Julie,

Please let me begin by thanking you for the amazing support youve given
me this year. Your hugs each morning... thoughtful thank-you cards in my
mailbox... words of praise and encouragement....endless smiles...permission to
attend my daughters events and appointments... innovative ideas to try in the
classroom....follow-through with student and parent concerns... leadership in
Winne.... It is your support that impressed me most this year, and I am endlessly
grateful to work for and learn from you. Please know that as I reflect upon my first
year as a second grade teacher at Punahou, it is you who is central to my success.
This year my goal was to craft a challenging learning environment
characterized by child-centered decision-making, differentiated curriculum and
instruction, and a nurturing climate so learners educe their risk-taking and
independence. I worked to make each strand within the K-8 Teaching Standards
a personal area of strength. From evaluating my year, I felt Gecko students were
challenged, taking risks and respectful of the learning climate. Differentiated
curriculum via Daily 5 fostered student choice and independence. Flexible
grouping, centers-based learning, thematic integration and cooperative group work
framed the learning environment each day. My students ended the year as stronger
readers, more proficient writers, confident speakers, better problem-solvers, and
very adept at asking brilliant questions.
However, there were some areas that did not harmonize to my satisfaction.
Because of my own uncertainties, I was in conflict about what activities I needed
to do simultaneously with the entire grade level, with certain classrooms, or not at
all. Trying to differentiate my students learning while doing the grade level
work was difficult because often it did not intermesh with my philosophy about
learning environment. This led to many activities being more like assignments,
and I felt this was counter to the learning environment goal I set for myself. With
Cycle 1 Reflection: 2010-2011
Kristen Tibbetts, Grade 2
professional autonomy that Punahou encourages, I plan to make changes that will
make for a richer experience for my students next year.
At the end of my first observation, you asked me, If you could completely
have your way with the weekly schedule, what would a typical day look like for
you? I have given this question a tremendous amount of thought. Initially I
thought this was a hypothetical question. Over time, Ive come to realize that at
Punahou, I can shape my day with children any way Id like. The limitations and
constraints are just perceived...they really dont exist. Now I understand I can and
should look beyond those structures to develop my time with kids any way that is
best for their learning.
My future goal is to analyze our second grade calendar, and specifically, the
extracurricular events which take a large amount of instructional time. These
performances, activities, and field trips can be linked in a more substantive,
thematic way, so I want to develop an overarching big idea and problem-based
simulations for each quarter. Because class time is so precious, some grade level
assignments will be replaced with more meaningful learning opportunities that
better align to my learning environment goal. Next year I hope to focus on
Standard II: Knowledge of Content and Curriculum so I can better shape the year
to my philosophy.
Thank you for the chance to reflect upon my year. I am so grateful to be
teaching for this school. Each day that I drive on campus, I feel blessed to be a part
of the faculty. Please know how appreciative I am for the professional dream job of
a lifetime!
Aloha,
Kristen

Cycle 1 Reflection: 2010-2011
Kristen Tibbetts, Grade 2

Cycle 1 Reflection: 2010-2011
Kristen Tibbetts, Grade 2