CHAPTER 13: Developing as a Professional

1. CHAPTER 13: Developing as a Professional Introduction to Teaching: Becoming a Professional 5th Edition Don P. Kauchak and Paul D. Eggen

2. Beliefs of Pre-Service and Beginning Teachers • According to research examining the beliefs of pre-service and beginning teachers, which of the following statements are true? • 1. They generally believe that, when they begin teaching, they will be better than most of the teachers now in the field. • 2. They generally expect to become more confident in their ability to help children learn as they gain experience. • 3. They believe that their teacher-preparation program is largely a waste of time, and they’ll learn most of what they need to know when they get into their classroom. • 4. They believe that understanding the content they will be teaching is the most important factor that will lead to success in their first year of teaching. • Each of the statements is true.

3. Developing a Professional Reputation • Identify as many different strategies as you can think of to develop a positive professional reputation and earn positive recommendations from your instructors. • Attend all your classes, and be on time. Instructors notice and make jokes about students who chronically miss class or arrive late. (Students discuss their instructors, but instructors also discuss students.) • --If you must miss, see your professor in advance, or explain afterward. • Perhaps most importantly, do not ever miss class and then ask your professor, “Did I miss anything really important?” This is extremely insulting and one of the quickest ways to acquire a reputation as being naïve and unprofessional! • Turn in required assignments on time, and follow established guidelines or criteria. • Study conscientiously, and try to learn as much as possible in all your classes.

4. Developing a Professional Reputation Continued • Participate in class: Offer comments and ask questions. You will enjoy your classes more and also learn more from them. • Take every opportunity to learn something new. For example, travel, especially to other countries, provides opportunities to learn about other cultures and the ways they approach education. • Acquire experience in urban schools. This is where the best opportunities for employment are, and it will significantly increase the likelihood of finding a job. • Read and try to be well informed. Learn for the sake of learning, and attempt to acquire knowledge for its own sake. • Knowledge for its own sake has several benefits. • It enriches your life by helping you see connections and humor in your experiences. • You might—without trying—impress someone. Others think knowledgeable people are “smart” and having people think you’re smart is always a plus. • The greater your breadth of knowledge, the more effective you will be as a teacher. It will enable you to make the topics you teach more meaningful for your students.

5. Components of an effective Résumé • Personal data • Professional objectives • Education • Teaching experience • Work experiences • Extracurricular activities • Honors and awards • References • A résumé should be simply and clearly written. • People looking at your résumé should be able to find the information they’re looking for at a glance. • A sample résumé appears on page 423 of your text.

6. Guidelines for Constructing a Letter of Application • What is the most important factor that you should keep in mind when constructing a letter of • application? • Why do you suppose this factor is so important? • The most important factor in constructing a letter of application is ensuring that the letter is clear and completely free of any spelling, punctuation, or grammar errors. • The letter is the first thing people evaluating you see, so it creates the first impression. Errors are concrete and easy to see, and they immediately create a negative reaction to your application. • Errors create a negative impression, in large part, because readers wonder why you wouldn’t take more care to write a clean letter. • a result, potential employers question your conscientiousness and professionalism.

7. Guidelines for Interviewing Effectively • Be on Time: • Nothing creates a worse impression than arriving late for an interview. • Dress Appropriately: • Dress professionally and be well groomed. • Avoid jeans, T-shirts, shorts, and revealing outfits. • Exercise your freedom of expression and communicate “who you are” in the way you dress when you’re out with your friends. Avoid it in a job interview. • Speak Clearly and Use Correct Grammar: • You will create your first impression with how you look and how you speak. • Use Appropriate Decorum. Examples include: • Turning off your cell phone prior to the interview. • Sitting comfortably with “open” nonverbal behavior [such as directly facing your interviewer and avoiding crossing your arms]. • Avoiding glancing at your watch.

8. Interviewing Effectively Continued • Prepare in Advance for Your Interview: • Some commonly asked questions include the following: • Why do you want to teach? • Why do you want to work in this school? • How would you plan for classroom management? • How would you handle an incident of misbehavior? • How would you motivate a class of unmotivated learners? • How would you design your classroom for students of varying ability levels? • What is your philosophy of education? • How would you involve parents or caregivers in their children’s education? • Thinking in advance about how you would answer questions such as these will give you confidence as you approach your interview and will help you more effectively “think on your feet.”

