Standard 9 - Professionalism, Leadership, and Advocacy – 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.
This is an artifact that was submitted for the course ASPED420, Critical Issues in Special Education. My partner and I created an entire mock IEP based on a student from a case study. It includes every part of a true IEP from the students background, goals and objectives, and appropriate accommodations.
This artifact aligns with Standard 9 in multiple ways. For one, the standard states, "The competent teach is an ethical and reflective practitioner who exhibits professionalism." Ethics play a huge role in the Special Education setting, and I was able to get an idea of that while completing this assignment. My partner and I needed to create goals and objectives that were appropriate for the student, and be sure to put plans in place so that the student's needs were met. We needed to show our understanding of ethics while creating this IEP. This standard also states that the competent teacher will advocate for their students. Creating an appropriate IEP is a form of advocacy, because the teacher is displaying through the document and its data the struggles the student is encountering and how the team can ensure meaningful learning experiences for the child. The student's achievement connects directly to their IEP which is created and updated by the teacher and their Special Education team.
This was the most valuable assignment I completed during the program. Completing this IEP helped me to fully grasp the concept of these legal documents, as well as give me an opportunity to practice completing this document, for it will be one of my responsibilities as a teacher. I plan on referring to this artifact when I work on real IEPs in the future, and I feel that my experience creating this will help guide me when I begin my career.
Introduction Letter to Parents
This is a brief introduction letter that was sent home to the parents of my students during student teaching. It includes information about the program I am enrolled in, my background and experience in the field of education, and the duration in which I will be working with their children.
The standard states, "The competent teacher is an ethical and reflective practitioner who exhibits professionalism." I believe that sending this letter home to parents is display of professionalism. Providing some background information about myself can help parents feel at ease about the new person being introduced into their child's life. I wanted parents to see my transparency and feel that their children were being taught by someone with experience and respect for their role. It is essential to display professionalism when encountering parents. This can help to strengthen the line of communication and lead to a collaborative effort.
I plan to write an introduction to the parents of my students every year to show my professionalism and open the line of communication with families. I feel that writing some kind of introduction can start a positive relationship between teachers and families, which will inevitably lead to better communication and collaboration to benefit the student.