E-portfolio-standard A

One of my most influential classes was with my photography and yearbook teacher in high school. She was going on maternity leave and her substitute had little knowledge of art or photography. She asked me and two other students to split up her classes so that we could end up teaching her classes for her because we knew the material well enough. The expectations were high and yet she felt confident enough in our ability that she was comfortable letting us take charge of her classes. I think because we felt she trusted us, we all were successful teaching and managing the classroom.

The expectations for my student teaching are also high. My cooperating teachers expect a lot of me and are asking me to really jump into teaching because in their opinion it is the best way to learn how to be a teacher. Half of my responsibilities at school require me to analyze student work and be able to help them understand whatever they are working on in their classes. The other half requires me to be aware of student behavior and be on guard for students who misbehave or are inappropriate. The expectations are high for both of these responsibilities because learning how to teach successfully involves being able to do these things simultaneously.

Reflection

Transitioning to Teacher
The most daunting think about becoming a teacher is having to truly become and adult. I feel I lack confidence and I worry I won't be successful. I also worry I won't have confidence in my teaching and I know I need to feel in charge of my classroom, especially when it comes to classroom management.

Pivitol Event
I always knew I loved art, I loved photography and I enjoyed teaching it when I did it for my high school teacher's maternity leave. I went to school for art and I still found myself teaching to other students in my classes who needed some help with their work. I decided to become a teacher when I realized that was what I really wanted to do. I'd changed my major a couple of times because after working as a photographer I realized that the business side of photography wasn't the right fit for me and that I was actually meant to be an art teacher all along.

Wardrobe
I have always been able to dress up, so transitioning to dress clothes isn't going to be too difficult. However I need to dress in a way that makes me look more mature and also implies authority (think clicky heels). I think Rachel has talked about many ways to set yourself apart from your students.

Adding to my wardrobe
I need to buy a suit jacket for job searches and job fairs, so I definatetly need to buy that. I would also like to find a pencil skirt, a quintessential piece of clothing in a fashionable teacher's wardrobe. It will help me to be able to look the part of a confident stylish teacher.