9. Guidelines for Surviving Your First Year • The following factors will strongly influence how successful you are in your first year. • Organization • Prepare all materials for each class in advance. • Begin classes immediately, and avoid dead time during which student misbehavior is most common. • Develop routines, so your classes are structured and predictable. • Classroom management • Learn about your school’s classroom management policies and what consequences exist for chronically misbehaving students. • Plan for classroom management by creating a system of rules and procedures. • Talk to veterans about their classroom management strategies and what pitfalls to avoid. • Consistently follow through on the enforcement of your rules. Failure to do so will exacerbate your classroom management problems.

10. Guidelines for Surviving Your First Year Continued • Effective instruction: • Practice questioning skills, so you can guide your students’ learning with your questioning and avoid lecturing excessively. • Think about ways to illustrate the topics you teach with examples that are meaningful to students and will attract their attention. • Quiz thoroughly and often, and provide detailed feedback for all frequently missed items. • Relationships with students: • Quickly learn all your students’ names and address them by name both in and outside your classroom. • Use language such as “we” and “our” instead of “you” and “your.” • Remind your students that “We’re all in this together. You are responsible for studying carefully and doing the best you can, and I’m responsible for helping you as much as I can.” • Hold your students to high standards. When they turn in sloppy or incomplete work, tell them, “You are capable of better work than this.” ***You are not your students’ buddy or pal. You’re an adult in their lives that is attempting to prepare them to be the best they can be.

11. Your First Day of School • Why is the very first day of school so important? • It sets the tone for the rest of the year. • In addition to the survival skills you’ve just seen, a few more suggestions can be helpful. • Have a letter to parents prepared, and hand it out to your students. Tell them that their parents are to sign the letter to indicate that they’ve read it, and bring it back the next day. • Immediately describe your classroom management system. If you plan to ask your students for input into your classroom rules, begin the process immediately. (We endorse asking students for input, but you can create an effective classroom management system without doing so.) • Begin instruction. Beginning instruction the very first day communicates that learning is preeminent. Teach a high interest topic that is likely to be meaningful and motivating to your students. • First impressions are important. • Each of these suggestions signals that you have your act together and are in charge of your classroom.

12. The Real World Of Mentoring Programs • When you take your first job, the following are some likely elements of reality. • You will probably be assigned a mentor teacher, but in today’s world of education it’s possible that you won’t have a mentor. • Your mentor will likely be a good, caring person and he/she will be emotionally supportive. • Your mentor will provide you with very little technical support in your work. • The following are some reasons for them not providing you with more than emotional support: • School budgets around our country are tight and getting tighter. Resources don’t exist to compensate mentors for their extra work with beginning teachers. • Mentors will have full teaching loads of their own, and their time for “mentoring” will be restricted. • This all means that you will largely be on your own when you begin teaching. The time to start preparing for this reality is now.

13. First Year Realities • The following are some likely realities that you will face in your first year. • You will feel considerable stress. You will want your students to be engaged and interested in what you teach, and at least some of them will not be. A few may even be openly hostile. • You will be exhausted. Teaching is one of the most demanding jobs that exist, and it’s even more demanding your first year. • You may be lonely. When you close the door to your room, you’re alone. • The following are some suggestions for reducing the sense of isolation. • Spend some time in the teachers’ lounge and talk to your colleagues. • If you’re invited to go out for drinks on a Friday afternoon, go. If you don’t drink alcohol, you can have a soft drink and enjoy yourself every bit as much. • Attend some school activities, such as sporting events or concerts. • Join a professional organization, such as your district’s local chapter of the NEA or AFT. Being a member of a professional organization also will help you stay abreast of the profession. • We are all social animals, and connecting with your colleagues can do a great deal to help you succeed and be happy in your first job.

14. Discussion Questions 1-4 • 1. What can preservice teachers do to decrease the likelihood that they will leave the profession? What can school leaders do? • 2. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is attempting to increase the professionalism of teaching. How successful is it likely to be? Explain your thinking. • 3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of alternative licensure? • 4. In this chapter, we suggested that you attempt to establish a professional reputation by being conscientious in your classes. What are some other ways students can develop a professional reputation?

15. Discussion Questions 5-8 • 5. We offered several suggestions for making yourself marketable in this chapter. Which are most important? Least? • 6. What are some professional qualities beginning teachers should look for in a mentor? What are some personal qualities? • 7. How is substitute teaching similar to and different from regular classroom teaching? How can you prepare yourself for substitute teaching? • 8. Why are the first days of teaching so important for a beginning teacher? What is the single most important thing you can do to make your first days of teaching successful?