“Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.” -John Maxwell
Looking back on my four years of teaching that I have under my belt, it is clear that I have experienced a tremendous amount of growth. At the start of my career, I was an inexperienced first-year teacher that was more concerned with trying everything and anything rather than doing what was best for my students. Now as I am in the middle of my fifth year, I not only have more experience but also a much better understanding of what is best practice for my students. However, I still feel that I have an understanding and appreciation for the learning and growth that I will continue to experience as an educator. As I continue to evolve in my teaching practice, I have three specific areas that I aim to further my learning in. First, I plan on continuing my exploration into leadership roles. Second, I hope to learn more about project-based learning. Lastly, I hope to learn more about standards-based grading and put it into practice.
Back when I first started teaching, the idea of taking a leadership role terrified me. I remember going to my first few learning conferences and thinking how I could NEVER imagine myself in the role of a conference presenter. As a Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) graduate student, though, that all suddenly started to shift. During my second year of the program, we were given the task of becoming a conference presenter at the 2017 STEAM Lab at Waverly High School. Although it was not the most “perfect” presentation, I loved every minute of the experience. Having the opportunity to share an area of expertise and passion with others was one of the most thrilling and rewarding experiences I have had to this day- I was hooked. I feel that this was an experience for me that propelled me out of my comfort zone, which is in my opinion what we need as educators. I don’t want to just go through the motions every day in my classroom; I want to always be improving and challenging myself. For this reason, I hope to continue to explore leadership roles in education. I do not plan on going into administration, but I do see myself continuing to present at conferences and taking leadership opportunities within my district. As I continue to work on this goal, I will be using this article from the American Psychological Association to sharpen my public speaking skills.
In addition, another goal I have for myself is to further my understanding of project-based learning (PBL). I am incredibly passionate about 21st-century education, which in my opinion goes hand-in-hand with PBL. I have taught PBL units before, which have been successful, but I have always done so with units that have been planned by others. Where I would like to grow with PBL is within the instructional design- eventually, I would like to plan my own PBL units to use with my students. As I dive into the planning process, I feel that it will be beneficial to use these planning forms that I found from the Buck Institute for Education. Specifically, I will be using the Project Design Rubric and the Project Calendar.
Finally, I hope to implement standards-based grading in my classroom by fall 2019. When I joined Saline Area Schools last year, I began to learn about this individualized style of grading that is centered around student mastery. This year, I joined two professional learning groups with my colleagues to further our understanding of standards-based grading. My goal by the end of this summer is to be ready to implement standards-based grading in my classroom by the fall of 2019. To continue to further my understanding, I will be reading Rick Wormeli’s book Fair Isn’t Always Equal: Assessing & Grading in the Classroom.
To summarize, my goals for the future are the following: to further my exploration into leadership roles, to plan my own PBL units, and to implement standards-based grading in the fall of 2019. Each of these goals were selected with my own educational values in mind. As an educator, I truly believe in and value the learning experience and growth that teachers go through year after year. With my students, I strongly believe in providing them with 21st-century skills that are necessary for the future. All in all, I am very hopeful for my professional future.
Natalie D'Amico 