TEACHER INTERVIEW PROJECT

Teacher Interview Project

Jessica Stringer

Ivy Tech Community College

TEACHER INTERVIEW PROJECT

INTASC Standards, Description, and Rationale

Standard #1: The teacher understands how learners grow and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas, and designs and implements developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences. Description: In this paper I will convey the opinions of two teachers I interviewed to help gain a better understanding of what it means to be a teacher. I will explore different aspects of the profession in order to grasp the concept of what teaching requires. My task was to interview two teachers and discus with them some of their biggest like and dislikes about teaching. Rationale: I have chosen Standard #1 because I feel that it relates universally with all of the topics discussed in this paper. I asked many questions referring to many different aspects and this standard best applies to all of the topics discussed.

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Introduction My initial thoughts of becoming a teacher are that it will be exciting, fun, rewarding, and easy to do. Over the past few weeks I have learned a great deal about what it really means to be a teacher. Sure the profession can be exciting and rewarding, but the notion of it being easy in a myth. There is so much that teachers must do to be successful in the classroom and throughout their teaching career. One must try to remember that there is not one definition of what it is to be a good or successful teacher. Everyone has their own idea of what it means to be a good teacher and it can only be deciding by the students. Throughout this paper I will explore many aspects of teaching and convey the opinions of two present-day teacher I had the privilege of interviewing. I will dive into my own personal opinions on some issues facing teachers today in relation to the responses given by the teachers I interviewed. A Look to High School Teaching My first interviewee was Ms. Carrie Wesolowski. She is a current 11th grade English teacher and special education teacher at Warren Central High School. To elaborate, in her English class she works with a co-teacher to maximize the potential for learning. She acts more as a mentor to the other teacher but works on lesson plans and spends time in the classroom every day. Ms. Wesolowski (lets shorten this to Carrie for the rest of the paper) also works with students who have fallen far behind but still want to graduate on time. These students work individually in a project lab classroom and make up missed credits and prepare for tests. They work on a range of subjects and Carrie assists them when needed. She is a very experienced and skilled teacher having been teaching for a little over 20 years. She has taught elementary, middle,

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high school over her career. She says that high school is her favorite placement and doesnt plan on teaching anywhere else. Teacher Traits Carrie allowed me to sit in on one of her project lab classes, which only consisted of about 10 students. Mostly they were all working individually at their designated stations so it was a very relaxed environment when I came into the room. I sat down with Carrie and we casually talked back and forth throughout the entire interview. I see how students are drawn to her because she really knows how to communicate with people. We first discussed her philosophy on teaching and what it means to be an effective teacher. The most important traits a teacher should have, according to Carrie, are patience, compassion, a good work drive, good self-management/time-management, and a love for children. She expressed a great deal on having patience with the students because everyone learns at their own pace and have different ways of absorbing information. It is key to let the students know that they are supported in their learning endeavors. Closely matching my own philosophy of teaching, Carrie believes in challenging your students to work through the problems and material their own. You can allow the student to learn a lot about themselves and how they learn by doing so. In order to prepare them for higher education and dealing with real life situations you must try to guide them into exploring the material in their own. Carrie puts great emphasis on making a connection in and out of the classroom with her students. She stated, You must figure out what goes on outside of the classroom so you can help them inside the classroom. By showing the students that you care about their lives and provide them with an outlet free form judgment you cross that barrier of teacher and earn their trust. She truly listens to her students and makes them feel special, which can mean the world to the students knowing someone cares. I agree 100% with the way Carrie

TEACHER INTERVIEW PROJECT carries herself as a teacher. The students in her class think so highly of her and come to her with any problem they have about school or otherwise. This is something I wish to mimic in my classroom in the future. Classroom Planning Next we moved on to how Carrie plans her time in the classroom and some of the pros and cons of state standards in the curriculum. Since she co-teaches a few of her classes she says she doesnt do much in regards to her English courses. Mainly that is done by the other teacher and a lot of the lesson are preset by the state, but she does assist at times. To be effective in the classroom while still following the curriculum provided they use very creative techniques. For

