Growth & Development

As I reflect on my CSTP results, I am glad that the top three shifted the way they did.

I was incredibly underprepared in the area of classroom management as I began this first year of teaching. This area became an area of strength as the year went on because I had to work so hard at it. By creating and maintaining an effective environment for students, I was able to promote student learning. I spoke to my Mentor Coach and various colleagues for feedback and help in this area. My class with the most difficult behaviors became my best behaved class. Positive reinforcements and setting clear expectations on a daily basis aided in this complete 180. I implemented a whole class behavior strategy (the class that earns 5 stars earn a fun Friday) and small group behavior strategy (leadership teams), so that not only was I upholding behavior standards, but students were holding their peers accountable as well.

My students like to ask., "Mrs. Maciel, who is your favorite student?" To which, I always respond, "I am, of course! I'm a student of life."

As I reflect on this past year, I know that I can improve on many areas. Planning instruction and designing learning experiences for all students is an area that I would like to continue improving upon. This year, I was able to set clear expectations for behavior in the classroom, but I struggled to always set clear expectations for assignments and readings. Even though, I knew what my ultimate goal was with a reading or assignment, I didn't always convey or explicitly state it for my students. This would cause confusion and students felt lost in assignments at times. I had to learn to slow down and state my learning objective and essential question for each lesson before I continued on. This is an area I would like to continue working at as I continue my teaching profession.