Standard1:Demonstratesabilitytoenhanceacademicperformanceandsupportfor

implementationoftheschooldistrict'sstudentachievementgoals.

Howdoyoudemonstratestudentlearningtofamilyandstaff?
Whatwaysdoyoucommunicatewithstudents,families,colleagues,and
communities?
IworkdiligentlytoupdatemygradesbyTuesdaynight.Ipostgrades,emailfamilies,
returnworkinatimelymanner,andsendoutinformationusingClassroomandRemind.Thefirst
twoweeksofschoolIsenthomeanotetoeverystudentsfamilytoletthemknowabout
somethingIenjoyedabouttheirchild.Thisallowedmetoopenalineofcommunicationthat
beganinapositivelight,andhelpedparentsfeelcomfortablecomingtospeakwithmeabout
concernstheymayhaveastheyearprogressed.
Ihavecreatedawikiandwebsitesfilledwithlinksandexplanationsofeachlink,fun
educationalgamestosupportskills,andvideosofexplanationsofwhatIexpectofthem.ThusI
amabletoprovideassistancetostudentsinanysubjectarea.Ihavepagesformath,socialskills,
science,specialeducation,reading,writing,andtechnology.Theinformationisallfreesources
thatwillallowanystudentwithinternettoaccessfromanycomputer.
IcommunicatepositivefeedbackandconcernsIhaveforstudentsviaemail,phone,and
inpersontoparents.Igiveaweeklygoodkidcallhometoatleastonetotwostudentsineach
classperiod.

 Howdoyouusestudentperformancedataasaguidefordecisionmaking?
IutilizeJamestownReadingbiweeklyreadingassessmentstoobtaindatatosupport
furtherlearningandareasofneededsupportforstudents.Iuseformativeassessmentstoguide
myfutureteachingandlessonsWheneditingessaysIchoosespecificareasIamlookinginthe
6+1traitsofwriting,andkeeparunningexcelspreadsheetforeachclassperiodthatliststhe
initialsofstudentswhoneedfurtherteachinginthearea.WhenIamfinisheditallowsmeto
plansmallorwholegroupinstructionbasedontheneedintheclassroom.

Howdoesyourclassroomculturesupportthelearningofeverystudent?
Howdoyouparticipateinandcontributetoaschoolculturethatfocuseson
improvedstudentlearning?
IalsodoFuzzyFridayeveryFridayinplaceofthedailyjournal.Thefuzziesarenotes
thestudentswritetooneanotherwithakindthoughtorupliftingmessage.Thiscreatedasense
ofcommunityineachclass.IusetheGradualReleaseofResponsibilityFrameworktoprovide
studentswithapurpose,model,wholegroupinteraction,smallgroupproductivework,and
independentactivitiesdaily.Iimplementresearchbasedstrategiesinmyclassroomdaily.These
includeRTI,SCR,andKUwritingstrategies.Icreateworkthatisdifferentiatedfortheneedsof
mystudentsthroughsmallgroup,wholegroupandindependentinstruction.Ialsoallowstudents
toreadliteraturetheyareinterestedinfortheirnovelselections.Reluctantneedtohavethe
opportunitytofindsomethingtheyareinterestedintogetthemtomakeconnectionsandfurther
theirsuccessintheareasofcomprehensionandfluency.

Standard2:Demonstratescompetenceincontentknowledgeappropriatetotheteaching
position.

Howdoesconnectingkeypointsinyourcontentareaincreasestudentlearning?
Connectionsarevitalintheworldofeducation.Studentswillbetterunderstandtheir
worldandthematerialiftheycanseetheconnections.Therefore,Istrivetomakethose
connectionsintheclassroomwithliteratureweread,discussionswehaveandmaterialswe
study.Forinstance,readingarticlesfromtheDesMoinesregister,creatingpollsanddiscussion
overcontroversialinformationhappeningaroundthem,allowsstudentstoseetheconnectionto
readingintheireverydaylivesandintheirowncommunity.
Howdoyouchoosecontentthatismeaningfulforallstudents?
Contentisselectedpurposefully.Ibelievegivingstudentsavarietyofliteraturetochoose
fromisimportant.Iwantthemtobeexposedtoavarietyofliteratureacrosscontentareas.I
believetoteachstudentsinEnglishyouhavetofocusoncreatingessentialquestionsthatwill
reallymakestudentsthinkandpushthemtogrow.Havinggreatessentialquestionsallowsfor
metoputindifferenttypesofliterature,andgivingstudentsachoiceinwhattheyread.For
instance,aunitonracefocusedontheessentialquestion,DoesRaceMatter?Thisunitallows
formultiplepiecesofliterature,novels,currenteventsandhistoricalcontenttobebroughtinto
theunit.Thediscussionarisesnaturallyandisnotforcedbecausethestudentshavesomechoice
inwhattheyarereadingandcantakeitfromtheirownperspectiveorangledependingonwhat
theychosetoread.

