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Running head: TEACHER INTERVIEW 1

TEACHER INTERVIEW
JENNIFER ALONSO
IVY TECH COMMUNITY COLLEGE







TEACHER INTERVIEW 2
INTASC STANDARD #9:
REFLECTIVE PRACTICE: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The teacher is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates the effects of his/her choices
and actions on others (students, parents, and other professionals in the learning community) and
who actively seeks out opportunities to grow professionally.
Teacher Interview
February 13, 2012
EDUC 101: Introduction to Education
This assignment was to interview a teacher and get to know a little more about the education
field by a professional, especially someone that teaches the grade that you are interested in
teaching. It should give some insight and let you into the classroom per se to ask questions that
you have about teaching. I interviewed Mrs. Alkire, she teaches Kindergarten for IPS, William
Penn. She has been teaching for 22 years.
I learned that this teacher is reflective and constantly communicates with parents and students to
keep growing in her profession.



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For this assignment I knew exactly which teacher I wanted to interview. I chose to
interview Mrs. Alkire, she is an IPS teacher at school 49. I chose this teacher because she was
my daughters kindergarten teacher. I remember being invited into her classroom and how
involved she was with the parents and students, whether it be projects or field trips. My daughter
never had any problems in her class and loved going to school every day. If you ask my daughter
who is now in the fifth grade, who is your favorite teacher? she always says, Mrs. Alkire! So
I thought this would be a great opportunity to see what is so special about her, and to see if I can
learn something from her to use when I become a teacher myself. I then asked her the following
questions:
WHAT TRAITS OF AN EFFECTIVE TEACHER DO YOU THINK THIS TEACHER
POSSESSES?
Mrs. Alkire suggested that every teacher have a journal to look back and reflect on, all the
positive things that happened with the students, she said the things they say should be recorded
and if you ever feel stressed or burned out, you should look back at those journal entries and they
will bring a smile to your face and help you remain positive. Thinking like this is being a
reflective practitioner. Reflective Practitioner: A teacher who constantly reflects on classroom
events (both successes and problems) and modifies teaching practices accordingly. Teach, Koch,
J. 2012, page 5.
WHAT, IF ANY, ATTRIBUTES DOES THIS TEACHER HAVE THAT YOU CAN
IDENTIFY WITH?
I can identify with the way the kids make her happy. She talks about the excitement of the kids
being one of the most exciting aspects of teaching for her. She also loves the stories they tell and
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how innocent they are; I feel the same way about children. I love seeing their different
personalities and the stories they tell and the way they interact, with each other. She talks about
the students with so much joy and I can relate to that feeling.
IN WHAT WAY(S) WAS THE TEACHER DIFFRENT FROM YOU?
I am not a teacher myself, so I am not sure what I will do different when that time comes. When
it comes to asking parents for help she is very upfront and bold about it. She says she doesnt ask
the parent and instead says so when do you want to come in? I hope that I can be that confident
in asking for help when that time comes for me.
WHAT PHILOSOPHY AND/OR VALUES DOES THIS TEACHER HAVE THAT YOU
WOULD LIKE TO EMULATE? WHY?
I like the fact that this teacher communicates with parents as soon as the school year begins. She
makes positive phone calls to the parents, positives notes home, and puts forth ever effort to
reach out to them. As a parent myself, I would love to receive positive feedback from a teacher
early on and not only through progress reports. She builds a good rapport with the parents,
therefore, when issues arrive with their children; the parents can be much more understanding
and positive because they have established a good relationship.
WHAT, IF ANYTHING, DID YOU LEARN ABOUT TEACHING THAT WAS NEW TO
YOU OR THAT REINFORCED YOUR BELIEFS ABOUT TEACHING AS A PROFESSION?
I did not know that teachers created their own lesson plans and that all teachers and schools
presented different lessons they created. I thought that the state basically had the lesson outlines
and you presented them in your own way but did not create them. That was really good to know,
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it separates those teachers that are effective and those that are not based on the lessons they are
teaching.
WHAT MADE YOU THINK MORE DEEPLY ABOUT TEACHING AS A PROFESSION?
What made me think more deeply about teaching is when Mrs. Alkire said, to keep an open mind
and take constructive criticism from your supervisors. She said to not take things personal,
everyone is there for a purpose and that is for the childrens education and to ensure that they
become successful. To always have an open line of communication between the parents and
peers, and to constantly be reflective through journals and to keep encouraging yourself
throughout your careers.
In conclusion of this interview, I realized that there are other factors that affect your
teaching from the outside that you need to be able to handle when you enter the profession. You
must keep control of your class and have good management skills in order to get all the tasks
done for your day, while keeping your focus on the students.
The interview made me that much more excited about becoming a teacher myself. The
joy the teacher exudes when she talks about her students, their excitement, and the satisfaction
that it brings her, is really inspiring.
The feeling of accomplishment she gets, when the students light bulbs turn on in front of
her, when they have mastered the lesson that was presented. She is very interested in knowing
her students personally, interested in their stories, and actually builds a relationship with them. It
is great that after 22 years, she still has that same fire and commitment to teaching young
children. Now I know why she is my daughters favorite teacher, because she genuinely cares
about her students and builds relationships that last long after they have left her class room.
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NAEYC STANDARDS: #2 Building Family and Community Relationships. Candidates know
about, understand, and value the importance and complex characteristics of childrens families
and communities. They use this understanding to create respectful, reciprocal relationships that
support and empower families, and to involve all families in their childrens development and
learning. TEACH. Koch, J. 2012. Page 18.













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REFERENCES
Koch, J. (2012). Teach, student edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Page five.
Koch, J. (2012). Teach, student edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Page 18.

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