Context

Context- Part 1

I have been teaching at a rural school for14 years. The district includes grades PK-12, with over 1300 students total. On average, 35-45% of our student population receive free/reduced lunch. A majority of our students are white, with a very small number of African American, Native American and Hmong students. I have taught special education with 5th and 6th graders, a general 5th grade classroom and will be moving to 4th grade beginning in the 2020-2021 school year.

In addition to teaching, I have served as president and co-president of my local union, as well as serving on our contract negotiating committee.

I am in a position where I have many years experience and would like to look outside my classroom to support and develop the education field. My main concerns are teacher retention, lack of collaboration among staff and ensuring decisions are based on what is best for students, not individual teacher preference. In addition, I would like to use my experience and knowledge to encourage others to continue growing. (See Evidence A below)

Context- Part II

1. As an educator, it is important for me to be aware of my biases and personal values, as I know those impact how I view students and what I expect of them. My own educational background is one where I loved school and was able to attend school in the same district my entire K-12 education, with many of the same students. Because I loved school, and continue to love learning, it is difficult for me to truly understand when kids do not like school. While I know the many reasons a student may dislike school, I find I still sometimes respond more strongly to those students, who act out and are resistant to participating in their own learning.

In addition, as in every classroom everywhere, there are students who do not follow the rules and are disruptive. Being a good student myself, I do find myself more easily reacting to students who are disruptive and/or disrespectful, even if I understand why those behaviors occur. At the same time, I also truly believe that all students can meet high expectations with the right support. This is what has led me to my instructional project of looking to better define and address expected behaviors and the results of meeting or not meeting those expectations. There is inequity within our behavior expectation system, where some students become what we call "frequent flyers" and others continually fly under the radar, when both groups have exhibited very similar behaviors. However, there is a discrepancy in which students these behaviors are more tolerated from.

2. Overarching Competency #1- Reflective Practice; Emerging. I am continually searching for purposeful leadership opportunities by engaging in professional learning with other teacher leaders. For example, I am a member of our PK-5 MBI (Montana Behavior Initiative) committee, which is focused on best practice within our school, especially related to promoting positive student behavior.

Overarching Competency #2- Personal Effectiveness; Emerging. I am exploring opportunities for teacher leadership, while also accepting the possibility of limitations and diversity. I have investigated possible teacher leader roles that I could attain in the future, as well as identify and being aware of challenges that may impede the process. For example, I am signed up to participate in this TLI experience.

Diversity-Equity-Cultural Competence- Collaborate Purposefully; Developing. I do continually look to further my education, as well as participating in self-reflection and self-improvement. I have slowly begun working on my Master's degree and regularly seek out professional reading and resources I can utilize to improve myself.

In addition, I work to create a learning environment for my students where they can share about their own experiences and learn from each other about other values and ideas. One way this is done is to hold class meetings, which allows us to discuss more dificult topics. There are ground rules established for this activity and while some students talk more than others, everyone has the chance to be heard and to hear others in a safe space. Another way is through Weekend Stories, where everyone has a chance to share what they did over a weekend or break. Students are always eager to tell about their life outside of school and it allows students to learn about each other and discover they may have more in common with someone than they originally thought.

Instructional Competency- Coaching and Mentoring- Emerging. I truly value the importance of professional growth for myself, not only because I enjoy learning, but most importantly because it benefits the students. For example, by participating in TLI, I am working to develop beyond my current practice and hopefully help others do the same. I have also mentored college students moving toward their student teaching experience.

3. I believe that my mindset will evolve by allowing me to become even more aware of inequity within my school and how to influence positive change related to these inequities. Our school has limited diversity in terms of ethnicity. However, factors related to socioeconomic status, mental health and the number of parents/children in the home have significant influence on many or our students' lives.

4. Being aware of different cultural experiences and backgrounds allows me to recognize that all stakeholders will have a different idea about what is considered appropriate or tolerable behavior and/or what should be done about inappropriate behavior.

Evidence A: Notes from first face to face TLI meeting on some of my beliefs, ideas and goals related to my role in education.