Context - Part II (4 questions): Connecting Self-Assessment to Your Context
How does awareness of your own biases, experiences of privilege, and personal values inform your chosen association project?
When I know of my own biases, experiences of privilege and personal values, I understand how to engage and connect with students and people who did not grow up the way I did and who might have different values and biases based on their own experiences. I have already started to understand how my student’s place value on things that I might not because of the way they live and their environment. I do not want to be ignorant of the situation they are in but I also do not want to use that as an excuse or a reason not to help them become life-long learners and achievers.
2. My competencies before starting TLI:
Overarching Competency #1: Interpersonal Effectiveness
I was at the developing stage with interpersonal effectiveness. I communicated with my peers and build their trust with different activities and events. I can improve on this, though. It is time for me to start leading discussions and facilitating more support systems for my peers.
Goal: Go from developing to performing. I want to build more relationships with staff and colleagues (bowling nights, videos for students, etc).
Overarching Competency #2: Group Processes
Before starting TLI, I was emerging. I actively engaged in learning groups and I understood how group processing contributes to leadership, and I valued and respected the contributions of all group members. However, I was not leading groups or taking charge.
Goal: Lead and facilitate meetings where staff and stakeholders from diverse backgrounds can gather to discuss solutions.
Goal: Go from emerging to developing. I want to learn how to better manage group conflicts and dynamics- I get very emotional.
Diversity-Equity-Cultural Competence: Collaborate Purposefully
I was at the emerging stage with collaborate purposefully. I chose this competency because with it, I can positively impact my school and community. I want to focus on involving students, parents, colleagues, and community members to create opportunities and activities that celebrate diverse cultures.
Goal: To support my colleagues, students, and community members in their ideas and goals to create a positive environment that acknowledges and celebrates diversity.
Goal: Go from emerging to developing. I want to work with IEFA to create meetings and situations we can collaborate on (ex. pow wows).
Association Competency: Organizing and Advocacy
I was at the developing stage with organizing and advocacy. I chose this competency because I want to collaborate with stakeholders to create solutions and to change policies.
Goal: Go from developing to performing. I want to better my relationships with community members and building staff.
3. Describe your work with diverse stakeholders, shared learning experiences, and how you anticipate your association mindset might evolve during the TLI process. With my subject and classroom location, I felt very isolated from other colleagues and school goings-on. When I asked other staff (especially those who teach in different buildings and even towns) if they felt this isolation, they admitted that they did. When I talked with parents and community members, they mentioned there is a lack of community within the district and this gets communicated with outside stakeholders. I saw a need to bring our district and community together. With my association mindset of "Organizing and Advocacy," I will search for and learn new ways to advocate and facilitate solutions for my district.
4. Describe how your awareness of those from different cultures, experiences, and backgrounds inform your chosen project. Teachers who feel isolated and undervalued, will not see themselves as part of a school community. There is a need to support staff and to facilitate activities and events to build our sense of community within the district.