STANDARD ONE: EDUCATORS ARE COMMITTED TO STUDENTS AND THEIR LEARNING Substandard: 1.1, 1.2 Artifact: Emotional Poverty Standard one is important to me in the sense that as an educator you need to be committed to help all your students learn. To reach this goal, I need to understand how students develop, not only through their physical skills for PE but mentally, emotionally, socially etc... I must have an in-depth knowledge of each of my students and their emotional states and especially if they are in a state of emotional poverty. This understanding will guide me to continually adapt and modify lessons and expectations for students as needed. 1.1 Teachers Recognize Individual Differences in Their Students and Adjust Their Practice Accordingly 1.2 Teachers Have an Understanding of How Students Develop and Learn Implementation: I read this book primarily during our “stay at home” quarantine phase but I felt a strong connection to this book and the information it provided. Why I got a lot of ideas of how to reduce anger, anxiety and violence in my classroom, the timing of reading this book gave me a different perspective on how to recognize and understand my students. This perspective is related to student’s home lives and they are also attempting to complete necessary assignments/lessons for all their classes. The emotional support a lot of students got from school, is no longer a strong resource due to distance learning. Therefore, this book has opened my understanding of different situations students are going through being at home 24/7 and reflecting on how those students may develop and learn at home compared to school. Emotional Poverty relates to both my sub-standards because it focuses on a variety of different factors in student’s lives that can affect their behavior in school and
academic achievement. Now educators face a new challenge of understanding how our students can continue to develop and learn from home. Step by Step: First, I obviously had to read the book Emotional Poverty. I highlighted new concepts and big ideas that I could pull and apply to my teaching philosophy. Furthermore, I created a mind map to make a visual aid of the key points. Next, I have focused my distance learning teaching to further understanding my student’s differences at home and the resources they may or may not have. Based on this information, I have been in contact with counselors, specific students and their parents on the expectations for my class and how we can modify these expectations for students to succeed. Before I contact parents, I reflect on students that struggled in my class before distance learning and made them my focus. These are my students that were already in a state of emotional poverty. This distance learning process has guided me to further understand the “why” of these students’ emotional states. I have obtained more extensive knowledge on the student’s home lives and think of ways to modify my practice. For example, I have one student who had no access to the internet at home and now has limited access via a hotspot. This is an obvious stressor that is out of the control of the student but is a concern I needed to empathize with. This student I was able to get into contact with and adjust their expectations and assignment for the first two weeks they missed of distance learning. Next, I had to re-teach and scaffold the expectations of this students as to not overwhelm them. They were essentially going to get bombarded with 2 weeks of missed assignments from all their classes so with that in mind, I scaffolded my expectations for PE to gradually immerse the student into the daily routine for class. I am currently in the process of observing and assessing the student through the use of daily check-ins and tracking their progress on their weekly heart rate logs. This will determine how I adjust my distance learning expectations for these students but furthermore, adjust my practice for students who have similar issues at home. What Went Well: What went well is that the student is now more consistent with completing daily check ins (but we are still not at 100%). This shows they are starting to understand the daily routine but next is to assess whether the summative assessment (heart rate log) is completed correctly and the correct workouts were accessed. This student has also emailed me a handful of times and contacted me on Google Classroom so I am beginning to get more communication from this student.
What Didn’t Go Well: The student still doesn’t have 100% understanding of the PE routine so this is causing some hiccups in their current assignment load. This could be leading to extra stress on top of thinking of the work they have missed in previous weeks. What I Would Change: First, I would proactively get more home information on my students living in emotional poverty and contact counselors to obtain more info on what triggers these students may have. Furthermore, have knowledge of these students at home resources, whether it is for distance learning or in the normal classroom. This can allow me to proactively communicate with the student and/or parents on how we can adjust PE expectations so they can stay on track. Personal and Professional Impact: The professional impact this book has had on me, is obtaining more in-depth knowledge on differences in students and to empathize on what situations they may be going through from class to class and at home. Therefore, this allows me to create a more caring and open dialogue with this student and discuss academic alternatives that will allow them to successful. Furthermore, this will strengthen my relationship with students. Student Impact: The impact this can have on my students is to help decrease their stress load. Many students living in emotional poverty simply need a listening ear from someone who will understand what they are going through. Being empathetic to these student differences will allow students to develop trust in me as a teacher and recognize me as a caring adult. Therefore, by developing a trusting relationship, I am getting more academic buy-in from these students compared to some other classes where this relationship has not been established. Research: My research has come from Emotional Poverty: In All Demographics by Ruby K. Payne. This book gave a lot of psychological and scientific data/research on students living in emotional poverty and what factors can contribute to this. Furthermore, this book provided a plethora of different behavioral strategies to utilize to help reduce anger, anxiety and violence in the class based off specific student needs. Dr. Payne also provides emotional support resources for teachers so they can focus and take carry of themselves so they can continue to support students.
