Introduction Letter to Parents/Guardians
This is my introduction letter that I wrote to the parents/guardians of my students at Elim Christian School. I begin by stating my name and that I am a student at Trinity Christian College, along with how special the Elim community is to me (my brother is a student there). Then, I briefly explain my beliefs about education and what my goals are as a teacher. Lastly, I thank their parents/guardians for reading my letter, wish them a wonderful day, and conclude with my signature.
IPTS Standard 9 states that "the competent teacher is an ethical and reflective practitioner who exhibits professionalism; provides leadership in the learning community; and advocates for students, parents or guardians, and the profession". My introduction letter meets Performance Indicator 9L, which is that "the competent teacher communicates with families, responds to concerns, and contributes to enhanced family participation in student education". Writing an introduction letter was a suggestion that I took from one of my education professors at Trinity, and my cooperating teacher suggested that I write one as well. Establishing strong communication with students and their families right from the beginning is extremely important for educators to do, and writing a letter to introduce yourself is one way a teacher can start this. I wanted to write this letter so that my students' parents/guardians were aware that I would be student teaching in their child's classroom, and so that they could get to know me a little bit.
I loved getting to write my introduction letter. I felt so much happiness and excitement even before I began writing it. The Elim community is one of the kindest I've ever come across, and writing my introduction letter made me feel even more at home than I already did there. I loved being able to acknowledge my students and their parents/guardians through my letter. I want them to know that I see them and value them for who they are. In addition to writing my introduction letter, I also had the opportunity to write notes home for some of the students I worked one-on-one with during the day, which I enjoyed because it allowed me to communicate with their families even more on a regular basis.
This is my 2nd video lesson reflection. I recorded a video of myself teaching a lesson about the difference between big and small for my students at Elim Christian School, and after viewing it, I wrote this reflection about it. I begin with a description of my classroom setting, and then I discuss the strengths I observed, followed by what I improved upon in my student teaching performance based on the video. I also discussed anything that I would change about the lesson, as well as what I've learned about myself throughout student teaching and the ways in which I've improved since my 1st video lesson.
My 2nd video lesson reflection meets Knowledge Indicator 9E, which is that "the competent teacher is cognizant of his or her emerging and developed leadership skills and the applicability of those skills within a variety of learning communities". Recording and watching myself teach this lesson allowed me to see the strengths that I possess as a teacher, as well as areas that I can improve upon. It is essential for teachers to regularly reflect upon their performance and conduct in the classroom so that they can grow in their learning. I thought carefully and considered multiple different aspects of my teaching while I was writing my reflection instead of solely focusing on just one aspect.
I loved watching my video lesson and taking time to reflect on my teaching. It was a huge confidence booster for me, as I realized that one of my greatest strengths is that I know how to create a truly safe, positive environment for students to learn in. This helped me to look at my areas of improvement in a positive light, and gave me the courage to believe that I can grow in those areas.