4d. Participating in the Professional Community

• Relationships with colleagues
• Involvement in a culture of professional inquiry
• Service to the school
• Participation in school and district projects

The teacher’s relationships with colleagues are characterized by mutual support and cooperation, with the teacher taking initiative in assuming leadership among the faculty. The teacher takes a leadership role in promoting a culture of professional inquiry. The teacher volunteers to participate in school events and district projects, making a substantial contribution and assuming a leadership role in at least one aspect of school or district life.

As a young teacher, this component can be difficult because I am consistently looking to my mentors for advice, but there were several opportunities presented to me where I was able to volunteer my services. At Chartiers Valley, I helped to run a bi-weekly after-school tutoring program where we helped with homework and offered students a quite work space. I also was part of both the middle and high school in that district, so I was often able to bridge the gap between the two departments to better serve our students.

I also did some similar work at Hampton Middle School, where I worked with their after-school homework club. For flex day, an individualized professional development option, I chose to work with a cohort studying the Paideia Seminar (a form of Socratic Seminar) and was able to incorporate these ideas in my classes.