STANDARD ONE: EDUCATORS ARE COMMITTED TO STUDENTS AND THEIR LEARNING Substandard 1.3, 1.4, 1.5 Artifact: PE Syllabus & Discussion 1.3 Teachers Treat Students Equitably 1.4: Teachers’ Mission Extends beyond Developing the Cognitive Capacity of Their Students 1.5 Teachers Affirm the Commonalities and Differences of Students and All Humans These three sub-standards tie directly into the syllabus I provide students at the beginning of the year/semester/ quarter. I go over my expectations that clarify how students’ will be treated equitably and also show how my mission develops beyond their cognitive capacity. Students will also be informed that they all have differences in their physical abilities. Therefore, our goal is not explicitly to compete against one another, but build up peers when they are struggling. Working with others in a positive manner by utilizing each other’s strengths and empathizing with weaknesses to achieve a common goal. Furthermore, I focus on developing an understanding for student’s that they will be challenged in PE that will build their peer relationships, develop their character, empathize with peer differences, and create a more positive self-concept of themselves. Implementation: When I have a new class of students, I make sure to provide everyone with a syllabus, as well as go over the document to explicitly go over the expectations of my class and how students will be expected to treat themselves, myself, equipment, and their peers. Furthermore, I discuss with students that PE is not an explicitly competitive class that thrives off winning and losing. Instead, I shift student focus to challenge themselves through a variety of fitness-based challenges and learn to work with people of varying backgrounds, experiences and skill abilities. This day marks the beginning of establishing expectations that students will be treated equitably, as well as create a positive
and caring environment where students know they will be treated respectfully and their differences will not be exploited. Step by Step: Syllabus day is within the first couple days of class to pre-teach expectations before unwanted behaviors rear their heads. We meet as a class either in the gym or commons. I will hand each individual student a syllabus and we will go through the expectations for class and how they will be assessed. During this process, students can raise their hands to ask questions that they may have, but this is platform for me to get across to students early, that poor sportsmanship and putting other people down because of their physical ability will not be tolerated. We discuss specifically the phrase “Fair is not Equal” and what that means to them. Surprisingly, many middle school students cannot accurately pinpoint or give an example of what this means. I often show the image of three different people of varying heights attempting to watch a game over a fence. If you were to give them all the same size box (equal), only the tallest would have a great view, the middle would have partial view and the shortest would have no view of the game. This puts into context of what the term “equal” means and what it means to be “fair”. We then discuss that fair would be that the varying spectators should have boxes that are equal to their needs; tallest with no box, middle with normal box and shortest with a large box. I can relate this to students who may need more support from myself, as well as other peers in class proficient in the skill to help them be successful. I will explain not all of you learn the same or have the same experiences so therefore, you will not all be treated the same in the respect of how I teach to you specifically. I will provide all students with what they need individually to be successful! What Went Well: What went well is the discussion through the syllabus. Students can often times dread this experience, as it often times can be dry and just be the teacher talking, but I allow for discussion from students on what their thoughts are on the expectations of class i.e., “fair is not always equal”. I know the discussion went well because several students were able to provide examples and answers to what these expectations would look like in their PE class. What Didn’t Go Well: What did not go well is some students do not engage in the process and use this as a “check out” time. Some students hide in the background and do not engage in the discussion and is often time the same group of students willing to talk and provide feedback.
