CONTEXT

Dr. Kate Eisele is presently in her 5th year as a teacher in Big Sky, MT, Lone Peak High School. This year she teaches 9^th grade biology, and three classes that are part of the International Baccalaureate diploma program (DP) including DP biology, Theory of Knowledge and Extended Essay. Dr. Eisele holds a Bachelor of Science in biology from Michigan Technological University and a doctorate in biology from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. She earned her teaching credential in 2008 from Sierra Nevada College.

Lone Peak High School is a unique, rural school in that it is in a community that is a national and international destination due to the presence of Big Sky Resort. Of the 110 or so high school students, 94% are white, and the other 6% are Hispanic or of two or more races. The school has many students from affluent families with strong educational backgrounds as well as students who are members of the growing immigrant community in Big Sky. A majority of the student body is high achieving and college bound. The student teacher ratio is about 9:1.

As a teacher, she has experience working in traditional classrooms as well as being an outdoor educator, trip leader, and outdoor education curriculum designer. This year she is mentoring her second student teacher in as many years. Dr. Eisele is broadly trained as an ecologist and has research experience in population, conservation, community, ecosystems, and global change biology. In her 11th year as a certified professional teacher, Dr. Eisele has been involved in working in upper elementary, middle and high school classrooms for more than fifteen years in both public and private schools. She is a highly motivated teacher and scientist who is committed to teaching and to the conservation of natural resources. Dr. Eisele believes that the greatest responsibility of scientists is to share their knowledge and enthusiasm for their “science” with as many people as possible. Doing this means making learning fun, safe, and “hands-on”.

Since starting TLI (see Artifact "A"-Capstone Approval Form"), Dr. Eisele has taken on a more active role in MFPE in the past year, though she has been a member since arriving in MT in 2016. She served as the primary teacher representative on the school’s COVID-19 Task Force from July 2020. through February 2021 She was recently elected the local chapter’s President.

Connecting Self-Assessment to Context

How does awareness of your own biases, experiences of privilege, and personal values inform your chosen Capstone Project?

I have to get out of my narrow classroom view and look at things from a broader perspective, that includes the viewpoints of all the stakeholders in the school. I’ve really focused on the employees here. It’s important not to just make assumptions about what it’s like to be a teacher or work in a school. A school is not just it’s teachers and administrators. At the beginning of TLI, I could barely navigate the Teacher Leadership Competency Handbook. I’m improving, but I would rank myself in the developing stage on that.

Overarching Competency #1: Reflective Practice, emerging

I have ranked myself as emerging in this category. This year I am finally starting to acknowledge myself as a teacher leader. Through the needs assessment process have used data and reflection to develop strategic plans for growth. I hope to work with colleagues to understand and engage in reflective practices through surveys and a mentorship program.

Overarching Competency #2: Communication, emerging

I have ranked myself as emerging because I have had to talk to lots of staff and listen to their feedback; conduct interviews, collect data and then implement a plan with that knowledge. (Artifact 1)

Foundational Competency: Diversity, Equity, and Cultural Competence, Emerging

I have to understand the existing school policies as well as the nature of problems before I can work towards things like innovative contractual policies.

Specific Leadership Pathway Competency selection: Association-Organizational Effectiveness: Leading with Vision, Emerging

I represented the association on the school's COVID-19 task force from July 2020-Februrary 2021. Based on that action, I was elected the new president of the local association. I am just learning how to identify how contracts and policies can create, sustain, or develop positive teaching and learning environments. (Artifact 2)

Connecting Assessment of Diverse Stakeholders to Your Context

I’ve already changed course in this TLI process. Originally I went with Instructional Leadership, but I changed to Association. This occurred in part to the needs assessment we had to do. It also happened because the district has a relatively negative perception of the association.

Educational Philosophy

July 2021

I deeply believe that effective teaching hinges on the teacher having a positive relationship with each student in their classroom. Just consider the movies, Dangerous Minds and Stand and Deliver. What made these real teachers’ classrooms film worthy? They embody teacher Rita Pierson’s powerful philosophy delivered in her 2013 TEDx talk: “Every child deserves a champion who never gives up on them, and insists they become the best they can possibly be.”

Like Rita Pierson, I too am a a multi-generational teacher. My father taught English and my mother, Biology. My maternal grandfather was a teacher and principal. My paternal grandmother was a former English teacher and her mother, my namesake, Susan Kate, was a teacher and principal in the 1920s and 1930s. My personal connection to teaching runs deep on both sides of my family. Together, they taught me to value the pursuit of knowledge in all its ways, shapes, and forms.

I share Pierson's her philosophy of connecting with my students on a “real, human, personal level.” My parents and grandparents were always doing things to champion their own students. My mom would go in early or stay late to read tests aloud to students who did not read very well. Both my parents gave rides to school and parental guidance to the neighbor girl who had a rough home life. My maternal grandmother taught English to two brothers, refugees from Vietnam, who were fostered by the local postmaster. The teenage boys would come over every week for English lessons, even during the summer. These role models have had a significant professional impact on me.

