The TLI experience has helped me personally in so many ways. I have grown leaps and bounds when it comes to my personal effectiveness and understanding of how some adults take my passion. I have learned that what I am doing in the classroom and as a leader is needed and my passion is worth sharing. I learned this in the face to face meetings and the zoom meetings. When I would listen to others in the TLI program I realized that I am not alone. That is a powerful realization. I have always taught in a man’s world being an upper level math teacher. I have always had a great rapport with my students and other staff such as Administration, special Ed teachers and Counselors. The struggle has been the animosity with my male department mates. Most students love my teaching style and I have made huge connections with them. (See thank you notes from students)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fjRKgVMRG6USs1Cx5hyUSvStdRY4dA168whHmEaITXU/edit?usp=sharing]
I have learned that it is just as important to balance my role and duties as a teacher as a teacher leader. Before TLI I somewhat gave up what went on outside my classroom. I knew I was doing a great job and I was making connections with my students. Years prior I tried to pass on my passion and my teaching strategies but it was not welcomed by all. I know now that it was my personal deliver that caused some of the disconnect. Some people will never change but I had to change my delivery which led me to my second competency ---
Communication - Throughout my capstone work I have realized that communication was in the past my biggest obstacles. People either love me or hate me. I have always known this. I believed that I was teaching to the best of my ability and I let my personal frustrations of those who were not affect my communication. I went into meetings trying to tell my colleagues how what I was doing was so great. I was emerging because I would share my message to try and inspire others. Now that I have completed my capstone and the TLI experience I know I have to craft engaging and inspiring messages that cater to my audience. I have learned that for some of my audiences I have to adjust to their personalities. I believe I can effectively deliver messages to advance systemic change and differentiates the message in accordance to my audience. The evidence I have for this is not concrete it is observational. My vice principal and math colleague commented to me at the end of the year how much better my relationship was with one of my fellow dual credit teachers. Both commented on how far our relationship has grown this year.
In one of our PLC for College Algebra/Statistics this man visited with me the whole time he shared his conditional probability 21 activity. After we both taught the activity we discussed our outcomes. It was a small step but I believe it happened because I learned through this process I had to work for him to trust me. When I asked him if he could “help” me teach conditional probability in a different manner. I believe me asking him for help changed our professional relationship. Collaborate purposefully I have learned that sometimes to be a leader you have to appreciate and accept others for their differences in teaching styles. I shared his vision in a lesson so we could both have success. I really enjoyed the activity and even though he still hasn’t asked my for my activities but it is a start and I feel I gain some credibility.
Coaching and Mentoring will be the key to success for my peer tutoring plan. My growth in this TLI process has helped to establish trust and foster an environment where my colleagues will exchange their ideas and are not against my idea of the peer mentoring program. At the end of the year my staff agreed their is a need and even though some may not buy into the program they are not against it.
My next steps to continue to grow as a teacher leader is going to be focused on coaching and mentoring. My goal is to go beyond my district walls and help support new and up and coming math teachers around my state. I know my teaching techniques work ( I have 20 years of experience teaching upper and lower level math classes). I want to empower teachers around the state to go beyond their school walls and be leaders themselves. I think math teachers have a huge impact on whether or not their students are successful. I will teach again at the Summer Institute. I want to teach math teachers how to teach and I want to empower younger teachers to understand that standing and delivering teaching is dying and even though they were taught that way it is okay to grow as a teacher. This will help ALL students learn math
The most valuable part of the TLI process to me is the community of amazing teachers I got to meet and work with. I have gained confidence in who I am as an educator because of everyone I have encountered in the process. What I am doing in the math classroom is amazing. I always knew I had a great rapport with my students, but through this process I have learned my teaching techniques and ability to connect with my students is special and I need to share this with my State. Math teachers can make or break a student. I believe in my core that everyone can learn math they just might need to be taught in a different way that caters to their strengths. This is my specialty in my classroom. I am passionate about my craft and I would get frustrated that I was spending my time helping other teachers students because they would not help that student learn in the way they needed. My delivery of my passion and teaching methods caused a great deal of jealousy and animosity with some colleagues. Students and parents over the last 10 years have "teacher shopped" and transfer from other teachers classes after they failed. I have never failed a student that has attended my class. I work with students to find out WHY are they failing and those students have had success in my room. They gain confidence and they learn math. This process has allowed me to learned not everyone is like me. Not everyone can teach the way I teach but I can still try to share my passion. I learned so much about myself in this process as a leader. I acknowledge my shortcomings and I know I would have never done this with out the TLI process. This is just the beginning for me. I will do all I can to share my message that every person can learn math they just need the help and delivery that caters to their strengths. Math is 50% ability and 50% confidence. If I can help math teachers learn how to instill confidence in their students I will have had an amazing career.