3.1.2 Self-Reflection on Teaching Abilities

Throughout my teaching and learning career I have had many opportunities to reflect on my own teaching. This school year concludes my tenth year teaching. I have been fortunate enough to teach at the same high school over the last ten years. I have enjoyed learning and growing along with my students. When I think back to my first year on the job, it is evident to me how far I have come. Teaching has so many facets that it would be impossible to gain the knowledge necessary to be a "perfect" teacher...especially as a first-year teacher. When I first exited college, I thought I was prepared to teach. I quickly learned that there were many things that college did not prepare me to deal with. I learned that experience is what creates a great teacher. As I continued my education, I had the opportunity to research and learn more about what it takes to be a successful teacher. I was able to take that learning and it apply it to the classroom. Two examples of my research can be found here and here.

Over the years I have had many evaluations on my teaching. Unfortunately, these evaluations were only in hard-copy form. I have kept these evaluations and have taken my supervising administrator's comments to heart and have worked tirelessly to improve my performance in the classroom.

I reflect daily on my work and make notations for the next year. I can usually pinpoint when something isn't working correctly or when something needs tweaking. I also take into account student grades and feedback when reflecting and making changes for the next time the material is taught. I regularly pull out a folder with an assignment that has a sticky note on it with changes or suggestions.....I think of it like a note to myself from the past! I also make notations in my lesson plans for changes that should be made the next time around for timing, pacing, sequence, etc. I actually enjoy this part of my professional growth because I know it makes me a better teacher. Below are some excerpts from one of my e-portfolios. I chose to include screen shots of these pages because they show my reflections on teaching.

My growth plans for the future include participating in professional development opportunities. I enjoy learning things that I can immediately take back to my classroom and start using. I am an instructor for professional learning and use my connections to network with others who can teach me. I love to learn and grow and I believe my current situation is a great opportunity for me to better myself.

Completing the Georgia Virtual Learning Open Teacher Training has been a learning experience I will never forget. I have never taken a course entirely devoted to online teaching. Therefore, the majority of work I completed for this course was new learning for me. It was invigorating and inspiring to learn about the many facets of online teaching and learning. I like what I see and I am excited about what the future may hold!