 Howdoyouconnectkeyconceptsinyourcontentareaandacrosscontentareas?
Throughtheuseofavarietyoftext,greatessentialquestionsandusingthe
UnderstandingByDesigntemplate
fromGrantWiggins,Iamabletoplaninawaythatallows
naturalconnectionsacrosscontent.Thekeyconceptsleadustowherewearegoingintheend.I
canonlydothisifIstartattheendfirst.Thisallowsformetothinkaboutstudentneeds,
differentiateandplanformisconceptionsaswell.Therefore,thekeyconceptstiebacktoother
units,andbuildtotheendoftheyear.
Howdoyouknowifyourinstructionalstrategiesareappropriate?
IworkreallyhardtogettoknowmystudentsnotjustinEnglish,butwholistically.This
allowsformetotapintotheirstrengthareas,establishrelationships,createacultureoflearning
andasafeenvironmentforeveryonetobewhotheyare.ThenIcanattacktheirareasof
weakness,challengethemandpushthemtohigherlevelsoflearning.Iknowifmystrategiesare
appropriatethroughalotofformalandinformalassessment.Daily,mystudentswrite,discuss
andread.Itaketimetolistentotheirconnections,understandingandassessifthelearningis
transferring.Iteachreadingandwritingskillsandstrategiestostudents,notliterature.Ibelieve
thattheyhavepearlsofwisdomintheirmindsIneedtoshine.Therefore,Icreatemany
opportunitiesthroughdiscussion(onlineandinclass),formativeassessments,closereadingand
metacognitivetasks.Thisallowsmetoseewhatscaffoldsareneededtohelpmystudentsnot
onlyperformwellonthesummativeassessment,buttransfertheirlearningtothenextlevel.


Standard3:Demonstratescompetenceinplanningandpreparingforinstruction

Howdoyouusestudentachievementdata,localstandardsandthedistrict
curriculuminplanningforinstruction?
Iutilizedata,IAAssessmentdata,givecomprehensiontestsperiodically,formativeand
summativeassessmentscores,and21stCenturySkillstoplaninstructionalmaterialforclass.I
makeuseoftestingdatatodifferentiateinstructiontomeettheexpectationsofthedistrict
curriculumandcommoncorestandards.Igaveoutreadingandwritingsurveysatthebeginning
oftheschoolyeartobetterunderstandthelikes,dislikes,strengthsandweaknessesofthe
students.AfterlearningaboutthestudentsIthencreateunitsandlessonsbasedontheselikes,
andneeds.Ialsodistributedifferentleveledreadingmaterialtogowiththesamethemeinaunit.
Howdoyousetandcommunicatehighexpectationsforsocial,behavioraland
academicsuccessofallstudents?
OneprincipleIfollowinmyclassroomis,Justgettingbyisnotanoption.Iexplained
tothestudentsatthebeginningoftheyearthatIamateacherofstudents.Iamnotjustan
Englishteacher.Iamtheretoeducateeachindividual.Therefore,Iexpecteachstudenttogrow
andimprovethroughouttheyear.IcommunicatetheonlyruleinmyclassroomisBeYourself.
ThenthestudentsandIcreateasocialcontract,whichwillsupportandalloweveryonetobewho
theyare.Weholdeachothertotheexpectationsset,andfollowtheconsequencestheycomeup
withasaclass.Werevisitthesesocialcontracts/normswhenIseeaneed,orafterbreaksandat

