Synthesis

As I am about to finish my masters, I think back to all of the growth I have made. Personally and academically I have expanded my knowledge of best practices, cultural and linguistic responsiveness, and attributes of a great leader.  I have seen this growth inside and outside of the classroom. Through my planning and instruction, as well in my day to day interactions with those around me, I feel that I have grown into a deeper understanding of individualism and Cultural Proficiency. 

I have changed as a teacher in the ways that I plan for curriculum, respond to behavior, and evaluate student success. When I am planning out units, lessons, assessments, and small group instruction, I now plan from the end. I look at where students need to be and then using a series of formative assessments and student interviews, I create a plan of action for each student to get to that point. I use differentiated instruction in the scaffolds that I provide and in the way that I deliver instruction.

One class in particular that impacted instructional delivery and assessment was my TE 468 class.  In this class, we learned about best practices in reading, writing, and word work as well as learned how to best differentiate instruction for English Language Learners, students with Individualized Education Plans IEPs),  students who needed extension, and general Tier 1 literacy instruction. In this course, I learned about the various aspects of balanced literacy and evidence based practices for each branch. As a result, I crafted a Tier 2 reading intervention plan for a previous student. I met with him multiple times to offer personalized and targeted reading comprehension strategies. I then compiled a full analysis of who he is as a learner and next steps for his reading and writing progress. In the day to day instruction, I learned more ways to formatively assess students. I also learned the importance of looking at how all components of literacy support one another. 

I have changed in how I work with colleagues in Professional Learning Communities and in various leadership cohorts. Through my favorite class of the entire MAED program, EAD 824, Leading Teacher Learning, I was asked to reflect on the different ways that I have received professional development and feedback as well as times I have intentionally collaborated with peers. Then, I learned about various protocols, best practices, structures, and styles for not only being a leader among peers, but also for leading various types of teacher meetings. Throughout my course I planned professional learning opportunities and wrote proposals to colleagues and administration about ways that we can improve communication and collaboration between teachers and administrators. 

​

As I move forward from my Masters, I want to find ways to incorporate all of my learning into the school that I am currently working at. I plan to do this by planning more effectively with my team. This year I have been writing agendas for all of our meetings and have practiced a variety of new protocols. I also plan to pursue my Administrative Certification in the next few years and will be sure to use all I have learned about giving feedback to support my work. 

​

Finally, I  have changed in how I view education as a system. While we generally see education as a teacher and his or her class, through the MAED program, I shifted into a more macro understanding of how the educational system works together. Specifically, I have learned how testing, funding, and curriculum creates achievement gaps among different populations of students. In EAD 822, The Racial Achievement Gap, I learned how our educational system is systematically biased. Many practices we use, such as testing and tracking students, as well as how we over identify students of Color as having disabilities, are founded in practices that were written to benefit the White majority. Those processes need to be examined and rewritten to benefit all students.