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.
The world today is not as nice of a place as we all hope it is, such as having active shooters within our schools. Our students face the reality of knowing how crazy our world could be and needing someone to handle these situations when they arise. As we all hope that none of these situations become a reality, there are procedures in place that all teachers should be made aware of.
In my school, the teachers are given a list of procedures on a piece of paper that is posted on the board for students to read, and we can remind ourselves. I have gone over those procedures at least once a week to remind myself about the protocols I have to follow to keep my students safe. The artifact below is the sheet that is used in case of a fire, lockdown, and or .... This demonstrates indicator 9C, which states, "Understands emergency response procedures as required under the School Safety Drill Act [105 ILCS 128/1], including school safety and crisis intervention protocol, initial response actions (e.g., whether to stay in or evacuate a building), and first response to medical emergencies (e.g., first aid and life-saving techniques)." Being a teacher comes with the responsibility of keeping my students safe from the moment they walk into my classroom, they are my children who I would do anything to protect. It is my job to know when there is any type of emergency that arises within my classroom; I am ready to take action.
Apart from being aware of safety measures to take in situations in a school, it is also important to me to be active in participating in discussions. It allows me to be informed about changes wanted to be made to the district and can be active about voice. This demonstrates indicator 9O, which states, "Participates in professional development, professional organizations, and learning communities, and engages in peer coaching and mentoring activities to enhance personal growth and development." Engaging in these professional organizations helps me grow as a teacher about engage in conversations with other professionals who are trying to come up with ideas/new ways to keep out students safe.
Part of being a teacher means watching out for students who might have danger that is happening to them that could be coming from home or a different setting by adults. Being a mandated reporter is a must when working with students because children need someone to turn to in difficult situations, or do not understand what is going on.
The artifact below is my certificate of being a mandated reporter in case I have a situation in my class with a student who needs an extra hand. It is helpful to be aware of what I could do when there is a situation that arises and how I could handle this. This demonstrates indicator 9B, "Knows laws and rules (e.g., mandatory reporting, sexual misconduct, corporal punishment) as a foundation for the fair and just treatment of all students and their families in the classroom and school." Having me know what I can and cannot do as a mandated reporter will help me make the right choices to help a future student of mine.
Having this training will allow me to have an understanding of how to appropriately approach this situation with a student and how I can help. This demonstrates indicator 9I, which states," Models professional behavior that reflects honesty, integrity, personal responsibility, confidentiality, altruism and respect." Being able to know the protocols of being a mandated reporter will allow me to handle a situation with a student, and have knowledge of what is necessary for me to do in a professional matter.
ILMR-Certificate-2.pdfBeing a teacher means teaching about your subject, but watching out for students' well-being. Being observant when a student is not receiving the correct care and needs extra hands to help them out of a situation that is harmful to them.