thestartofeachunit(every46weeks).Ialsomodeltheappropriatebehaviorinmyclassroom,
andsethighexpectationsforthecitizensinmyroom.
Howdoyoudeterminestudent'sindividualneeds,backgroundsandinterestsinplanning
forinstruction?
Igiveoutreadingandwritingsurveysatthebeginningoftheschoolyeartobetter
understandthelikes,dislikes,strengthsandweaknessesofthestudents.Afterlearningaboutthe
studentsIthencreateunitsandlessonsbasedontheselikes,andneeds.Ialsodistributedifferent
leveledreadingmaterialtogowiththesamethemeinaunit.Iutilizedatafromafewscreening
toolsIusetodeterminetheirskillareas,anddailyjournalstomonitortheirencoding,decoding
andwritingprocessskills.
Howdoyouuseavailableresourcesincludingtechnologies,inthedevelopmentand
sequencingofinstruction?
Iteachusingcurriculummapsthatalignwiththestandards,butteachinanontraditional
manner.Studentsarerequiredtodemonstratetheirknowledgeinvariousformats.Iuse
technologytoguidestudentsinproducingworkthatissuperiortoworktheyhavedoneinthe
past.

Iusetechnologyasagreatsourcetokeeporganized,andtohelpstudentsbeorganized.I
useWeb2.0tools,Edmodo,GoogleClassroom,Twitter,Today'sMeet,Blogsandfreewebto
expandaloveofreading,developstrongwriters,sparkinterest,expandhorizonsandcreate
lessonsofhighrigorandrelevanttothelivesofstudents.Iwanttheirworldtobepartofthe
classroom,sosocialmediaistiedintohelpwiththisareaaswell.

Standard4:Usesstrategiestodeliverinstructionthatmeetsthemultiplelearningneeds
ofstudents.

Howdoyoudemonstrateflexibilityandresponsivenessinadjustinginstructionto
meetstudentneeds?
Icreatelessonsthatpreparestudentsforthe2stCenturybyusingtechnologyavailableto
provideunitsthataredifferentiatedforvariouslearningstylesaccordingtostudentstrengthsand
weaknesses.Ifocusonprioritystandardsandcollegeandcareerreadyanchorstandardsto
ensuremystudentsarewellpreparednomatterwhatpaththeytakeafterhighschool.
UnitsIcreatearewelldevelopedwiththeendandthelearningoutcomesinmind.
However,Iamwillingtomakechangestotheunitsifneededtomeettheneedsofallofmy
students.Idevelopunitsthatmakeconnectionstothestudentsownlivesandworkhardnotmiss
theteachablemomentsthatoccurintheclassroom.
IdeveloplessonsusingtheGRRmethod.Thisallowsforstudentstoseeaseeone,do
one,teachone.IknowstudentslearnindifferentwayssoItrytohaveavarietyofmediumsto
shareinformation.Someofthoseincludepodcasts,videos,andwrittentext.
Howdoyouengagestudentsinvariedexperiencesthatmeetdiverseneedsand
promotesocial,emotional,andacademicgrowth?
Howdoyouuseavailableresourcesincludingtechnologyinthedeliveryof
instruction?

IcreateYoutubevideos,Prezi,Skype,andavarietyofotheronlinetoolstogetthe
studentsengaged.Ialsoreadaloudonaregularbasistostudentsforthepureenjoymentof
listeningtoafluentreader,andbaskinthedelightofastoryforentertainmentpurposes.I
createminilessonsforthosestudentswhoarestrugglingwithreadingandmeetwiththem
duringlunch,beforeschoolandafterschool.Imakesuretotieintheirthoughtsandfeelings
whenaskingquestionsanddiscussinginclass,aswellasprovideopportunitiesforthemto
debateandlearntodisagreerespectfully.


