Reflective Statement
Artifact: No Child Left Behind Paper
STANDARD 11 – Professional Conduct and Leadership
The competent teacher understands education as a profession, maintains standards of professional conduct, and provides leadership to improve students’ learning and well-being.
Standard 11 describes the essential knowledge base a teacher in American must have in order to effectively understand their rights as a teacher and to understand the rights of the students. It describes the importance of understanding the policy and legislation behind public education in order to actively participate and lead in the school and district. The knowledge base of the teachers’ responsibilities and expectations as a professional is expected to be learned by the teacher, to be competent, professional, and effective. By understanding and implementing the various knowledge and performance indicators, teachers will be active leaders in their school with other teachers, administrators, and students, which will then result in more quality and equal education for all students.
The artifact I chose demonstrates my understanding of this standard, and has allowed me to understand ways to apply in to my classroom. The NCLB paper regarding English Language Learners in public schools has given me a greater understanding of school policies and procedures, the legal issues in education, and the rights of students that have Limited English Proficiency. Several of the knowledge and performance indicators in Standard 11 are related to students with disabilities, but I believe these indicators can be applied to ELLs in public schools as well. This is not to say that children with linguistic barriers have a disability, but that there are factors that hinder their learning that need to be addressed in order for the students to succeed. Specifically, indicator 11G states, “knows the roles and responsibilities of teachers, parents, students, and other professionals related to special education.” This can be related to ELLs because the role of administration, teachers, parents, and other professionals, such as speech therapists and ESL teachers, is extremely important in the success of ELL students. As a teacher following this standard, professional conduct and understanding of the rights of ELL students is essential for successful teaching and learning. My teaching will be affected because I now understand that the accountability mandates established for ELL students are not written with the best educational goals for ELL students in mind. I will advocate as a profession leader in the school to create opportunities for ELL students to have extra help or have specific accommodations made that will most effectively teach them English and other core subjects. I will advocate for individualized instructional practices to be implemented, and for all teachers to understand the specific educational needs of ELL students.
Understanding the rights of ELL students and understanding how to adapt materials and knowing and utilizing my resources will better prepare me to address the needs of ELL students in the classroom, because I will understand that linguistic and cultural diversity needs to be highly considered when developing instructional strategies for the classroom. I know because of diversity in linguistic and cultural backgrounds, knowledge of policies related to the needs of the students and knowledge of ways to most effectively teach ELLs will start to affect achievement levels and create more successful students. The more diverse the school is, the more culturally and linguistically diverse it will be. Understanding my unique role as an educator and advocate of ELL students is pivotal for students to learn in the most effective way, and for leading other staff in creating individualized instructional practices and accommodations for ELL students in their own classes. Understanding the diverse nature of education will push me to challenge the “one size fits all” mentality of NCLB, and to advocate for individualized instruction and accommodations in a knowledgeable and professional way.
Artifact: No Child Left Behind Paper
STANDARD 11 – Professional Conduct and Leadership
The competent teacher understands education as a profession, maintains standards of professional conduct, and provides leadership to improve students’ learning and well-being.
Standard 11 describes the essential knowledge base a teacher in American must have in order to effectively understand their rights as a teacher and to understand the rights of the students. It describes the importance of understanding the policy and legislation behind public education in order to actively participate and lead in the school and district. The knowledge base of the teachers’ responsibilities and expectations as a professional is expected to be learned by the teacher, to be competent, professional, and effective. By understanding and implementing the various knowledge and performance indicators, teachers will be active leaders in their school with other teachers, administrators, and students, which will then result in more quality and equal education for all students.
The artifact I chose demonstrates my understanding of this standard, and has allowed me to understand ways to apply in to my classroom. The NCLB paper regarding English Language Learners in public schools has given me a greater understanding of school policies and procedures, the legal issues in education, and the rights of students that have Limited English Proficiency. Several of the knowledge and performance indicators in Standard 11 are related to students with disabilities, but I believe these indicators can be applied to ELLs in public schools as well. This is not to say that children with linguistic barriers have a disability, but that there are factors that hinder their learning that need to be addressed in order for the students to succeed. Specifically, indicator 11G states, “knows the roles and responsibilities of teachers, parents, students, and other professionals related to special education.” This can be related to ELLs because the role of administration, teachers, parents, and other professionals, such as speech therapists and ESL teachers, is extremely important in the success of ELL students. As a teacher following this standard, professional conduct and understanding of the rights of ELL students is essential for successful teaching and learning. My teaching will be affected because I now understand that the accountability mandates established for ELL students are not written with the best educational goals for ELL students in mind. I will advocate as a profession leader in the school to create opportunities for ELL students to have extra help or have specific accommodations made that will most effectively teach them English and other core subjects. I will advocate for individualized instructional practices to be implemented, and for all teachers to understand the specific educational needs of ELL students.
Understanding the rights of ELL students and understanding how to adapt materials and knowing and utilizing my resources will better prepare me to address the needs of ELL students in the classroom, because I will understand that linguistic and cultural diversity needs to be highly considered when developing instructional strategies for the classroom. I know because of diversity in linguistic and cultural backgrounds, knowledge of policies related to the needs of the students and knowledge of ways to most effectively teach ELLs will start to affect achievement levels and create more successful students. The more diverse the school is, the more culturally and linguistically diverse it will be. Understanding my unique role as an educator and advocate of ELL students is pivotal for students to learn in the most effective way, and for leading other staff in creating individualized instructional practices and accommodations for ELL students in their own classes. Understanding the diverse nature of education will push me to challenge the “one size fits all” mentality of NCLB, and to advocate for individualized instruction and accommodations in a knowledgeable and professional way.