After reviewing the Teacher Quality Standard competencies and evaluating my personal experiences, I believe that I excel most at inclusivity, as my empathy allows me to connect and listen to my students’ needs. I am a sensitive person by nature. My sensitive and eager to please attitude forces me to become very aware of my actions and surroundings. Although this may be a downfall as it causes me to worry too much in some occasions, it is also an asset, because I am always considering the effect that my actions my evoke on my students’ learning and success. When I was creating the Coming of Age wall for my ELA 10-2 students, it was imperative that I represented each of my student’s cultural backgrounds. When I ask my students to create their name tags, some students have expressed their interests in group work, and some have expressed their interest in individual work. When I assign in-class group activities, I always make an announcement regarding individual work to come. This way I can assure my individual workers that I have not forgot about their needs. We learn about inclusivity and differentiated learning through theoretical lenses in school, but nothing beats the practical experience that we gain from being immersed within the classroom setting. However, that does not go without saying that my English Specialization II course and the Universal Design Framework (UDL) has definitely set a strong foundation for how I continue to apply diversity and inclusivity within an ELA classroom.
My field experience has taught me that I mustn’t be too hard on myself. I have learned that it is okay to make mistakes and that I don’t need to be perfect to be a perfect teacher to my students. I’ve learned from a critical friend that perfectionism is not a good model for students to partake in. Not only does seeking perfectionism create physically and mentally unhealthy habits, but the opportunity to learn comes from the lack of perfectionism.
My areas for future growth most definitely will have to include working on my personal wellness. During my Field III experience, I found myself cancelling my massage/acupuncture appointments and dinner dates with my husband because I was “too busy”. It is not a matter of lack of time management, it was simply because my mind set believed that if I had time for fun, I had time to continue planning. To rectify this issue, I have assigned my family and peers to become my stress triggers. Going forward, my family and peers will help remind me to live in the present when I begin planning too far in the future. Another area for improvement would most likely be technology. As an English Literature Major, I truly appreciate the feel of hard copy paper, so that I can mark it up, and customize it to my liking. This has obviously caused some complications for me as we live in an era where technology is emerging in every classroom setting. My Field III experience has provided me the opportunity to work outside my comfort zone as I found myself eliminating the use of paper and transitioning into being reliant over technology. The next direction I would like to take towards being technology reliant is framing classroom activities solely on the use of technology.
The focus of education is student centered learning. As an emerging educator, in order to achieve an environment that is safe, inclusive, diverse, and positive, I promise to remain engaged in as many professional learning opportunities as possible. I am fully aware that these professional learning environments will offer me the skills and practice necessary to create and maintain the environment that my students need to thrive.