example, Carrie and her co-teacher while covering poetry took popular rap songs and broke them down to teach about stanzas and ABA format. I thought this was such a great way to make the lesson and material relatable to the students. When you so something like that you engage the students to be involved in the lesson plan and help to optimize learning. Carrie told me that their lesson plans follow almost exactly the guidelines and standards set for them by the state so it leaves no room for them to plan lesson just for fun. This is the reason they like to make the lesson plans they are required to teach fun and engaging. They have to teach the same curriculum every year so it tends to become a little mundane. As for Carries project lab classes, she plan IEPs (individual education plans) for those students. These are mapped out lesson plans for the entire school year of everything the student must accomplish in the year to be eligible for graduation. These also must include a lot of state guidelines on what should be in the IEPs so it can be a large document. Carrie, after covering the name of the student, showed me one of her students IEPs and it was about a 20 page packet. So she spends a lot of her time outside of the classroom working on those for each of her students. Warren Central doesnt use ISTEP, instead

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they have ECAs. These are End of Course Assessments and students must pass these in order to graduate. They have to pass English 10 and Algebra 1, along with regular school credits to receive diploma. Starting in the 10th grade the students have two chances a year to pass this exam, so 6 total attempts. Again this is another thing that prohibits the freedom for teachers to teach lesson just for fun because they only have time to cover what will be on the ECAs. She expressed a dislike for the fact that they are really only preparing the students for standardized tests the whole year. However, Carrie said that it is a good idea to hole students accountable to show their knowledge on the things they have been taught. I personally am against all of the state mandated common core curriculum because there is more to learning besides taking tests. Sure we need to hold students responsible for the things they have learned thus far, but there doesnt need to be so much that goes into it. The states should test the students on the major principles and leave room for the teachers to actually teach. I think it would be difficult to create and develop a teaching style when what you must teach has been planned for you already. In the bigger picture, students are not going to remember the information teachers fed to them in class. They will remember the memories and connections with other students and teachers they made. I believe true and deep learning doesnt happen until students reach college and get to play a role in their curriculum. Success, Excitement, and Professional Development I asked Carrie how she measures success in the classroom. She fumbled with her answer a minute trying to think of what she wanted to say on the matter. In the end, she thinks success is when the students can work efficiently and independently. When the students can get it right on their own and work individually then they are making progress in steps of becoming successful. Also, when the students test scores spike from one test to another this is a good measure of

TEACHER INTERVIEW PROJECT things beginning to click for the students. In those two ways Carrie determines what success embodies. When the students do finally get to the point of working independently and start taking personal responsibility can be an exciting moment, for both student and teacher. Carrie

believes that the most exciting part of teaching is when the student graduates. To be a part of that process and have a hand in their success is the most rewarding part of teaching. It is amazing when you see the students build self-confidence and accomplish goals. These are Carries favorite parts of teaching. She says they make it worthwhile. In order to continue to make an impact on the students, teachers must annually attend workshops and classes to continue their education. These vary by school and state you live in but for Carrie she is required to complete 90 hours or 9 credits in workshops. She has until her teaching license expires to complete the hours, which is a 5 to 7 year period. She says its important to keep track of and log all hours completed because it is required to renew your teaching license. Along with attending workshops, Carrie reevaluates her personal teaching style almost daily. According to her, she must adapt her teaching methods sometimes daily depending on the students and needs of the day. Sometimes the school day can be very demanding or high stressed, so she must change the way she approached and handles students and situations. Carrie must have a magical bag of tips and tricks on how to be a great teacher. I feel that I can learn a lot from her but our interview is coming to an end at this point. Final Words When our interview come to the end I asked Carrie what words of advice she would give to future teachers. She again hesitated to answer, taking a moment to think of what she wanted to say. When she had taken her moment to think, all she said was, Have fun and love it. Not the response I was expecting but I love her simplicity. Sometimes less is more, and in this case it

TEACHER INTERVIEW PROJECT applies. Dont overthink it, just love going to work every day and have a sense of humor. If you hate going into work then the students will know and it will affect the entire classroom environment. Also, patience is key. After interviewing Carrie I feel a lot better about my choice to become a teacher. I was a little nervous to get into teaching because I struggle myself with

school but she has given me hope that your teaching will go beyond the classroom walls and you have the chance to impact the lives of young adults. That to me, is one of the things I look forward to the most about teaching.