INTASC STANDARD #9

STANDARD #9 PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND ETHICAL PRACTICE

THE TEACHER ENGAGES IN ONGOING PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND USES EVIDENCE TO CONTINUALLY EVALUATE
HIS/HER PRACTICE, PARTICULARLY THE EFFECTS OF HIS/HER CHOICES AND ACTIONS ON OTHERS (LEARNERS,
FAMILIES, OTHER PROFESSIONALS, AND THE COMMUNITY), AND ADAPTS PRACTICE TO MEET THE NEEDS OF EACH
LEARNER.

NAME OF ARTIFACT: 6.2 TEACHER INTERVIEW PROJECT

RATIONALE: TO SHOW OUR UNDERSTANDING OF STANDARD #9, PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND ETHICAL PRACTICE,
WE CHOSE TWO VERY EXPERIENCED TEACHERS THAT COULD HELP US EVALUATE OUR METHODS OF TEACHING.
THESE INTERVIEWS ALLOWED US TO SEE HOW OTHER TEACHERS DIRECT THEIR CLASSROOMS IN A PROFESSIONAL
AND ETHICAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT.

DATE: 09/26/2014
COURSE: EDUC 101
BRIEF DESCRIPTION: FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT, WE INTERVIEWED TWO TEACHERS THAT GAVE US INSIGHT ON THE
REAL WORLD OF TEACHING. THESE INTERVIEWS WILL HELP US UTILIZE THE ADVICE GIVEN TO US IN OUR FUTURE
CLASSROOMS. IN THE INTERVIEWS WE RECEIVED FIRST HAND KNOWLEDGE FROM EXPERIENCED TEACHERS. WITHIN
THE INTERVIEWS WE DIVE DEEP INTO THE REASONING BEHIND TEACHING, FEELINGS TOWARDS TEACHING, AND
TOOLS USED TO HELP TEACH.

OUR INTERVIEWEES BACKGROUNDS

KERRI CARTER

DECIDED TO ENTER THE FIELD OF TEACHING BECAUSE SHE

REALLY LIKES BEING AROUND CHILDREN. SHE GREW UP
WATCHING THE CONNECTION THAT HER MOM MADE WITH
HER KINDERGARTNERS AND THE IMPACT SHE MADE ON
THEIR LIVES. SHE WANTED TO BE A PART OF DEVELOPING
CHILDREN INTO THE BEST THEY COULD BE.
25TH YEAR OF TEACHING.
TAUGHT 5TH GRADE, KINDERGARTEN, AND 1ST GRADE.

JOAN AHMAY

DECIDED TO ENTER THE FIELD OF TEACHING

BECAUSE SHE LOVED TO PLAY SCHOOL AT A
YOUNG AGE AND LOVED LEARNING

30TH YEAR OF TEACHING

TAUGHT 3RD GRADE, 1ST GRADE, READING

RECOVERY, AND BUILDING READING COACH

TWO OPINIONS ON EFFECTIVE TEACHING

CARTER

AN EFFECTIVE TEACHER IS ABLE TO GET THE MOST

OUT OF HER STUDENTS. SHE RECOGNIZES THE

DIFFERENT LEARNING STYLES AND ADJUSTS THE
DELIVERY AND STRATEGIES TO MEET ALL OF THE
DIVERSE NEEDS IN A CLASSROOM. AN EFFECTIVE
TEACHER BUILDS A RAPPORT WITH EACH STUDENT
AND PROVIDES EMOTIONAL AND ACADEMIC
SUPPORT TO ALL STUDENTS.

AHMAY

AN EFFECTIVE TEACHER IS WILLING TO ADAPT TO

CHANGES THROUGHOUT THEIR CAREER IN

EDUCATION. THEY ALSO HAVE TO BE VERY BIG IN
TEAMWORK(WITH STUDENTS AND STAFF) BIGGEST
RULE OF ALL IS LAUGH. LAUGH AT YOURSELF, LAUGH
AT THE PROBLEMS THAT COME YOUR WAY, AND
LAUGH AT THE DAILY STRESS THAT TEACHING PUTS
ON YOU.

