Standard #9: Professional Learning and Ethical Practice

The teacher engages in ongoing professional learning and uses evidence to continually evaluate his/her practice, particularly the effects of his/her choices and actions on others (learners, families, other professionals, and the community), and adapts practice to meet the needs of each learner.

Professional Development

After attending multiple events and conferences, I have developed in my understanding of professionalism, valuing self-care, elevating the need for justice in the classroom, and keeping students' trauma in mind in my instruction.

English II PLC

These are resources I created to serve the English II PLC at Hoover High School. In the seven weeks that I was at Hoover, I took initiative to productively contribute to our PLC. I found that the longer I was working with these teachers, and the longer I was teaching English, I was able to make my opinions on what we were planning and how we were adapting the curriculum clear. Many of my suggestions ended up sticking and actually affected resources that were provided to other sections of English II. I sometimes sensed that I cared a bit more about effectively preparing the students for their assessments rather than simply getting through the curriculum. Some of the other teachers had other preps to worry about, so this particular class wasn’t necessarily at the top of their priority lists. I think both of those perspectives are good and serve the process. Someone needs to be there to make sure that the timing stays on track, but there also has to be a voice that calls attention to the actual strategies that are being used to communicate the content. It was helpful to have a curriculum to pull from and a guide to keep assessments on track, but I could tell that each teacher still had freedom to adjust their strategies and exactly what was being done in their class on the day. I would say that I did a good job of taking the initiative to participate in the PLC—not just listening in, but actively having a role in some of the decision-making. I learned a lot about Hoover’s grading practices and administrative processes thanks to the PLC, and I am grateful for it.