Educators need constant improvement and development in their

practice. New research and new methods are constantly being produced
that have the possibility of improving educational practice. I feel it is my
duty to consistently seek professional development in order to give my
students the best opportunities at success. Over this summer and on days
off during the school year, I make sure to visit other schools and observe
exceptional teachers to determine how I can improve my practice. I have
subscribed to Educational Leadership, the American Psychological
Association, National Science Teachers of America, and I often read blogs and
watch videos, looking for new and better ways to teach. I also have been
involved in changing our science department to adopt LMUs CMAST
framework, as I believe this to be a much better method of instruction than
what our school previously had. According to choice theorist William Glasser,
Teaching is a very hard job that needs ample compensation and
considerable on-the-job training for the lifetime of the teacher. Less than
this will not suffice. I plan on continuing to improve my practice, and the
moment I lose this drive and passion I hope to make room for others who still
retain this drive for the best of my students. (Glasser p. 25)
Some students need help outside of the classroom. Often, parents are
suggested to find a tutor or find an afterschool-tutoring program for their
child. This tutoring is necessary for the childs success because they are not
capable of keeping up with the classroom content with only the three class
periods a week that is found at most high schools. It is my job as the
students teacher to identify their needs and to inform their parents,
however, often the parents are not capable or willing to seek out the extra
help for their child. When this happens, I take it upon myself to offer tutoring
for the students. I have been known to tutor from 2:30 5:30 p.m. because I
know that without the extra help, the students will not have a chance at
understanding the content. Although it has been quite a sacrifice to my own
life, I feel called to advocate for them by providing this service. Paulo Freire
(1970) suggests that teacher and student need to practice co-intentional
education, where both the student and the teacher are both committed to
the improvement of the situation, benefiting not only the student, but the
teacher as well (p. 69).
In my first Algebra class, I immediately noticed the stark contrast
between the higher level and lower level students within the class. There
was no math class below Algebra, and I realized I had quite a few students
who lacked foundational mathematical skills and were not capable of
understanding Algebraic concepts. Vygotsky stated that children will grow
into the intellectual life of those around them and by utilizing the concept of
Vygotskys zone of proximal development, I knew that without extra
assistance, these at-risk students would not have a chance to succeed
(1978: 88). Despite the extra hours of preparation, I developed an extremely
differentiated class that either broke the class apart into skill levels, or I

made sure to match up a lower performing student with a more

knowledgeable other in order for scaffolding to occur. This greatly improved
the performance and growth in the lower students, and in this way both
myself and the student-tutors were advocating for the lower students.
I am currently in the process of developing a science methods
curriculum for the summer. Other science instructors and I had noticed the
deficiencies in science understanding in many of our first year students, and
decided that in order to give them a fair chance at being successful in their
first year of science, they absolutely needed extra instruction in the basics of
scientific thinking and practices.
Glasser, Wlliam (1998 ). The quality school: managing kids without
coercion. New York: Harper Collins.
Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed (M.B. Ramos, Trans.). New York:
Continuum.
Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological
processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and education. New York: McMillan.

Frankl, V. E. (1963). Man's search for meaning: an introduction to logotherapy. Newly

rev. and enl. ed. of From death-camp to existentialism. New York: Washington Square Press.