PHILOSOPHIES, VALUES, AND BELIEFS

CARTER

THE TEACHING PROFESSION IS ONE OF THE MOST

REWARDING PROFESSIONS. UNFORTUNATELY, IT HAS
CHANGED OVER THE YEARS DUE TO LEGISLATION AND
DECISIONS MADE BY NON-EDUCATORS. THE FOCUS IS
SOLELY ON DATA NOW AND NOT ON INDIVIDUAL LEARNERS.
TIME AND MONEY ARE BEING SPENT ON TESTING CHILDREN
MORE THAN ON INTERVENTIONS AND PROGRAMS THAT
SUPPORT STUDENT LEARNING. ITS A SHAME THAT
TEACHERS ARE JUDGED ON TEST SCORES RATHER THAN THE
GROWTH SHOWN BY STUDENTS.

AHMAY

THE STATE HAS STARTED TO UNDERMINE

EDUCATION AND TREAT IT AS SOMETHING THAT

IS NOT A PROFESSION. BECAUSE OF THE STATES
ACTIONS TEACHERS ARE BEGINNING TO GET THE
MENTALITY THAT THEY ARE NOT IMPORTANT AND
STARTING TO FOCUS ON STATE REQUIREMENTS
MORE THAN THE CHILDREN THEMSELVES.

MOST IMPORTANT QUALITY IN THEIR EYES

CARTER

THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT QUALITY A GOOD

TEACHER POSSESSES IS COMPASSION
TOWARDS CHILDREN AND A GENUINE INTEREST
IN THEIR SUCCESS.

AHMAY

THE MOST IMPORTANT QUALITY IN A TEACHER IS

THE WILLINGNESS TO LEARN NEW THINGS.

HOURS SPENT WORKING ON PREP AND GRADING

CARTER

THE NUMBER OF HOURS THAT MRS. CARTER

SPENDS OUTSIDE OF THE WORK DAY IS

UNBELIEVABLE! ON AN AVERAGE, SHE SPENDS
APPROXIMATELY 10 HOURS EACH WEEKEND ON
PLANNING, PREPARING, AND GRADING. DURING
THE WEEK, SHE AVERAGES APPROXIMATELY 3
HOURS OF WORK EACH EVENING.

AHMAY

THE JOB NEVER STOPS FOR MRS. AHMAY. SHE

ARRIVES 2 HOURS EARLY EACH DAY TO SCHOOL
AND SPENDS HOURS WORKING AT HOME ON THE
WEEKENDS. PEOPLE THINK THE JOB STOPS ONCE
THEY LEAVE THE BUILDING BUT REALLY THATS
JUST WHEN IT BEGINS!

CLASSROOM AND TEACHING STRATEGIES

CARTER

AHMAY

A. SHE HAS HER STUDENTS ARRANGED IN TABLES/TEAMS. THE STUDENTS

ARE COLLABORATING THROUGHOUT EVERY DAY EITHER WITH A PARTNER
OR SMALL GROUP. SHE HAS HANDS-ON VISUALS ALL OVER THE ROOM FOR
REFERENCING AND SUPPORTING STUDENT LEARNING. HER ROOM HAS
TABLES FOR SMALL GROUPS, A LISTENING CENTER, A READING CENTER
(CHAIRS AND RUGS), AND PLENTY OF ACCESS TO TOOLS, BOOKS, AND
MANIPULATIVES.

A. SHE HAS SMALL GROUPS SET UP AROUND THE ROOM TO MAXIMIZE THE
LEARNING DEVELOPMENT BETWEEN EACH INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP. KIDS
WITH ATTENTION STRUGGLES ARE FACED FORWARD IN THE FRONT OF THE
CLASS THAT WAY THEY ARE NOT AS EASILY DISTRACTED BY THE OTHER
STUDENTS. SHE ALSO PLACES ESL STUDENTS NEXT TO THE STRONG
LEARNERS IN THE CLASS THAT WAY THE STUDENTS CAN TRY TO HELP ONE
ANOTHER.

B. CONSISTENCY, STRUCTURE, CLEAR EXPECTATIONS, AND MOTIVATIONAL

STRATEGIES ARE KEY TO MANAGING THE CLASSROOM EFFECTIVELY.
STUDENTS FEEL SAFE AND KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN THEY WALK
THROUGH THE DOOR EACH DAY.

C. WRITES HER LESSON PLANS IN A TOPA FORMAT: TOPIC, OBJECTIVE,

PROCEDURE, AND ASSESSMENT. FOLLOWS THE CURRICULUM PROVIDED BY
THE ADOPTED PUBLISHERS, WHILE MAKING SURE THE STATE STANDARDS
ARE ALL COVERED.