TLI has helped me expand my perspective on even this philosophy, which has remained fairly constant throughout my teaching career. This experience has taught me that being an effective teacher extends beyond great relationships just with students. It means having great relationships with as many people as possible in your district including classified staff, administrators, parents, and volunteers who spend time in your district.

From now on, I will strive to connect with each student, as well as each employee in my district, with the goal of creating both an exceptional learning and work environment . Fulfilling this philosophy hinges on my ability to build strong, personal connections with each individual and support them to work at the peak of excellence in all that they do.

March 2021

I deeply believe that effective teaching hinges on the teacher having a positive relationship with each student in their classroom. Just consider the movies, Dangerous Minds and Stand and Deliver. What made these real teachers’ classrooms film worthy? They embody teacher Rita Pierson’s powerful philosophy delivered in her 2013 TEDx talk: “Every child deserves a champion who never gives up on them, and insists they become the best they can possibly be.”

Like Rita Pierson, I too am a a multi-generational teacher. My father taught English and my mother, Biology. My maternal grandfather was a teacher and principal. My paternal grandmother was a former English teacher and her mother, my namesake, Susan Kate, was a teacher and principal in the 1920s and 1930s. My personal connection to teaching runs deep on both sides of my family. Together, they taught me to value the pursuit of knowledge in all its ways, shapes, and forms.

I share Pierson's her philosophy of connecting with my students on a “real, human, personal level.” My parents and grandparents were always doing things to champion their own students. My mom would go in early or stay late to read tests aloud to students who did not read very well. Both my parents gave rides to school and parental guidance to the neighbor girl who had a rough home life. After my siblings and I had moved out of the house, my provided a home and support for a young man who played basketball for my dad’s community college team for a year. My maternal grandmother continued to teach well into her 70s. As a child, I remember her teaching English to two brothers, refugees from Vietnam, who were fostered by the local postmaster. The teenage boys would come over every week for English lessons, even during the summer, and afterwards, they would teach us little kids different card games they knew from their time in refugee camps in Thailand. During the school year, she would drive into town to help elementary students practice reading. These role models have had a significant professional impact on me.

I strive to connect with each student, and for them to connect what their are learning to their own lives. From middle school science fair, to independent senior research projects, I love to guide students of all backgrounds and abilities in risk-taking through experiments. This is because I believe learning science should be fun, safe and “hands-on”. It allows me to share my passion and enthusiasm for the scientific endeavor. Fulfilling this philosophy hinges on my ability to build strong, personal connections with each student.

February 2021

I deeply believe that effective teaching hinges on the teacher having a positive relationship with each student in their classroom. Just consider the movies, Dangerous Minds and Stand and Deliver. What made these real teachers’ classrooms film worthy? They embody teacher Rita Pierson’s powerful philosophy delivered in her 2013 TEDx talk: “Every child deserves a champion who never gives up on them, and insists they become the best they can possibly be.”

Like Rita Pierson, I too am a a multi-generational teacher. My father taught English and my mother, Biology. My maternal grandfather was a teacher and principal. My paternal grandmother, Lucy Bradley was a former English teacher and an avid gardener, whose interest in plants helped spawn my own. Lucy's mother, my namesake, Susan Kate Booth, as well as her sister Irene, were both a college educated women in the 1920s and both of these women worked as teachers and principals in their lifetimes. Their grandfather, Enoch Robbins, a Civil War Veteran was also a teacher. My personal connection to teaching runs deep on both sides of my family. Together, they taught me to value the pursuit of knowledge in all its ways, shapes, and forms.

I share Pierson's her philosophy of connecting with my students on a “real, human, personal level.” My parents and grandparents were always doing things to champion their own students. My mom would go in early or stay late to read tests aloud to students who did not read very well. Both my parents gave rides to school and parental guidance to the neighbor girl who had a rough home life. After my siblings and I had moved out of the house, my provided a home and support for a young man who played basketball for my dad’s community college team for a year. My grandmother Lucy, continued to teach well into her 70s. As a child, I remember her teaching English to two brothers, refugees from Vietnam, who were fostered by the local postmaster. The teenage boys would come over every week for English lessons, even during the summer, and afterwards, they would teach us little kids different card games they knew from their time in refugee camps in Thailand. During the school year, she would drive into town to help elementary students practice reading. These role models have had a significant professional impact on me.

I strive to connect with each student, and for them to connect what their are learning to their own lives. From middle school science fair, to independent senior research projects, I love to guide students of all backgrounds and abilities in risk-taking through experiments. This is because I believe learning science should be fun, safe and “hands-on”. It allows me to share my passion and enthusiasm for the scientific endeavor. Fulfilling this philosophy hinges on my ability to build strong, personal connections with each student.