TEACHER QUALITY STANDARD IV
Teachers demonstrate professionalism through ethical conduct, reflection, and leadership.
STANDARD IV: REFLECTION: Based on my student-teaching experiences, I have come to believe that demonstrating professionalism in teaching involves: maintaining confidentiality among coworkers, administration, and students, practicing ongoing emergent curriculum in which students determine their learning experience, and using my unique abilities and skills to centralize students and staff towards a common goal of life-long learning, innovation, research, passion, and joy. I strive to continue to demonstrate professionalism as it pertains to these values and beliefs throughout my teaching career for the benefit of my students, my staff, and myself.
ELEMENT A: Teachers demonstrate high standards for professional conduct.
SuperArt Reception - As a student-teacher, I demonstrated high standards for professionalism and conduct while supporting one of my students at their SuperArt reception. I attended the reception to support my student, PSD's art program, and student displays and installations. This student was chosen by my mentor teacher for their outstanding artistry and craftsmanship. Because of this, their artwork is displayed for an entire year in the district office.
ELEMENT B: Teachers link professional growth to their professional goals.
NAEA Photos - During my student-teaching experience, I also got the opportunity to present alongside my professor and peers at the National Art Education Conference in San Antonio, Texas. As a presenter at NAEA, I felt both honored and heard as I shared my teaching and learning experiences about an outdoor classroom project that I worked on with my peers the semester prior. It was such a beautiful opportunity to connect with other preservice teachers, current teachers, and professors in the field of art education. I felt like the audience was genuinely interested and intrigued by our presentation. It seemed that our ideas were nuanced, pedagogically sound, and relevant/impactful for all who attended. As an attendee at NAEA, I gained lots of insight into pedagogical strategies, culturally responsive teaching procedures, art-making processes, methods for sustaining art programs, and curricular content. Some of my favorite sessions regarded addressing gun violence through a visual arts lens, adapting/designing video games/controllers for all abilities, and developing a high-school art program that tunnels students into undergraduate studies. Overall, I really enjoyed all of my experiences at this convention because I encountered material and ideas from a diverse group of people that come from all over the United States. My knowledge as both an educator and an artist was expanded and strengthened. My future students will definitely benefit from the concepts that resonated with me from this experience.
ELEMENT C: Teachers respond to a complex, dynamic environment.
Mending/Fast Fashion Slides- While student-teaching at WMHS, I actually had to teach a middle school sewing class. Traditionally, sewing is housed within the field of Family and Consumer Sciences. But since there are connections between Sewing and Design, my mentor teacher also teaches this class. As someone who hadn't used a sewing machine since I was in middle school, I was intimidated by the content of this course but felt that it was my obligation as a teacher to respond to this challenge with determination and grace. After helping students sew and follow patterns for three weeks, I developed a unit that focused on the lifelong skill of mending and its importance in maintaining sustainability in the fashion industry. Through this experience, I learned that teachers must be willing to step outside of their comfort zones in order to ensure student success within a dynamic, everchanging environment.
ELEMENT D: Teachers demonstrate leadership in the school, the community, and the teaching profession.
Designs and Images District Art Show - During my student-teaching experience, I actually got the opportunity to install the district art show: Designs and Images at the Foothills Mall. Not only did I get to install all of the 2D and 3D artwork from all three of my student-teaching placements, but I got to hang and install artwork from nearly every school in the district. Installing community art shows demonstrates leadership in the schools, community, and teaching profession because it elevates the visual arts as a valuable and complex field that students can explore and succeed in. It is important to showcase student artists just as much as you would a student-athlete because these students have demonstrated tremendous tenacity, work ethic, innovation, and ongoing research.
