Current Leadership
Ironically, throughout my own experiences as a student, I was always too shy and timid to jump into leadership roles. However, as I have grown professionally, I understand the significance of stepping up to lead. In a school setting, there are so many ways to get involved and be a leader. I truly believe students notice teachers who go the extra mile and it develops a foundation as to how they can be involved as well. In middle school, students are looking for a role model and as a teacher, that naturally comes with the territory. I was shocked at the amount of students who were willing to volunteer their time in order to help the school or promote a cause which goes to show the level of commitment already established with the students and community.
In my first year of teaching at Tonganoxie Middle School, I have taken on several leadership roles such as coaching and being a Student Council Representative which allowed me to get to know the students and staff by becoming a part of the community. When I was hired for the job, I knew I would be coaching 7th grade volleyball. This came natural to me as I had been coaching club volleyball for the past eight years and had a few positions at the high school level. Now that the first season of being a head coach is under my belt, I have figured out what works and some areas for growth. This year, I plan on having the players take on more leadership roles. Even though I am the coach, it is my job to foster leadership as well. One idea I have is to assign a different player each week to provide a motivational quote for the team and explain how it pertains to them. Although small, it is an activity that puts responsibility on the players and allows for reflection of what being on a "team" means. As opposed to the past year, I will individually know each of the incoming 7th grade volleyball players as I have already taught them. Already having a connection established will allow us to focus on the skills of volleyball instead of the relationship building. This year, my goal is to further develop the volleyball program in Tonganoxie by establishing a club volleyball team that runs through the winter. There is a high need in the community for an affordable program that can get students involved; I plan to start with two teams this year and hope to expand in the coming years.
In addition to coaching, during the summer, I was asked to be the 5th/6th Grade Student Council Representative. As I previously stated, I was never involved in groups that required public speaking or leadership of my peers. As a new teacher, I knew I had to step out of my comfort zone and try something new. While it's been a work in progress, I've had many teachers help along the way and we've implemented several activities for the students. A few of the student council activities organized during the school year ranged from fundraising/food drives to working the concession stands during games. We had a community service day where students volunteered at the nursing home and others did landscaping for the school. We organized daily activities for Teacher Appreciation Week to cap off the school year. Again, with a year under my belt, I've got even better ideas for next year!
As teachers and coaches, we must always be assessing ourselves in order to provide the best instruction for students. Within the school there are many leadership opportunities and I am excited to be a part of them in the future. For now, I am focused on improving my teaching, coaching, and ways to enhance student involvement at the school.
In my first year of teaching at Tonganoxie Middle School, I have taken on several leadership roles such as coaching and being a Student Council Representative which allowed me to get to know the students and staff by becoming a part of the community. When I was hired for the job, I knew I would be coaching 7th grade volleyball. This came natural to me as I had been coaching club volleyball for the past eight years and had a few positions at the high school level. Now that the first season of being a head coach is under my belt, I have figured out what works and some areas for growth. This year, I plan on having the players take on more leadership roles. Even though I am the coach, it is my job to foster leadership as well. One idea I have is to assign a different player each week to provide a motivational quote for the team and explain how it pertains to them. Although small, it is an activity that puts responsibility on the players and allows for reflection of what being on a "team" means. As opposed to the past year, I will individually know each of the incoming 7th grade volleyball players as I have already taught them. Already having a connection established will allow us to focus on the skills of volleyball instead of the relationship building. This year, my goal is to further develop the volleyball program in Tonganoxie by establishing a club volleyball team that runs through the winter. There is a high need in the community for an affordable program that can get students involved; I plan to start with two teams this year and hope to expand in the coming years.
In addition to coaching, during the summer, I was asked to be the 5th/6th Grade Student Council Representative. As I previously stated, I was never involved in groups that required public speaking or leadership of my peers. As a new teacher, I knew I had to step out of my comfort zone and try something new. While it's been a work in progress, I've had many teachers help along the way and we've implemented several activities for the students. A few of the student council activities organized during the school year ranged from fundraising/food drives to working the concession stands during games. We had a community service day where students volunteered at the nursing home and others did landscaping for the school. We organized daily activities for Teacher Appreciation Week to cap off the school year. Again, with a year under my belt, I've got even better ideas for next year!