Standard5:Usesavarietyofmethodstomonitorstudentlearning.
Howdoyoueffectivelycommunicateyourexpectationsandassessmentstoparents
andstudents?
Howdoyouencouragethestudentstoassesstheirownlearning?
Whatarethewaysyouprovidetimelyfeedbacktoparentsandstudents?
Beforeeveryassessment,writingorreadingIexplainthegoalstomystudents.Thenwe
usethestandardstodeterminewhattheyneedtoaccomplish.Thestudentshaveevenhelped
createtherubricsweuseinEnglish.ItakethestandardsIamwantingtoassess,andhavethe
studentsunpackthem.Theyturnthelanguageintoakidfriendlyrubric.Itisagreatwayforme
toassesswhattheyknow,andtodetermineiftheyunderstandhowtheywillbegraded.Plus,it
getsthemmoreinfusedintothestandardsandletsthemknowwhattheyareexpectedtodoat
theirgradelevelandbeyond.Ialsopreparechecklistsforthemtouseduringthewritingprocess
toensuretheyhavedoneeverythingtheyarebeingassessedoverthroughouttheassessment.
Thiswaytheycanselfassesstodetermineiftheyaremeetingtheobjectivesoftheassessment.
Iamagreatcommunicatorandfeelthekidsneedcontinualfeedbacktohelpthem
improve,andtoknowwhattheyaredoingwell.Ibelievethelittleconversationswehaveoneon
onereallyhelpsthestudentsfeelcaredfor,involved,andknowtheirlearningisimportanttome
aswell.Therefore,

Iprovidefeedbackonjournalsregularly,andreturnpaperspromptlyso
studentshaveanopportunitytolearnfromtheirmistakes,makecorrectionsandfurthertheir
learning
.
Ialsopostgradesandworktohavea12daywindowforgrading.Idonotwantto
moveonbeforetheyknowwheretheyneedtoimprove.Gradingassessmentsisaprioritybefore

wemovetothenextunit,sothelearningmisconceptionscanbeaddressedandstudentshave
feedbackbeforewegotothenextlegofthejourneyinlearning.


Standard6:Demonstratescompetenceinclassroommanagement.

Howdoyoucreateaclassroomenvironmentthatencouragespositivesocial
interaction,activeengagementandselfregulationforeverystudent?
OneprincipleIfollowinmyclassroomis,Justgettingbyisnotanoption.Iexplained
tothestudentsatthebeginningoftheyearthatIamateacherofstudents.Iamnotjustan
Englishteacher.Iamtheretoeducateeachindividual.Therefore,Iexpecteachstudenttogrow
andimprovethroughouttheyear.IcommunicatetheonlyruleinmyclassroomisBeYourself.
ThenthestudentsandIcreateasocialcontract,whichwillsupportandalloweveryonetobewho
theyare.Weholdeachothertotheexpectationsset,andfollowtheconsequencestheycomeup
withasaclass.Werevisitthesesocialcontracts/normswhenIseeaneed,orafterbreaksandat
thestartofeachunit(every46weeks).Ialsomodeltheappropriatebehaviorinmyclassroom,
andsethighexpectationsforthecitizensinmyroom.
Howdoyoucreateasafeandpurposefullearningenvironment?
Uponenteringtheclassroom,everystudentreceivesaTUMS(Touchhandshakeor
hug),Usetheirname,MakeEyecontactandSmile.Thisacknowledgementfrommeshowsthem
IcareandthatIamawareoftheirpresenceandrespectthem.Italsoallowsthestudentswho
mighthavehadaroughdayyesterdaythatitisacleanslate,andanewday.Idonothold
grudgesandwecanstartfresheachday.Iuseproximityandseatingarrangementstocreatean
environmentconducivetodiscussion,smallgroup,andbehaviormanagement.Iuseamagic

wandthatIdingtogivestudentsanaudiblesignalthattheyareneededtobequietandlookat
me.Idonotfeelraisingmyvoiceinmyclassroomisconducivetomutualrespectandlearning.
Therefore,Iworkveryhardtomaintainmycomposureatalltimesandkeepacalmcollected
voiceindealingwithallstudentsandsituationsthatmayoccur.Thelanguageinmyroomis
positiveandIusethePBISlanguagetogetthebehaviorsIwanttoseeinclass.
Howdoyouuseyourinstructionaltimeeffectively?
Iputthelearningtargetsontheboarddailysotheyknowwhatisgoingtobegoingon
throughoutclass,andtheyknowtheroutine.Iputadailyjournalontheboardsotheyknoweach
daytheycomeinandcompletethebellworkassoonastheygetintoclass.Thisisanactivity,
whichallowsstudentstoknowtheroutine,findasafewaytogetstartedandanindependent
activitytogetthecreativejuicesflowing.Theclassknowsthateverydaytheywillread,write
anddiscuss.Itgivesthemopportunitiestodiscussandsharetheirlearning,andtheyknowthat
everydaytheywillhaveachancetosharetheirthoughts.
Howdoyouestablish,communicate,modelandmaintainresponsiblestudent
behavior?
IworkhardtomodelthebehaviorIexpectfromstudents.Iwantthestudentstosee
humorandlaughtercanbeacceptableintheworldhowever,Imodelandexplainwhenitis
appropriate.Ialsousebehaviormodificationstrategiesthatpersonifyitemsinsteadofcallingout
thebehaviorofastudent.Ialsodoweirdthingsthatdrawattentiontomeinsteadofnegative
behaviors,likeansweringmyshoeorstapler.OrIhavestudentswithtoomuchenergyto

