Professional Goal Statement
The ability to discover and create should come as natural as breathing. Reading and writing are essential skills for both discovery and creation. Being a certified teacher with over twenty years experience has shown me this is true. I am lucky enough to work in a field where I can share my passion for literature and writing with young people and I am always searching for new and innovative ways to engage my students. I wish to acquire the learning and participate in the discussions that will enable me to do so.
The following experience has contributed to the type of teacher I am thus far:
· extensive experience implementing and adapting the current Provincial High School English Language Arts Curriculum to a variety of student learners through Differentiated Instruction, Inquiry Based projects, and participation in our “Technology in the Classroom” committee.
· experience creating creative and innovative programs in my own classroom and in my school district in for form of the High School Alternative Education Project, High School Redesign, establishment of the Gifted Program, and through Inquiry Based Learning.
· experience in participating in assessment practices at the provincial level assessing High School provincial exams.
· a passion for teaching and a desire to become a master teacher.
Over the course of my career I have had the honour of becoming a mentor teacher and as such, I am obliged and motivated to continually to discover and create as a professional. I desire a cohort of like - minded individuals who share my passion for literacy and for teaching. I crave academic discussion. I am continually searching for ways to improve my skills as a teacher and as a mentor so that I can assist all students in mastery learning.
Most importantly are my students. I have witnessed and experienced empowerment through reading. Several times over my career where I’ve seen the magic of reading manifest itself in the building of confidence of students who had “never read a book”. Students such as Aaron, a First Nations Student who used to carry a knife to school for “protection when walking the trails at night”. After I read the first Chapter of The Golden Compass, aloud to my class, Aaron found himself a copy finished it within the week and was well on his way to reading the second in the trilogy, The Subtle Knife before I realized he was hooked. Every Monday morning he would visit our school librarian and ask, “What’s good?”. He finished the library’s entire fantasy section within the year. Aaron was the oldest of four brothers and I can’t help but be proud of the literary role model he has become. He now carries a paperback in the same pocket he had carried his knife.
And then there is Chantal, who believed she “couldn’t read” because she had never before read a book. I discovered this was because she had never had a safe and quite place to read. With guidance, suggestions, and the right book exclaimed, “it’s like a movie going on in my head!”
The leadership goal I have in mind and that of Literacy Specialist for my district. As it stands, we have Literacy Coaches that work with elementary teachers in grades 1-6. We are in need of a Coach for teachers and students in the middle and upper grades and I wish to be that person if only to help and encourage more students like Aaron and Chantal. Armed with a Masters of Science in Education in Literacy will then give me the skills to facilitate a love of reading but also equip me with the skills needed to help struggling readers in Junior and Senior High School where empowerment through reading is vital for building a society filled with empathetic, tolerant, life long learners.
The following experience has contributed to the type of teacher I am thus far:
· extensive experience implementing and adapting the current Provincial High School English Language Arts Curriculum to a variety of student learners through Differentiated Instruction, Inquiry Based projects, and participation in our “Technology in the Classroom” committee.
· experience creating creative and innovative programs in my own classroom and in my school district in for form of the High School Alternative Education Project, High School Redesign, establishment of the Gifted Program, and through Inquiry Based Learning.
· experience in participating in assessment practices at the provincial level assessing High School provincial exams.
· a passion for teaching and a desire to become a master teacher.
Over the course of my career I have had the honour of becoming a mentor teacher and as such, I am obliged and motivated to continually to discover and create as a professional. I desire a cohort of like - minded individuals who share my passion for literacy and for teaching. I crave academic discussion. I am continually searching for ways to improve my skills as a teacher and as a mentor so that I can assist all students in mastery learning.
Most importantly are my students. I have witnessed and experienced empowerment through reading. Several times over my career where I’ve seen the magic of reading manifest itself in the building of confidence of students who had “never read a book”. Students such as Aaron, a First Nations Student who used to carry a knife to school for “protection when walking the trails at night”. After I read the first Chapter of The Golden Compass, aloud to my class, Aaron found himself a copy finished it within the week and was well on his way to reading the second in the trilogy, The Subtle Knife before I realized he was hooked. Every Monday morning he would visit our school librarian and ask, “What’s good?”. He finished the library’s entire fantasy section within the year. Aaron was the oldest of four brothers and I can’t help but be proud of the literary role model he has become. He now carries a paperback in the same pocket he had carried his knife.
And then there is Chantal, who believed she “couldn’t read” because she had never before read a book. I discovered this was because she had never had a safe and quite place to read. With guidance, suggestions, and the right book exclaimed, “it’s like a movie going on in my head!”
The leadership goal I have in mind and that of Literacy Specialist for my district. As it stands, we have Literacy Coaches that work with elementary teachers in grades 1-6. We are in need of a Coach for teachers and students in the middle and upper grades and I wish to be that person if only to help and encourage more students like Aaron and Chantal. Armed with a Masters of Science in Education in Literacy will then give me the skills to facilitate a love of reading but also equip me with the skills needed to help struggling readers in Junior and Senior High School where empowerment through reading is vital for building a society filled with empathetic, tolerant, life long learners.