The competent teacher builds and maintains collaborative relationships to foster cognitive, linguistic, physical, and social and emotional development. This teacher works as a team member with professional colleagues, students, parents or guardians, and community members. 

This first artifact is a representation of participaing in parent-teacher confrences. This artifact demonstrates Illinois State Teaching Standard 8D, "understands the benefits, barriers, and techniques involved in parent and family collaborations;". This standard is addressed due to the fact that I strive to  create a mutual respect between myself and the guardians of the students. Having a respectful rapport is very helpful when it comes to communicating about the success of a student. To ensure that the best interests are at heart, it is important to collaborate with those who know the students best and also want nothing but the best for them and their success. Teaching also includes advocating and that will be a key role in success. 

This second artifact is representative of engagement in Professional Learning Commuinities hosted by the schools I have been placed in . In these community meetings, we as educators were able to address anything of concern and how to go about addressing those concerns in best practice. Having a community to be supported through, while also offering support yourself, is quite helpful when it comes to creating a school-wide community of encouragement, teamwork, and motivation.  According to Illinois Professional Teaching standard 8A "understands schools as organizations within the larger community context;" I have been successful at achieving this standard through my active participation and communication with the community that I was apart of.