mowthelawnwhichisthempushingachairbackandforthacrossthecarpetuntiltheysettle
downandfeelmoreincontroloftheiremotions.
Ihavealargetoolboxofinformationandstrategiesthatpertaintoreachingstudents
withbehavioral,emotionalorotherdisorderswhomayrequirealittlemorecreativeofan
environment.Iincorporatetimers,stressbands,sillyputty,playdoh,stringstotieknots,and
physicalmovementtodecreasenegativebehaviorsduetoinabilitytofocusandsitstill.These
smallthingscanhelpstudentsreleaseenergy,andgivethemsomethingelsetofocusonthatis
notadestructiveordistractingactivity.Ialsoacknowledgethateveryclassisdifferent
therefore,Ihavetoemploydifferentstrategieswiththedifferentclasses.


Standard7:Engagesinprofessionalgrowth.
Howdoyoudemonstratecontinuouslearning?
Ireadavarietyofbooks,onlineresourcesandjournalstohelpmedevelopaphilosophy
ofleadership.Allofthemgavemeadifferentperspective,ormademeseetheroleofleadership
inauniqueway.IchoseafewofthebooksIreadbasedonspeakersIhaveseenorbeento
conferenceswith,orfrombooksrequiredbyothercoursesintheprogram.Otherbookswere
recommendationsfrommyhusbandwhoistheDirectorofaMedicalSimulationLabatthe
CollegeofMedicineatDesMoinesUniversity,andotherswerebasedonresearchinthefieldof
educationalleadership.However,Ididnothaveanarrowscopeonpurelyleadingintheroleofa
principal,butlookedtobooksthatincludedbusinesses,teachingandleadinganyorganization.
IcompletedmyMasterofEddegreeduringthesummerof2015,andamlookingintoa
Ph.D.programatIowaStateUniversityfornextfall.Ihavereadavarietyofbooksandreadat
leastonebookamonthonprofessionalgrowth.IrecordedmyselfteachinglessonssoIcan
determineareasofweakness,strengths,andtopinpointstudentsIneedtoreachduring
discussions.
Iamanavidreaderofmaterialsthatcanimprovemyteachingtechniquesandclassroom
practices.Irequiremyselftoreadabookonleadership,developmentorsomeformofteaching
onceamonth.Ihavefoundthispracticerewarding,andhasfueledmylearninginadiverseand
intriguingway.

Ialsowriteablogaboutteachingthatisreadbyteachers,parents,andstudentsin
differentstates.Theblogisagreatwaytoshowstudentsthepassiontowriteisimportant,and
providesthemwithasideofmetheymaynotseeintheclassroom.Italsoallowsmetospreada
positivemessagetomycolleagues,andtogiveparentsapersonalconnectiontomesotheyare
moreapttodiscusstheirconcernswithmewhenwehaveparentconference,emailortalkonthe
phone.(
www.aleciagardner.blogspot.com
)
HowdoyourplansalignwithIowaTeachingStandardsanddistrict/building
studentachievementgoals?
MyITPDPgoalduringthe20152016schoolyearistohelpthedistrictmeettheirreadinggoal.
Therefore,mygoalis:Duringthe20152016schoolyearthenonproficient9thgradestudentsI
serveasaReadingInterventionist,willincreasetheirreadingproficiencyto75%whengivena
gradelevelreadingcomprehensionprobeortestasmeasuredbyanAdolescentLiteracy
Inventory,EasyContentBasedMeasurement,JamestownReadingprobes,StanfordDiagnostic
ReadingTest,andIAAssessments.


Standard8:Fulfillsprofessionalresponsibilitiesestablishedbytheschooldistrict.

