PROFESSIONALISM

REFLECTI

I will always reflect

on my teaching
methods and
conduct.

MOTIVATIO
N

My motivation
drives me to
improve myself.

Ethics are the code

by which I live by.

ETHIC
S

COLLABORATI
ON

I will always
collaborate to
I will communicate
accomplish my goals.everything

ORGANIZATI
ON
I will always be
prepared.

COMMUNICATI
ON

PLANNIN
G
I will always plan for what
I can.

Professional Identity and Interactions Model

As a professional I believe you must possess certain features to be a
professional. Not everyone is a professional and there are differences that
make up ones identity that sets them aside from the rest. I feel I am
professional, but it is always a work in progress, because there is always
something I am working on. For my interactions model I chose seven
features that I feel make me who I am. They are features I cant change,
because that make me who I am, but they are features that I am constantly
improving. I chose to express my model in connection to myself as a
human, as the diagram provided. The features I chose to express myself
are motivation, ethics, reflection, communication, collaboration
organization, and planning. All of these components describe me as a
professional.
I chose to begin with motivation because it is in my heart. Motivation
is what drives me to do everything I do. I am motivated to work with people
with disabilities. Everything I do will always come from my heart and I am a
compassionate person. I have to be motivated in order to accomplish my
goals and to want to continue to improve myself. I want to always be able
to provide what people need. And what people need changes with time.
Therefore, I must change myself and adapt to change so I am always doing
what is best. It is hard to be a professional, there are many things you must
remember to do and not to do. When it gets extremely hard, motivation is
what keeps me ticking. My motivation for people with disabilities will be the
key to my professionalism.
Ethics is the next feature that I connect to my heart. My body is made
of ethics, meaning I follow a code of conduct. Some people would say that
some politicians are professionals, yet they make decisions sometimes that
are not ethical, they are not for the best will for everyone. I do not believe
that is a professional. A professional is someone who follows a code of
ethics and it does not contain lying or deceit and is always used for the
better. I will always choose what is ethical as a professional, even if it isnt
what I necessarily want. What is right is not always what is wanted. I
personally have experienced some of the politics of education and I do not
feel as if every decision is very ethical, therefore, I do not want to make the
same type of mistakes as a professional.
The next point in the model from the heart is my head. I feel that
reflection and ethics are on equal levels from motivation. The head though
is always overseeing the body. Therefore, I am always reflecting. Reflection

is part of the assessment process of myself. I am constantly examining

what I do when teaching and how I handle situations. I personally feel that
reflection is a key to overlooking everything. In the model the head is on top
of everything. The motivation comes from the heart allowing the head to
reflect upon everything I do. It is key when looking at all the other features
that make up the model. Every component can always be reflected on to
see what improvements can be made, which will in turn make me a better
professional. Reflection is an important role in this model because this will
be the key to change. Some of the features will shift as I dive deeper into
my professional career. The features will shift as I reflect them. Reflecting
and evaluating every component is a necessity to make sure that I am
becoming the professional I portray myself as.
The next components are the arms, which are attached to the body.
The motivation in the heart drives these features, the reflection in the head
is constantly overlooking these features to make sure that the appropriate
actions are taking place, and the body of ethics is what gives me a code to
follow as I use these features as a professional. Communication and
collaboration are the hands of the body because we use our hands for
everything. We use our hands to get us what we need, being it food, work
for money, and taking care of ourselves. I feel communication and
collaboration are the same way. Life is all about communicating and we use
this every day in everything we do. As a professional communication is key
because it is the only way to get across what needs need to be met.
Collaboration is essentially the same, it is a necessity to make sure that the
most appropriate actions are being taken. Through collaboration, which
usually includes multiple people, more ideas are expressed to help those in
need. For example, when creating an IEP goal for a student it is necessary
to speak with multiple teachers, sometimes the teacher consultant, and OT
or PT, speech pathologist, and social worker. There can be many people
involved in one situation. It is extremely important to communicate and
collaborate. Communicate so that the needs of the student is being
expressed. Collaborate so that the needs of the student is being met. When
collaborating there are more ideas and this only benefits the student by
making sure the right action is taking place. I feel communication and
collaboration are important tools in being a professional and this relates to
the model as our hands are important tools we use to live.
Organization and planning are the next features that connect to the
body. The feet are the foundation that a person needs to walk on. I feel this
relates to planning and organization because it is the foundation that must
be present to complete all of the other features. When reflecting, you must

