Growth and Development

Goals

The two main goals that I had set for myself this school year include:

  1. To work more with English Language Learners and to provide a more differentiated style of teaching to reach the needs of all the different learners in my classroom

  2. To build relationships with parents and families and maintain good forms of communication with them

How I did with these goals

  1. I feel that I was definitely able to make progress regarding the first goal because of the fact that I did have so many ELL students in my class. I was able to provide many different types of scaffolds in my lessons. I even had a designated ELD time for 30 minutes everyday in my classroom for my ELL students.

  2. For the second goal, I definitely feel that I was able to reach this goal. I was able to hold parent-teacher conferences with parents and families. The school district that I work in using a website called ParentSquare, which makes it very easy to get in contact and message parents and families. I used ParentSquare all year for direct messages to parents or I created posts of important information for all parents to see. I also feel that I was good at sending note home when needed.

CSTP Self Assessments

In regards to my initial self assessment and my final self assessment, I would say I that in the beginning I was more in the exploring and applying stages of most of the concepts. However, after all the hard work I have done in this past school year, I would say that I have grown more into the "integrating" stages of most of the concepts. I feel that I have learned how to do the research of what effect teaching looks like and how to integrate effective practices into my classroom.

Strengths, how I have changed, and what I'm most proud of

  • Strengths: One strength that I feel I have that has become important to me is time management. Through this journey, I have learned the importance of using my time wisely and getting the most important things done first. Another strength I feel that I have gained is my ability to create a classroom with structured routines and norms that my students can easily follow. I feel that my ability to create and maintain a safe and welcoming environment is also a strength.

  • How I have changed: Tying into the time management statement that I made, I feel that this strength was actually something I had to work at. Before starting my teaching career, I had a tendency to procrastinate. However, I learned very quickly that I needed to change that and to use my time wisely while at work. And so I did.

  • What I am most proud of: It seems simple, but what I am most proud of is how quickly I was able to get into my own little routine and not be overwhelmed. This career can get very hectic at times, but I am glad to have found my rhythm and routine.

Areas of Continuous Improvements

I do feel that I still have some areas of improvement. I want to be able to move more into the "innovating" stage of the concepts. To do this, I want to become more of the type of teacher who allows more opportunities for the students to be the main facilitators of their learning. I want them to be in more control of what will happen next. I also want to pursue more hands on kinds of projects to keep them more engaged, and to allow for them to be able to create more things inside the classroom with their own two hands.