As teachers and coaches, we must always be assessing ourselves in order to provide the best instruction for students. Within the school there are many leadership opportunities and I am excited to be a part of them in the future. For now, I am focused on improving my teaching, coaching, and ways to enhance student involvement at the school.
Past Leadership
During my student teaching experience in the 2011-2012 school year, I was a member of the Professional Development School located at Liberty Memorial Central Middle School (LMCMS). As soon as I heard about the PDS program, I knew I wanted to be involved in this unique experience that only a handful of students got to be a part of. Working as a team with fellow student teachers who were going through the same experiences meant that we would be able to collaborate, problem solve, and become better leaders within the classroom and school.
In addition to the student internship, the other key aspect of PDS was the action research. Since KU is known as a research institution, the program seemed even more fitting. In undergrad, education majors are focused on the pedagogy whereas this included a research piece. Within education, it seems there is always a new "best practice" related to curriculum, discipline, school culture, etc so finding an area to research was not an issue. Our year at LMCMS was particularly special because this was the transition year from junior high with grades 7-9 to middle schools with grades 6-8 in the Lawrence Public Schools. In order to ease the transition for students, a program called "advisory" was created that allowed students to have a homeroom that met daily in the mornings. As student teachers, we conducted action research to analyze the impact of advisory on the community of teachers, staff, and students at LMCMS.
This experience was beneficial in a multitude of ways. By interviewing and meeting with a variety of staff at the school, I was able to see the day-to-day life of a teacher, beyond what the intended goal of the action research was. It was interesting to see different viewpoints across the grade levels, from 6th to 8th grade. Although only a two year gap, the opinions of those teaching students entering middle school and those leaving middle school were vastly different (something I've picked up on in my current teaching experience also).
It was amazing to be a part of such a unique experience and I wish something similar could be conducted at my current school. At Tonganoxie Middle School we have MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports) which uses AIMSWEB data to categorize students into groups that determines their level of instruction necessary related to reading. There is definitely growth for some students, depending on what group they're in, but does it constitute 30 minutes of instructional time taken away for all students? Hopefully in the future I can be involved with the MTSS planning committee to learn the specifics of the program.
On the research section of the portfolio, you will find the Action Research presentation titled, "The Impact of Advisory on the Community of staff, teachers, and students at LMCMS." (click on link)
In addition to the student internship, the other key aspect of PDS was the action research. Since KU is known as a research institution, the program seemed even more fitting. In undergrad, education majors are focused on the pedagogy whereas this included a research piece. Within education, it seems there is always a new "best practice" related to curriculum, discipline, school culture, etc so finding an area to research was not an issue. Our year at LMCMS was particularly special because this was the transition year from junior high with grades 7-9 to middle schools with grades 6-8 in the Lawrence Public Schools. In order to ease the transition for students, a program called "advisory" was created that allowed students to have a homeroom that met daily in the mornings. As student teachers, we conducted action research to analyze the impact of advisory on the community of teachers, staff, and students at LMCMS.
This experience was beneficial in a multitude of ways. By interviewing and meeting with a variety of staff at the school, I was able to see the day-to-day life of a teacher, beyond what the intended goal of the action research was. It was interesting to see different viewpoints across the grade levels, from 6th to 8th grade. Although only a two year gap, the opinions of those teaching students entering middle school and those leaving middle school were vastly different (something I've picked up on in my current teaching experience also).
It was amazing to be a part of such a unique experience and I wish something similar could be conducted at my current school. At Tonganoxie Middle School we have MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports) which uses AIMSWEB data to categorize students into groups that determines their level of instruction necessary related to reading. There is definitely growth for some students, depending on what group they're in, but does it constitute 30 minutes of instructional time taken away for all students? Hopefully in the future I can be involved with the MTSS planning committee to learn the specifics of the program.
On the research section of the portfolio, you will find the Action Research presentation titled, "The Impact of Advisory on the Community of staff, teachers, and students at LMCMS." (click on link)