be organized on how it should be done and you have to plan when and
how you will do that. When communicating and collaborating, organizing
and planning your thoughts and ideas are key so that when given the
chance to communicate all main points are discussed when collaborating
for the right actions to take place. Organizing and planning are driven by
the motivation and ethics to do what is right. These two features are a must
in everything that is done professionally. It also makes the other features
flow together better because there is always a plan and it is always
organized. Just as our two feet helps us get to where we need to go and
makes it easier.
All of these features relate to professionalism, not just in what I
believe, but they contribute to the body of professionalism as a whole
because it viewed as many things, with many features. Motivation is what
drives me to become a professional. I want to be a professional in the world
of special education. In order to accomplish this there is a set of rule and a
conduct that must be followed. Part of my professional identity is that I
pride myself in the fact that I follow the rules, even when it is very hard to
do sometimes. If I feel I am having a difficult situation I always seek extra
advice and outside references and sources to make sure that I do what is
ethical. With the motivation and set of rules it truly gives me a simple code
to follow.
Reflection is a huge piece in my professional identity because I need
to make sure I am always effective. As a teacher I need to make sure I am
reaching all of my students because if I am not then I am failing my
students. I have a desire to be the best for my student that I can be and the
way to do that is to constantly change my ways. What works at one
moment may not work in the next. I need to be reflective of the community
and politics as well as what goes on within my state, district, and school.
Reflection touches every level of being a professional because it is what
drives me to be able to adapt the other features I believe make a
professional.
Communicating and collaborating are part of my professional identity.
These are the two features which allow me to express myself and do what I
do. When teaching, how I communicate means everything to the goal of my
lessons. If I dont communicate the information in the right way then my
students will not understand and I will have failed my goal. Collaborating is
everything in the field of special education because I must use this feature
every day. I have many students that see other teachers and I have to
make sure I am communicating and collaborating with them to make sure
we are doing what is best for those students.

Organizing and planning are key features that are a must in

order for the other features to work. Being organized and planning are part
of my philosophy of professionalism. I feel that these features add a
smooth effect to everything I do. I am able to teach and to reflect very
efficiently because I am organized and I plan everything I do. I am able to
adapt to situations, which always arise in special education, because I am
prepared and I have back up plans. I feel that being organized is a strong
feature as a professional because it make resources more accessible.
I believe some of these features in this model will change over time.
This model is based on me as a professional special education teacher. As
my career develops I may take a position that is not directly teaching. Upon
this turning point in my career some of the features and how they connect
in this model may change. I believe that I will always have to communicate
and collaborate, but they may actually take more of a precedent than other
features if my job relies more on interacting. Organization and planning
may change in the sense that I will be organizing and planning for different
events and situations than I currently am. I may realize that this may
involve some other features that I may need to improve or develop. I may
be exercising these components to this model in a way that I am not
currently. Because of this, I will have to reflect more on how to make myself
improve in these areas so that I am correctly exercising these features in
the way they need to be.
As a professional, I will constantly change, time creates
change. The more that technology develops, it will help with my organizing
and planning skills. It will also help with collaborating and communicating
as well. A lot of communicating is done through computers and email as it
is, I can only imagine how more dependent we will become. Another
feature that will change will be reflection. I will be faced with new
environments and situations as a professional and I will have to figure out
different ways to reflect upon my own methods. I may need to seek help
from others for ideas. I believe all of these components in this model
contribute to me as a professional. I realize this will change in time, but I
am willing to change it because I strongly believe in these attributes. I will
adapt them to fit any situation. My motivation will help me strive to improve
myself so that I am a better professional.

Essentially, the heart (motivation) drives the whole body, the head
(reflection) controls everything and the body (ethics) is the background for
the person, the hands (communication and collaboration) are the tools
used to express and the feet (organization and planning) is the foundation.
This model is an example of how I view professionalism.