students in deeper thinking and synthesis of learning. I will often end a class with an exit ticket so that students can name what they have learned or found helpful. Other days I may start a class with a "do now" in which students take time to share with their tablemates about a lesson or experience from the day before. I aim to design lessons that build on each other. After acquiring some initial knowledge and tapping into our schema, we can bring new ideas to light and consider what they mean. As students develop their thinking, I work to ask them one more question to promote deeper understanding. I have had a lot of great experiences with Know-Wonder-Learn charts. For instance, to end our first lesson on invasive species, I asked students to write one thing they have learned on a sticky note and place it in our "learn" column. The next day, I presented their list to them. They were impressed by it and I mentioned these were all their thoughts and that each of them had contributed to our collective learning. This was a true moment of connection in our classroom.

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I have also learned that we are always learning. It is important for teachers to take time to self-assess and reflect, too. Reflecting on my time in the classroom, I would say that one area of growth for me is continuing to become a warm demander. This is an ideal role for a teacher to take on. I work to be respectful to my students, and I understand there are times when I need to ask something of them. This can be done in an encouraging and supportive manner. Sometimes a student appears off-task but this might be due to a question they are hesitant to ask. I want to grow in warmly approaching my students, reminding them of the task at hand, and seeking what supports they might need. I want my students to know I believe in them and am going to be persistent with them. I feel part of this is helping your students understand the relevance of their studies, as well as your desire for them to succeed. Another area I am eager to grow is as a proficient grader of student work. It seems there are countless ways and considerations when it comes to grading. I like the ideas presented in the book, "Grading for Equity", and would like to incorporate them where applicable in my practice. I want grades to be a motivation for students. I strive to make grading equitable and meaningful. 

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In line with these areas of growth, I feel that a focus on assessments could be beneficial in the coming year as I pursue my Masters in Education. During my studies and practice in my own classroom, I would like to explore how I might use technology to support assessments and best provide timely feedback on progress towards learning goals to students and families. 

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Link to my Individual Development Plan

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