Professional

Development:

ARA Conference: 11/12-13/15

This conference was one of my favorite things we have done this semester. I really
loved hearing a variety of people speak about what they are most passionate about.
Not only was it exciting to hear the different speakers, but also it was encouraging to
see the other teachers around Alabama attending the conference. It gave me a
glimpse of hope that there are teachers who care and are ready to make a difference.
After attending this conference it made me want the whole state of Alabama to hear
what these speakers had to say. Although all of the speakers that I heard over the
two days were incredible, a few really resonated with me.
I stayed late to hear Ann Marie Corgill speak. She was so inspiring and what she had
to say was exactly what I needed to hear. She was funny, engaging, genuine, and
passionate. I left her session filled with excitement and a new outlook on my
thoughts on teaching. She cares so much about her students, maybe more than any
teacher I have ever heard. I hope to have that same love for kids when I have a
classroom of my own one-day. Through all the strategies we have learned this
semester, that is the most significant to me.
Lastly, Dr. Bices session was not only interesting to me but encouraging. Knowing
that we have someone like him as our state superintendent once again gave me
hope that change can and will happen. Change is happening. Sometimes it is so easy
to talk about changing things. We come up with great ideas but we never actually
see them through. One speaker said that teachers like to adopt, avoid, and then
abandon projects. The intentions are pure, but the execution of them rarely ever
happens. Hearing Dr. Bice speak about the changes being made now and that
continue to be done was something we all needed to hear. Sometimes its so easy to
get discouraged in the field that we are in. I feel that now and Im not even in the
classroom full time. Having leaders like these people at the ARA is what keeps us
going. I hope that this keep us motivated and that we remember that it is all for the
kids.

ARA Conference (Afternoon Session): 11/12/15

I had the opportunity to stay for the afternoon seminars for the ARA to hear one
more breakout session as well as Ann Marie Corgill, Alabama Teacher of the year,
speak. I am so glad that I stayed because the two sessions that I heard were two of
my favorites. The break out session that I went to was a Dyslexia simulation where
we were given some things to read and experiences what it might be like to be in the
shoes of a child who is Dyslexic. Until then, I had never really understood what

Dyslexia was or how it affected students the way that it does. I learned that it is not a
learning disability but rather a neurological issue. I didnt necessarily pity Dyslexic
students after this session but rather I felt motivated to want to make a difference in
those students lives by helping them and meeting their needs. The session was very
helpful and I hope to continue to learn more about how to support those students in
the classroom so that I am prepared to do so when I have my own students.
The last seminar that I got to hear was Ann Marie Corgills presentation. It was titled
Five Ways to Keep Kids at the Forefront of Our Teaching. This is what the whole
presentation was on, students. Her love and passion for kids was invigorating and it
light in me a passion for education that I really needed. She shared her experiences,
the good times and bad times, and ways that we as teachers can do our best to take
care of ourselves while still making sure that the goal is clearly before us. Hearing
her speak it made me want all of the teachers in Alabama and in the country to hear
what she had to say. I think that it is so easy for teachers to be empowered by what
she said and what all of the speakers said, but take no real initiative to make a
difference. I hope that her goal of keeping students at the forefront of our teachings
becomes the goal of all teachers and that we can work together to hold each other
accountable and help these students become life-long learners.

ELL Training: 11/10-11/15

This Seminar was very informative and helpful for me. Being at Trace Crossings this
semester, my schema of ESL students has grown. Although I have been exposed to
the fact that there are many ELL learners today, especially in the public school
systems, I have not understood how to effectively meet the needs of these students
on an instructional basis. This seminar taught me many things. One of the main
things that I learned is that teaching English learners is a process. It is ongoing and
every student develops and learns at a different rate. It is also acquired in four
different ways, some productive and some receptive. The four different ways to
acquire language are: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. I think that these are
important to know because they help guide teachers instructional focus as well as
target student learning. The speaker gave us many teacher tools to help scaffold
their learning and track their development. WIDA is one of the best resources that
she gave us. It provides rubrics, performance definitions, can do descriptions, and
other strategies that help teachers guide instruction for these students depending
on the level that they are on.
I also learned the high importance of academic language when working with ELL
students. This is the objective, the end goal, for students to understand and use
academic language. At this stage they would be considered a native speaker of that
language. There are two types of language, conversational and academic. I learned

