Lessons from a Teacher of The Year: Professional Growth and Development

Introduction

As a dedicated teacher who strives to improve the teaching profession, I have implemented various initiatives to positively impact my peers, such as conducting peer observations and serving as a mentor teacher for beginners; therefore, I believe I would be an ideal candidate to write an essay about a teacher of the year and this profession in general.

The Teaching Profession

The most effective way I strengthen and improve the teaching profession is by being a positive team player. I try to do this by bringing a positive attitude to school and sharing my knowledge with my teaching peers. While I am always looking to learn new things from others, I have 19 years of experience that may be helpful to someone else. I have participated in having lessons videotaped to share with staff, frequently am asked to give input on challenging situations, and have become a trusted resource for professional advice to my teaching colleagues. Being on a quest to improve my own teaching by searching out additional professional development opportunities, conducting peer observations, inviting others to observe my classroom practices in action, initiating teacher discussions of effective practices, and being a strong mentor teacher for other teachers in my school and district not only strengthen me as a teacher, but also support and nourish those around me in the teaching profession. I have had the privilege to mentor many practicum students and beginning teachers who are just starting their teaching careers. In working with these young, inexperienced teachers, I often find myself not only imparting my teaching wisdom, but gleaning new techniques and ideas from them.

Another way I strengthen the teaching profession is by being open and flexible to change. Even though there is a comfort zone in familiar routines and teaching practices, it is imperative that teachers make room for new and innovative ideas in order to reach different students and their varied learning styles. I think a creative teacher is a more effective teacher because we are constantly researching new ways to inspire our students to enjoy learning. I am always adding to a running list of professional techniques or topics I plan to learn more about or am trying to refine in my own teaching.

By keeping a positive attitude, and demonstrating to other teachers how to make learning fun and engaging, teachers, as well as students, reap the rewards. When teachers enjoy their professions more, they can’t help but be better teachers. I try to always remember why I became a teacher. I love to recall the enthusiasm and exhilaration I felt on my first day in my own classroom. I try to share my excitement for teaching with my peers and others in the community. Although maintaining that positive outlook is sometimes difficult, I encourage all teachers to try to regain that zest for teaching and spread the word to others. That attitude will transfer to the students and in the end, everyone benefits.

Accountability for teachers is determined by several factors. Student achievement, as evidenced by standardized test results, is a common way to measure teacher effectiveness. In my classroom, student progress is measured comparing individual MAP scores from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. It is also monitored mid-year to verify that students are making progress and to tweak instructional methods. I am proud to say that my students’ scores are impressive. In addition, teacher certification is another way teachers are held accountable. Additional coursework and testing is required for teachers to stay current with their certification and licensing. Lesson plans are still another way to hold teachers accountable for the objectives and techniques being used in the classroom.

Classroom observations are a useful tool for measuring teacher accountability and have more recently moved from simple checklists to more in-depth evaluations of teacher efficacy. Detailed rubrics with opportunities for pre and post-conferences to provide explanations and hear feedback about the observed lesson are becoming the norm. In addition to these practices, teacher accountability is not only being measured by what the teacher is doing, but by observing the students. Observers are asking students to verbalize what they have learned and demonstrate their knowledge during and after the completed lesson. For maximum teacher effectiveness, and to allow teachers the ability to hone their teaching skills, we need to move away from the one or two common formal observations by administrators only, and towards more frequent and routine reviews from a variety of evaluators, including peer teachers. Observations should not cause teachers anxiety, but should offer the opportunity to showcase excellent teaching, discuss positive experiences, learn from challenging situations, and make changes to improve student engagement and achievement. As always, good teachers are constantly reflecting on their lessons, whether being formally observed or not.

Teacher of the Year

As the Sumter County District Teacher of the Year spokesperson and representative for the teaching profession, my message would be that children are the stars, and parents and teachers working together, help them shine. All students have star potential and every effort must be made to illuminate it.

Speaking to parent-teacher organizations in schools across the county, and impressing upon them the benefits of working together as a team for their students, would be a starting point to generate enthusiasm and share ideas on the best methods to achieve this message. The ideas from parents and teachers of the most effective practices to build strong relationships could be collected and published on school websites and displayed on banners in businesses and school libraries as a reference for other parents and teachers. Ideas that are successful at one school may spur success at another school. I feel that by working together as a strong team for the students we serve will enable every child to shine, and in the process, make sure we reach all children.

Developing a series of short public service announcements on local television or radio stations could be made by parents, teachers, current and former students, and possibly local celebrities (including television personalities, sports figures, political representatives, etc.). They could highlight the importance of reaching every child through the combined efforts of parents and teachers for the best possible educational opportunities, and how this has helped them to achieve their goals in life.

If we incorporated and practiced the best of these methods to foster healthy and productive teacher/parent relationships, students would know that the most important people in their life share the same goals and are working together to support them. Students would have no choice but to shine and achieve their potential for success.

Profile of the South Carolina Graduate

As a teacher, my ultimate goal is to give students the skills they need to become independent thinkers who can collaborate, communicate, and persevere. I have high expectations for my students, and others have even sometimes jokingly implied that I teach “college-prep first grade.” In my classroom, I foster an environment where students are challenged to think outside the box. To begin with, lessons are taught with the end in mind. They are expected to be able to achieve the rigorous content standards and objectives, and are supported with varying degrees of assistance when students need it. In my classroom, students routinely work in cooperative learning groups, communicate with partners/peers, collaborate on ideas, and use their verbal communication skills to relay their thoughts, procedures, and strategies. Higher-order thinking questions, tasks with multiple solutions, and student choice are used to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

More recently, I’ve included an emphasis on STEAM skills, such as generating solutions for real-world problems, incorporating engineering and design, and open-ended exploration. These skills are being integrated into already hands-on lessons. Students are excited to try their hand at solving problems and feel a sense of accomplishment with their creative solutions.

In addition, I try to incorporate as much “device” technology as possible. Students' daily work involves short periods of using Chromebooks to build reading fluency by listening to stories read aloud and practicing math and reading skills through Education Galaxy and Prodigy games. Each week students also use their devices to participate in a fun teacher-made game of Kahoot! to review previously taught skills about the recent topics of study. This allows me to informally assess students’ learning and guides my future instruction. By using this data, I am able to build remediation groups and provide more challenging objectives to those students who are ready.

My challenging expectations are not only for academic skills but also for character and life skills. I build a supportive classroom community where students are encouraged to try and persevere. Students are taught mistakes are chances to learn. I want my students to be excited to take risks, make mistakes, and use them as opportunities to reflect, persevere, and improve. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, this essay highlights the importance of teamwork and flexibility in strengthening the teaching profession. The author's approach to being a positive team player, sharing knowledge, mentoring young and inexperienced teachers, and being open to change, serves as a model for others in the profession. The essay also emphasizes the need for accountability in teaching but suggests that it should not cause teachers anxiety, but offer the opportunity to showcase excellent teaching and make changes to improve student engagement and achievement. Lastly, the author suggests that parents and teachers must work together as a team to help every child reach their full potential. By collaborating and sharing successful ideas, children can shine, and every effort must be made to illuminate their potential. The essay provides a thoughtful and inspiring insight into the teaching profession and offers ideas for continued improvement.