In a Democratic Society
Standards Addressed:
No specific INTASC standards addressed, but this area should reflect a teacher's willingness to give back to the community and show the teacher's social responsibility to guide commitment to providing a democratic education.
Artifact 1 - Parent-Teacher Conferences
![Picture](/uploads/2/6/5/3/26539025/687653.jpg?328)
On February 25th, 2014 I attended parent-teacher conferences at my placement school. Although parents are not required to attend these conferences, the turnout was rather high for that night. Many parents, as well as their children, came to the conferences to discuss their child's behavior in class and grades. This was a great opportunity to see how parent-teacher conferences work as well as to really connect with the students and their parents on a different level. Below is an example of a progress report that was handed out to parents at conferences.
Artifact 2 - Math Tutoring
Before being a teacher assistant this semester, I had participated in a tutoring program for a couple of months at Hudsonville High School. This program was mostly aimed at helping students who have failed a class recover the credits they lost in a timely manner. This was done through a computer program called e2020 which guided students through a series of lessons at an accelerated pace in order to complete the course quickly. I also participated in the after school program at Hudsonville High School where students could come in and get help with any homework they had questions on. This was a valuable experience for me because it exposed me to students who were generally not very motivated to learn as well as taught me valuable skills for teaching students one-on-one.
Reflection
These two artifacts were placed in this folder because I believe they represent my own personal commitment to affecting students' lives even outside the walls of the classroom. Parent-teacher conferences were an event held after school hours and were an optional event to go to for both me, as a teacher assistant, and the parents of the children. I chose to go to these conferences to get a better feel for what I will be facing as a teacher when it comes time to go to parent-teacher conferences as well as to meet some of the parents of the students in my classes. At the conferences, I got to meet a lot of the parents and tell them how their students were doing in the classroom. This helped me get a glimpse into the personal lives of some of my students but also to get to know the parents on a more personal level. Building strong relationships is key in teaching and I believe by attending parent-teacher conferences, I did build some key relationships. Conferences really helped show the parents that I care, even if I am just a teacher assistant, and I am committed to bringing students the best quality education they can receive.
I placed tutoring in this folder because, not only did I gain professional skills that will help me become a better teacher, but also because I was working to give back to the students and the teachers at the school. These students were struggling to get all of their credits in to graduate on time and they really needed the math help. The school was also in dire need of someone to help the students get back on track and ready to graduate. I volunteered to tutor at Hudsonville because I wanted to get better at working with kids one-on-one but more importantly I wanted to help someone in need. The school and the students really needed the resources that I could provide, so I answered that calling in order to help the students. I gained made some great relationships with the students and the staff at that school in my short time and I believe I made an impact on the students' lives. I believe this artifact belongs in this folder because it shows my commitment as a teacher to better the lives of my students (or in this case the ones I was tutoring) and provide them a democratic education, to the best of my ability.
I placed tutoring in this folder because, not only did I gain professional skills that will help me become a better teacher, but also because I was working to give back to the students and the teachers at the school. These students were struggling to get all of their credits in to graduate on time and they really needed the math help. The school was also in dire need of someone to help the students get back on track and ready to graduate. I volunteered to tutor at Hudsonville because I wanted to get better at working with kids one-on-one but more importantly I wanted to help someone in need. The school and the students really needed the resources that I could provide, so I answered that calling in order to help the students. I gained made some great relationships with the students and the staff at that school in my short time and I believe I made an impact on the students' lives. I believe this artifact belongs in this folder because it shows my commitment as a teacher to better the lives of my students (or in this case the ones I was tutoring) and provide them a democratic education, to the best of my ability.