9. Professionalism, Leadership, and Advocacy

I wrote an introductory letter to my 3rd grade student's families. The names in these letters are not the real names of my students. I had not been in the classroom long, but I wanted to send a letter saying the good things I have seen the students doing in class. Through these letters, I "communicated to families" and informed them of the student accomplishments, to "enhance family participation in student education" (9L).  It is important to keep parents updated about what is going on in the classroom, I hope to send a weekly letter to help parents/guardians participate in their child's education. I learned that letters do not always have to be about misbehavior or missed work, telling the parents about the positives is important! 

This is a schedule from the Worth District's Institute Day. I highlighted the times and panels I would be going to as a Special Education Major. I keep this schedule with me to keep track of time.  During the event, I participated in "professional development, professional organizations, and learning communities" and I joined activities "to enhance personal growth and development" (9O). The main activity was logging into a randomized account on Fast Bridge and learning how to Progress Monitor through the website. Progress monitoring is important because it shows teachers how the student has reached a goal and if there needs to be changes to the goal or instructions. I learned that there is a lot that goes into Fast Bridge, and there are multiple steps to make sure that the information is accurate for each individual student.