I started my Masters Degree program in the year of 2019, shortly before the global pandemic of 2020 and 2021 took effect. It was an interesting year to be in education, both for teacher and for student. Coming at the realm of education from the perspective of student and teacher simultaneously, was a learning experience. Aside from an affinity for 'Zoom', the isolation, and then very real learning gap of the students, changed my overall perspective on Education.
I came into the Masters Program at Michigan State University immediately after my first year and a half as a full time teacher at Washington Parks Academy, a Charter School in Redford MI. My plan upon entering the program was to focus on my Masters Classes, and complete a degree with a specialization in Literacy Education. I chose this as my focus because as a classroom teacher I would find myself sitting for hours with my students reading data, and naturally seek out reading articles or books to support the varied needs of the students in my class. My students reading development was also a frequent topic of personal growth meetings. Reading development, in particular, was a struggle for me. I had a classroom of students with such varied reading needs, I didn't know how to reach them all with full effectiveness. I knew differentiated small groups was the answer, but it was overwhelming to know where to begin in implementing those small groups.
My plan was to develop my classroom management strategies as a classroom teacher, but focus on my Masters first, with a long term goal of being a literacy coach, or an RTI coordinator in an elementary school. Upon moving to Lansing and looking for jobs, I began working part time as a Reading Interventionist for Hanover Horton Elementary.. At this school, I really liked my work with programs developed by Jan Richardson, and also Secret Stories. At this job, I would begin with running student assessments. The assessment we worked with the most was DRA task analysis for younger grades, and regular DRA assessment with older grades. We would combine this data with students MAP test scores to determine lesson planning for small groups. As a team, we would look over students reading data, and then use this data to determine the students of highest need per grade level. Groups would be put together, and then we would determine which grade level's would be pulled at which time. This required consistent, friendly, communication with the students classroom teachers. I learned a lot at this job, and it cemented my long term goal to become a literacy coach or reading interventionist.
I planned to work at this job until the completion of my Masters, as it aligned directly with the work that I was doing for my Literacy Education focus. However, I was offered a unique opportunity classroom teaching a little bit closer to home for the 2021-2022 school year, at Forest View Elementary School. With only my Capstone left, I felt that it would be a good time to shift to a new position. My goal now is to take the things that I've learned from my classes, combined with relevant professional experience, and apply it to the students I currently work with. Presently, I'm working on re-innovating my students small groups with the text How to Plan for Differentiated Reading Instruction as my skeleton. I've also gained a great deal of outdoor education experience through this position. The most important, affect of this, has been the impact it has had on my students. Making Outdoor Observation a cornerstone of my students learning has truly taught my students to be able to pause. It has taught them patience, and what it means to be genuinely motivated by what they are learning. I am excited to see how this perspective affects my students throughout the rest of the school year. I'm also excited to see what newfound projects educational pedagogy rooted in the outdoors brings for me.
As an educator, I think that it's invaluable to continually check up on, and reassess, past present and future goals. Going through my journey to this point demonstrates that though it's easy to think things are planned out, life is ever-changing. My present goals are to increase my proficiency as a classroom teacher at my current position. While my long term plans to be a literacy coach or reading interventionist remain unchanged, I am excited to take the time to learn and grow as an educator before I step into this position. Hopefully, the works showcased in this virtual portfolio, and blog, can demonstrate my evolution as an educator.
I came into the Masters Program at Michigan State University immediately after my first year and a half as a full time teacher at Washington Parks Academy, a Charter School in Redford MI. My plan upon entering the program was to focus on my Masters Classes, and complete a degree with a specialization in Literacy Education. I chose this as my focus because as a classroom teacher I would find myself sitting for hours with my students reading data, and naturally seek out reading articles or books to support the varied needs of the students in my class. My students reading development was also a frequent topic of personal growth meetings. Reading development, in particular, was a struggle for me. I had a classroom of students with such varied reading needs, I didn't know how to reach them all with full effectiveness. I knew differentiated small groups was the answer, but it was overwhelming to know where to begin in implementing those small groups.
My plan was to develop my classroom management strategies as a classroom teacher, but focus on my Masters first, with a long term goal of being a literacy coach, or an RTI coordinator in an elementary school. Upon moving to Lansing and looking for jobs, I began working part time as a Reading Interventionist for Hanover Horton Elementary.. At this school, I really liked my work with programs developed by Jan Richardson, and also Secret Stories. At this job, I would begin with running student assessments. The assessment we worked with the most was DRA task analysis for younger grades, and regular DRA assessment with older grades. We would combine this data with students MAP test scores to determine lesson planning for small groups. As a team, we would look over students reading data, and then use this data to determine the students of highest need per grade level. Groups would be put together, and then we would determine which grade level's would be pulled at which time. This required consistent, friendly, communication with the students classroom teachers. I learned a lot at this job, and it cemented my long term goal to become a literacy coach or reading interventionist.
I planned to work at this job until the completion of my Masters, as it aligned directly with the work that I was doing for my Literacy Education focus. However, I was offered a unique opportunity classroom teaching a little bit closer to home for the 2021-2022 school year, at Forest View Elementary School. With only my Capstone left, I felt that it would be a good time to shift to a new position. My goal now is to take the things that I've learned from my classes, combined with relevant professional experience, and apply it to the students I currently work with. Presently, I'm working on re-innovating my students small groups with the text How to Plan for Differentiated Reading Instruction as my skeleton. I've also gained a great deal of outdoor education experience through this position. The most important, affect of this, has been the impact it has had on my students. Making Outdoor Observation a cornerstone of my students learning has truly taught my students to be able to pause. It has taught them patience, and what it means to be genuinely motivated by what they are learning. I am excited to see how this perspective affects my students throughout the rest of the school year. I'm also excited to see what newfound projects educational pedagogy rooted in the outdoors brings for me.
As an educator, I think that it's invaluable to continually check up on, and reassess, past present and future goals. Going through my journey to this point demonstrates that though it's easy to think things are planned out, life is ever-changing. My present goals are to increase my proficiency as a classroom teacher at my current position. While my long term plans to be a literacy coach or reading interventionist remain unchanged, I am excited to take the time to learn and grow as an educator before I step into this position. Hopefully, the works showcased in this virtual portfolio, and blog, can demonstrate my evolution as an educator.