Collaboration and working well with others has always been a big part of my life because of the sports that I have played from middle school to collegiate volleyball. You are expected to get along with your teammates on and off the court and in crucial times. This directly relates to the profession that I have chosen. In order to create a safe work environment for myself and others, I will be expected to uphold class and character through collaboration with colleagues, families, community members, and my students. The artifacts that chosen for this standard are direct indications of my ability to work well with others in professional settings.
In my Student Teaching placement I was able to be there during the week of parent/teacher conferences. My mentor teacher was very helpful in teaching me the forms and ways that she goes about the conferences to make them run smoothly. Together, my mentor and I reflected on the student's progress and behavior throughout the quarter by writing down our specific praises and places that the student's could improve. One thing that I specifically liked about this experience was that my mentor asked each student to come to the conference. Prior to the meeting each student reflected on a piece of paper about themselves. You can see an example of the sheet below. By doing this I believe that the student's took accountability for their actions and practiced self-reflection and honesty. This was an eye opening experience to me. I was able to understand certain behaviors that were coming from the students by talking with their parents. It was also nice to sit down and get on the same page as the parents so that we could decide how to meet the student's specific needs at home and at school. This correlates to Standard 9 because I was able to participate in collaboration with my mentor in reflecting about each student, with my students' parents to better help each one of them, and with the students' in reflecting about their actions and effort in the classroom on a day to day basis.
This is a case study of a student that I had the opportunity to work with at University of Utah Reading Clinic over a summer. It is a clinic for struggling readers ages 6-18. I worked with two students separately, 5 days a week for an hour, teaching them how to read. Through this I had to collaborate with colleges to create the most appropriate interventions with my students and I also had to work with my students everyday to get them motivated and ready to learn.
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Here you will find a back to school letter that I have written to give to parents a hypothetical first day of school. You will see that I have included a little bit about me, my beliefs about a classroom, and my expectations. This letter directly correlates with Standard 9 because it shows that I am open-minded to the collaboration between parents/guardians and my students.
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