Professional Goals, Hopes and Dreams

At my work, there are always discussions regarding quality as professional colleagues and as teachers in the classroom. Currently, there has been a lot of talk about unity and working together with colleagues and the community to make a more supportive environment. My school is trying to revamp their behavior program and  implement strategies from the Ron Clark academy (2018). The Ron Clark academy aims to provide high quality education through "advanced rigor, engaging teaching methods, and a passionate climate and culture." At my school there is a lot of negativity amongst the staff, and many are not as engaged in education as they used to be. We are hoping to change the climate of our school to positivity, and create opportunities for enjoyment through learning so that both teachers and students will be excited to be there. We believe that the quality of our environment, teaching practices, and all relationships will improve if we attempt to make a change to the way we view education.

In addition to this opportunity for professional development that we have started to create, there are also opportunities within my county. They offer courses for learning about behavior techniques, technology, curriculum, and professionalism, to name a few. I have taken a few courses this year and have enjoyed learning from other teachers and getting ideas to bring back to my classroom. We are not required to go to any courses unless our principal specifies that we must. However, I choose to go to some on my own if I feel I need more clarification on a skill, such as guided reading groups. In Maryland, we are also required to earn a Master's degree or Master's equivalency before 10 years of getting our initial teaching certification. The thought behind this is to keep teacher's professional knowledge base up-to-date and demonstrate dedication to the field. 

My professional goals are to build relationships with families, create a culturally inclusive environment, and provide assistance to families living in poverty. Throughout our program I have learned a lot about these topics and decided that they would be important goals to try to accomplish. Building relationships with families are essential for creating a trusting and nurturing environment (Souto-Manning, 2010). When children see that their family feels confident in a learning environment, the children will be more willing to learn and explore. I think with building relationships one must also be culturally inclusive to acknowledge families of all backgrounds (Macrina, Hoover & Becker, 2009). Being culturally cognizant is necessary for the classroom so that children feel they are accepted and welcome. My last goal is to provide assistance to families living in poverty, because there is a large population of poverty-ridden children and families in Baltimore. Through the research I conducted earlier in the course, I realized how large of a homeless/low-income population there is and how there are many supports put in place for them. I hope to become more involved in local organizations and to help out the families living in poverty since I work with a lot of them. 

I feel that my professional challenges include balancing work and school at the same time. It has been very overwhelming at times, but knowing that I will have a larger knowledge base and feel more confident in the profession is worth the stress and time. My hope is to be more competent in the field as a result of my classes and experience in the classroom. Even this year I feel more confident with my skills than I did my first year of teaching, and I know this will continue to improve.

Reference

Macrina, M., Hoover, D., & Becker, C. (2009). The challenges of working with dual-language learners: Three perspectives: Supervisor, mentor, and teacher. Young Children, 64(2), 27–38.

Ron Clark Academy. (2018). Mission, vision, and values. http://www.ronclarkacademy.com/Mission-Vision-and-Values

Souto-Manning, M. (2010). Family involvement: Challenges to consider, strengths to build on. Young Children, 65(2), 82–88.