Log of Professional Meetings Attended
Note to parents
Course post-reflection
for Adapations for Exceptional Student Populations
Reflection from Student Teaching
Culture Kit on Egypt
Meritorious New Teacher Pre-Candidate Certificate

Professional disposition is an important aspect of any career field. It is an essential characteristic for teachers to display and I have had a multitude of opportunities during my student teaching that have allowed me to develop into a professional. First of all, I demonstrated professional demeanor daily by arriving early to the school and dressing professionally. Next, I participated in a variety of school functions that allowed me to develop as a professional. By attending weekly staff meetings, end of the grading period parent-teacher conferences, child study meetings, and IEP meetings, as well as setting up various observations with other staff members I have developed my professional demeanor. The log of my professional experiences tracks the meetings that I attended throughout my experience as a student teacher.

Every Wednesday morning, staff members meet in committee groups, as a grade level, or as an entire staff for various staff development meetings or programs. These meetings allow teachers to share their ideas, teach others about new technology or teaching methods, plan special get togethers, plan academic unit, and discuss particular aspects of the curriculum or profession. I was welcomed into the classroom by Mrs. Florence and met daily with the first grade team during lunchtime and planning periods. It was amazing to see how the team works together to plan units of study and shares creative ideas for activities.

Additionally, I have had the opportunity to join my cooperating teacher during multiple parent-teacher conferences to discuss student progress. Finally, I sat in on two Child Study meetings and an IEP meeting with administrators, special educators, teachers, and interpreters. These meetings gave me insight into how the faculty works to support each other and how different teachers keep track of their student's progress through various documentations of behavioral and academic records.

Another way I developed my professionalism was through interactions with parents. On a daily basis, I am involved in conversations with parents in the lunch room, after school, and during their volunteer time in the classroom. One particular note that I sent home asked parents to send in a packet of seeds for our plant unit of study. The note was very effective, and we had a collection of seeds to use in the classroom.

Throughout my time in the School of Education, I have also developed my ability to actively reflect on my experiences through face to face meetings with my cooperating teacher, supervisor, and professors, and through written responses. I am constantly reflecting on lessons that I teach in the classroom and on material that I have learned in courses. This reflection from student teaching demonstrates my willingness to try new activities with my students. During professional development training we learned about different games to use as review strategies, and we were challenged to use it that week in our teaching. When I modeled and implemented the strategy, I was pleased to see how well the students did with the new activity.

I have also had ample opportunity to work collaboratively with other school education students and elementary school educators. Through various Curriculum and Instruction courses, I was encouraged to work in small groups to plan various lessons and units of study. One particular unit of study that involved a great deal of collaboration and interaction was the Culture Kit on Egypt, which developed both primary and intermediate lesson plans that focused on using artifacts in the classroom.

Finally, I have the potential to be a leader in the classroom.  I am a Meritorious New Teacher Pre-Candidate, and I am also a driven worker.  When Ms. Florek and I wanted to use real flowers for a lesson on plants, we spent time after school visiting various grocery stores and florists to request their dead plants.  It paid off to ask for their help, and we received over fifty beautiful flower stems to use with our students.