Developing as a Professional Educator

Although much of the focus as a teacher is, rightly, on students and their performance, an effective teacher steps back often to reflect on his or her own performance in the classroom and identifies tangible areas of growth.

There are many ways to do this: whether it's post-it note reminders to your future self, engaging deeply in a Professional Learning Community, asking a colleague to watch you teach and provide feedback, or staying up-to-date with best practice in pedagogy in your content area, it is the responsibility of the educator to invest in their own professional development.

Below are a few ways that I invest in my development as an educator for the betterment of my teaching and benefit of my students:

Investing in resources for professional development

Continued learning is one of the many ways an educator can grow in their content area and pedagogy: attending conferences, subscribing to content-area pedagogy subscriptions, and engaging with online communities of educators are all ways to make this happen.

One way I invest in my continued learning as an educator is by maintaining an NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) membership and using the site for classroom resources as well as insight from other educators.

Taking notes for future instruction

When Teaching ______....pdf

A crucial part of developing as an educator is reflecting on what worked and what didn't, so that when the same lesson comes up in a year or two (or even later that day in a different period), it's better than it was the first time.

This file is a running document to which I add all of my realizations about how to teach different topics more effectively. This allows me to plan lessons that avoid the biggest confusions, frustrations, or simply poor uses of time common to a certain lesson or concept.

YD.pdf

Stepping up and stepping in

Part of the role of the educator in the school context is to be a guardian: to protect the mental and physical wellbeing of our students. Doing so can, at times, mean getting other people involved: students' counselors, parents, admin, campus security, or even child protective services.

Stepping into this role and stepping up when needed—even when it's uncomfortable or feels excessive—is a crucial piece of protecting students and maintaining the value of the educator role.

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