that will ELL students we as teachers have to take the academic language and make
it conversational so that they understand it, but build them up so that eventually
they can understand the higher levels of that academic language. This seminar also
reiterated the fact that students learn best when teachers can connect to prior
knowledge and content. The same goes for all students. Teachers need to be so
intentional with how they teach their students as well as strategic. There are so
many incredible tools and strategies that are scientifically researched that prove to
help students learn and grow. I want to continue to learn how to most effectively
teach my students whether they are special education, ELL, or on track.


PLP Meetings: (4 Sessions)

I found these meetings to be somewhat informative. The teacher that I was with was
not very engaged nor enthusiastic about what she was teaching, so that made it
difficult to really enjoy the time. I felt as though I had to teach myself from the
material that she gave us. I thought that the information was very useful and would
have loved to get more insight on what its implications are in the classroom. I think
that it was cool that our instructor had been through the same block as us, so she
could relate to us and give us advice on how this information applied in some areas.
I am glad that we got the packet that we did, or else I do not feel as though this
would have been a very helpful professional development at all. I hope to continue
to learn more about how to interact with parents and staff over the course of the
next few semesters. Communication with others is key and I am always eager to
grow in that area.
Session 1: I had previously known my Myers Briggs personality, ESFJ, but this
session was very helpful in laying out the strengths and weaknesses of that
personality. After being in the classroom and communicating with students and
teachers I can see how these different traits play out in that setting. It is good to
recognize these and interact with others who have different personalities in this
setting in order to learn from them and ultimately know how to best interact with
parents. I learned that my personality type is the Provider and I found it interesting
that one of the top vocational choices was education for those with this personality
type. I hope to use this information, even about other personality types, to help me
interact with parents of my future students.
Session 2: This was helpful in learning how to convey bad news to a parent. I think
that this is so important to be intentional about because that parents child is usually
their prized possession meaning that they do not want someone telling them that
their child may have a possibility or is misbehaving badly. I think one of the biggest
take-aways I learned from this is to point out the most positive things about the

child before sharing the hard news. I also found it important to be factual. I tend to
be more passive and not very confrontational so this was good for me to recognize
that it is better to get straight to the point. This lesson helped knowing different
communication styles to be used depending on the type of parent and it also helped
me recognize tips for how to really listen to parents. Communication and listening
seem to be two very important factors in engaging with families as a teacher.
Session 3: I found this very interesting to look at the different parenting styles that
children may be coming from. I know that as a teacher it is going to be hard to work
with kids that come from a variety of parenting styles. This was helpful once again
to have all the different styles laid out. It allows me to look at discipline in the
classroom from a larger perspective, taking into account the differences of students
backgrounds and being able to cooperate and develop a plan for them all. I think
that this gives a realistic view that classroom management is no easy task but gives
helpful tools in knowing how to think intentionally about the students and where
their needs may be.
Session 4: This section was interesting for me. I dont really like being defined by a
certain personality type or teacher type, even if it is close to the personality and
traits that I have. In some ways its helpful and interesting, but this section is
different from the personality traits because it is talking about teaching styles. I
believe that one can acquire some of the skills or traits that dont fit into one specific
type. After reading and learning about the different teaching types I hope to be able
to encompass many different styles and not be defined or known as that one type of
teacher. I think that great teachers are most effective when they know their
students and teach accordingly. Again, a label should not put us in a box, but instead
should challenge us to look at the other positive aspects of the other styles and
adapt accordingly in order to become the best possible teacher.