Howdoyoudemonstrateprofessionalandethicalconductinyourteaching?
Ifollowallguidelinesandpoliciesofthedistrict.Iholdmyvaluesandethicsinhighregard.I
amrespectfulofauthority,followguidelines,andworkhardtomodelapositiveattitude.Ialso
removemyselfandrefusetoparticipateinnegativityandgossipbehaviorthatisdetrimentalto
theestablishmentasawhole.Ifeelteachingrequiresahigherlevelofprofessionalismthanother
professionsduetothefactwearetryingtorearstudentstobeproductivecitizens.Asateacher,I
recognizeitismyresponsibilitytobeapositiverolemodelwithintegrity,passionandastrong
understandingofmyowncorevalues.
Irespectthestudentsandfellowcolleagues.Ialwaystakethetimetomeetwithstudents
throughoutmylunchhour,andhavebeenalisteningearwhenstudentsneedssomeonetospeak
toorneedstocalmdown.Ialsocounselkidsaboutlife,school,andrelationshipsiftheycometo
mewithsuchissues.Ihappilyassistwithatriskyouthandtrytobeavailabletoallstudents
notjusttheonesIsee.
Iamverygoodatcollaboratingwiththeresourcesaroundme.Ifeelthestudentsneedto
seeIamnotjustaloneteacher,butIamawellnetworkededucator.Icallparentsanddiscuss
optionsbeforeastudentisintroubleorfallingbehind.IusefellowcolleaguestoassistwhenI
needhelp,orfindwebresourcestogivemenewmethodsorideasonhowtoreachtheyoung
mindsinmyroom
.

Whattypesofbuildinggoalshaveyouworkedon?

Thedistrictisworkingtoimprovethereadingscoresthisyear.Ifeelthisisaheavy
weightonmyshouldersthisyear.Iwashiredasareadinginterventionisttoassiststudentswho
struggleinreading,andarenotalreadyreceivingservices.Therefore,Ihavebeendoingmybest
toservemykidsandhelpthemreachtheirhighestpotential.Thispositionwasveryuniquein
thatittookalotofcreativity,flexibilityandcriticalthinkingonmypart.Ididnothavearoster,
curriculum,materials,myownclassroom,oraschedule.Therefore,Iwasblessedwithbeing
abletocarveoutmyownschedulebasedonthestudentsIfoundtobedeficientinreading.I
workedoutaschedulethatwouldallowmetoreachmorestudents,teachtwosectionsof
English,andstillbeavailabletovisitEnglishclassroomstoassistinareaswheretheyare
struggling.

Howdoyoucollaboratewithstudents,families,colleaguesandcommunitiestoenhance
studentlearning?

Iamverygoodatcollaboratingwiththeresourcesaroundme.Ifeelthestudentsneedto
seeIamnotjustaloneteacher,butIamawellnetworkededucator.Icallparentsanddiscuss
optionsbeforeastudentisintroubleorfallingbehind.IusefellowcolleaguestoassistwhenI
needhelp,orfindwebresourcestogivemenewmethodsorideasonhowtoreachtheyoung
mindsinmyroom.
IutilizeGoogleClassroom,Remind,andsendoutupdatestomyclassroomFacebook
page.Isendhomenotestostudentsandfamilieslettingthemknowwhattheyaredoingwell,and
makesureeveryoneofmystudentshavereceivedatleast3notesduringtheyear.Isendemails
tofamilieslettingthemknowhowtheirstudentisdoing,andwhattheycandobetterduringthe

midquarter.Thisallowsforthestudentstohavetimetoturnitaroundifneededandtoget
materialsiniftheyaremissingwork.Iamalsoavailabletofamilies,colleaguesandstudents.I
havelearninglunchopendaily,andamatschoolatleast3daysaweekby7:00am.Ialsostay
aftertomeettheneedsofstudentsaswell.Ibelievecommunicationiskey,andIneverwanta
parenttobesurprisedbyareportcardorscore.Therefore,Ialwaystrytostayaheadofthegame
andgivethemaheadsuppriortotheendofthequarterorsemester.
Ialsoworktomakeconnectionswithmycolleagues,andoffertoassistinanywaythatI
can.Ihavemovedmyschedulearoundmanytimesthisyeartohelpwithsubbingneeds.Ihave
subbedover60timesanddothisbecauseIfeelwearepartofateam.Weareheretoassistone
another,sowecanbetterserveourstudents.