Reflection:
I firmly believe that interaction with the community and parents is critical to the success of the student. How effective I am as a teacher and becoming and integral part of the student’s life depends on how informed and involved the parents feel they are. The interaction that we have with the community is also important, not only for the socialization of our students, but to create an understanding for diversity and foster lifelong learners who want to stay in the towns that they grow up in. The more a student is invested in their community, the more likely they are to stay in that community as they grow older. Over the past several years there has been a growing sentiment that there is no future for the towns and cities which make-up central New York. My aim is to show students and parents alike that there can be a future for our schools and communities.
Evidence:
My interpersonal skills will help me a great deal when interacting with students, fellow teachers, administrators, parents, and various community members. I left the field of Architecture in hopes on inspiring and impacting the lives of our youth.
One of the first goals which I will have is creating a family friendly website for my students and parents to interact with to observe homework assignments, exemplars of good work, and review classroom news and notes which are important to keeping the lines of communication open. I will also be easily accessible through this site, with a forum for questions, access to my email address, and my phone number to allow parents and students to communicate with each other and myself to enhance their learning experience.
Experiences:
I have had various experiences which will greatly improve my chances of being involved in the community which I become a teacher in.
1. I have coached an 8th grade boy’s travel basketball team for the past two years in Fulton, NY. The past two years of coaching has allowed me to become a more effective communicator. I was able to assess my first year as a coach, and through discussions with parents of those players devise a plan for better communication for this past season. The results were overwhelmingly positive, and I feel that the parents respected me as a coach and a person much more because of the way I kept them involved with the process of scheduling practices, fundraising events, and tournaments.
2. Also, I spent a year as a first grade reading tutor at a Baldwinsville, NY elementary school. This allowed me to volunteer my time to the community in which I was working in, and learn something about how students learn best, and what ways I can be effective as a teacher.
3. Finally, I was a Resident Assistant for three years at the college which I received my bachelors degree at in Alfred, NY. This allowed me to devise and carry out plans for community involvement of my fellow peers, and utilize social events to promote interaction among multiple cultures of people.