B. SHE USES BODY LANGUAGE AS A SIGN FOR STUDENTS TO BEHAVE AND

TO SHOW THAT SHE IS NOT HAPPY WITH THEIR ACTIONS. SHE
COMMUNICATES WITH PARENTS DAILY TO KEEP THEM INFORMED ON
THEIR CHILD. SHE IS NOT OPPOSED TO TIMEOUT AND ACTUALLY CALLS IT
CARPET SQUARE.

C. HER LESSON PLANS GO WEEK BY WEEK AND ARE VERY BUSY. SHE LISTS
OBJECTIVES AND STANDARDS ALONG THE BOTTOM AND USES TOPA. SHE
ALSO WRITES DOWN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE TO MAKE IT EASIER
THROUGHOUT THE WEEK

MOST EXCITING ASPECT OF TEACHING

CARTER

AHMAY

AN EXCITING ASPECT OF TEACHING IS WATCHING

THE MOST EXCITING ASPECT OF TEACHING IS

A CHILD GROW SOCIALLY AND ACADEMICALLY. IT

IS EXCITING AND REWARDING WHEN CHILDREN
HAVE AHA MOMENTS! IT IS ALSO EXCITING TO
CREATE EXPERIENCES FOR CHILDREN THAT THEY
WILL TREASURE AND/OR BE AFFECTED BY
FOREVER.

WHEN A STUDENT LEARNS TO READ BECAUSE

THAT IS AN ABILITY THAT THEY WILL USE FOR
THE REST OF THEIR LIVES AND YOU PLAYED A
HAND IN TEACHING THEM THAT KNOWLEDGE

HOW YOU KNOW YOU ARE SUCCESSFUL

CARTER

I KNOW THAT I AM SUCCESSFUL WHEN A CHILD

LIKES TO COME TO SCHOOL. I FEEL SUCCESSFUL
WHEN A CHILD HAS SHOWN GROWTH, BOTH
SOCIALLY AND ACADEMICALLY.

AHMAY

I KNOW THAT I AM SUCCESSFUL BY THE GAINS

OF MY STUDENTS

DIFFICULT
CHALLENGES
FOR
TEACHERS
CARTER
AHMAY
A DIFFICULT CHALLENGE FOR TEACHERS IS TO MEET
THE NEEDS OF ALL CHILDREN WITH LESS SUPPORT.
THE CHILDREN ARE COMING TO FIRST GRADE WITH
MORE DIVERSITY AND SPECIAL NEEDS, BUT THE
CLASS SIZES ARE NOT KEPT SMALL AND SUPPORT
STAFF HAS BEEN CUT. THE LACK OF TIME OFFERED
DURING THE SCHOOL DAY TO PREPARE, PLAN, AND
GRADE IS DEFINITELY ANOTHER CHALLENGE.

A DIFFICULT CHALLENGE FOR MOST TEACHERS ON

THE SOUTHSIDE OF INDIANAPOLIS IS THE EVER

GROWING POPULATION OF ESL, ENGLISH SECOND
LANGUAGE, STUDENTS. THE CHALLENGE LIES IN THE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STUDENT AND TEACHER
AND ALSO PARENTS AND TEACHER. MANY STUDENTS
CAN NOT COMMUNICATE WITH THEIR TEACHER DUE
TO THEIR LACK OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE KNOWLEDGE
AND IT IS EVEN HARDER TO COMMUNICATE WITH
PARENTS

TRAITS, QUALITIES, OR BEHAVIORS THAT WE POSSESS

KATRINA

WILLINGNESS TO LEARN
PASSION FOR HELPING IN THE GROWTH OF CHILDREN
ABLE TO ADAPT TO NEW SITUATIONS EASILY
OUTGOING
GOOD AT PREFORMING UNDER PRESSURE
CREATIVE
FULL OF ENERGY

SARA
LOVES KIDS AND WATCHING THEM GROW AS INDIVIDUALS
LOVE MEETING NEW PEOPLE
EAGER TO HAVE A LIFETIME OF LEARNING
TEAM PLAYER
GOOD COMMUNICATION
NURTURING

REFERENCES
MRS. CARTER

KERRI CARTER
DOUGLAS MACARTHUR ELEMENTARY
FIRST GRADE TEACHER
KLCARTER@PERRYSCHOOLS.ORG

MRS. AHMAY

JOAN AHMAY
WILLIAM HENRY BURKHART ELEMENTARY
FIRST GRADE TEACHER
JAHMAY@MSPDT.K12.IN.US