What I Would Change: Next time I would change things up by having students get split up into groups of 4 or 5 to discuss amongst each other to discuss the expectations they see on the syllabus and brainstorm one example of how they could include a peer they recognize is struggling either physically, emotionally, socially etc. This process would allow students to critically think of how they can recognize disadvantaged peers but also, empathize with the student and brainstorm how to include them in the activity. Furthermore, students would obtain more power over their choices in PE because they have personally thought out what and how they should include and accommodate other students despite their differences. Personal and Professional Impact: This process allows me to reflect on my own character and ask myself if I am demonstrating the same expectations and core values that I expect of my students. While being a role model for me for my students, this process has allowed me to reflect on my competitive spirit but in a positive way. I focus on a competitive environment that is focused on effort rather than results. This new focus allows me to be aware of people who are struggling and how I can help them. Lastly, I focus on trying my best and giving my best effort in all aspects of my life. It is only fair to reflect on these life skills because I continually ask this of my students as they meet a variety of different challenges and activities throughout my course that they may not enjoy. Student Impact: Students understand right away that my class is not like their “traditional PE class” which consists of constant, miserable running and a hard-nosed teacher that is on you like a drill sergeant. Students realize I am an understanding adult that recognizes the difficulties they go through physically, socially and emotionally on a daily basis. I encourage students to continue to positively communicate with myself so we can work out just about any situation in class. Furthermore, I encourage students to carry over that same conflict resolution, communication skills, understanding and empathy for less-fortunate students to their other classes in school, as well as throughout their life. Research: My research comes primarily from Hacking School Discipline: 9 Ways to Create a Culture of Empathy & Responsibility using Restorative Justice by Nathan
Maynard & Brad Weinstein. This book includes a variety of different “hacks” that help teachers create a positive and empathic culture in their classroom. This culture lends itself to decreased behavioral issues and more empathetic student views towards one another. This book gave me many behavioral resources to understand and communicate with students that emulates a positive and trusting culture.
*Insert Syllabus Front Page Here*
STANDARD TWO: EDUCATORS KNOW THE SUBJECTS THEY TEACH AND HOW TO TEACH THOSE SUBJECTS TO STUDENTS Substandard(s): 2.1, 2.2 Artifact: Student Workout Plan 2.1 Educators Appreciate How Knowledge in Their Subjects is Created, Organized and Linked to Other Disciplines 2.2 Educators Command Specialized Knowledge of how to Convey a Subject to Students What the 2.1 and 2.2 sub standards mean to me is related to how connected and knowledgeable I am in my specific content. More specifically, how I create, organize and deliver my content to my students. Knowing the content is important, but how you deliver your content to students is crucial. My artifact is related to the sub standards because I have knowledge in the realm of exercise science, how the body works at an anatomical and physiological level, and also how the different planes of movement within the body apply to working out. I also reflect on how I can create and organize workout plan expectations so it is developmentally appropriate for students. I also link this activity to our health curriculum where students get more textbook knowledge on physical activity and fitness and apply that knowledge in PE. Implementation/Step by Step: First, the health instructor and myself discuss the components of fitness and what necessitates an effective workout plan for 10 th grade students. We use the components of fitness (Muscular strength, muscular endurance, cardiovascular, and flexibility) and the guidelines for physical activity as our foundation. This serves as foundational knowledge for students as to why we are doing this activity and the importance of creating and following a structured workout plan.
Next, we cover key terms and specific lifts and workouts students can choose from. Having common language in the weight room allows for students to effectively communicate on what they need to complete but also relates to safety. We also go over target heart rate and the benefit of working out in one’s target heart rate zone. We work on defining specific weight room/workout terminology, as well as how to calculate their own target heart rate. Last, we spend a day demonstrating proper lifting form and the safety reasons behind lifting properly. This is also time for students to practice lifts and get corrective feedback. Afterwards, students will be given workout logs with 8 different compound or machine lifts with a variety of different ab workouts. Students, with their prior knowledge of the workouts, demonstrated how they benefit the human body anatomically, they choose up to 4 lifts and 3 ab workouts each day we are in the weight room. What Went Well: What went well is that students asked plenty of questions regarding lifts/workouts and how they can see the personal benefits they want to see. Some students want to lift lighter and tone their body, others want to lift heavier and build muscles and others want to focus more on cardio. For these students, I would work with them to tailor their programs to incorporate their needs. Having students ask questions and adapting their workout plans gets them to buy in more to the program because they have more ownership over it. For the students that were indifferent or did not want to work out, this structured workout plan was easier for me to assess what they do in the weight room each day. I have tried in the past to allow them to choose their own workouts but that results in a lot of students congregating and not being productive. What Did not Go Well: I needed to spend more time discussing sets and reps and the importance of rest breaks between sets. For example, a student performed all 24 reps of squats at one time instead of performing 3 sets of 8 reps. There were a couple of lower skilled students that did not understand that the purpose of workouts is not to get through them as fast as you can. Therefore, I would discuss with these students the importance of resting between sets and encourage them to lift heavier if they can do a workout 24 reps in a row. What I Would Change: I would like to develop 3 unique workout plans. One that focuses on building strength and gaining muscle mass. One that focuses on lighter weight, burning fat and toning. Last, one that incorporates some lifting but has more focus on plyometrics, cardio and abs. Everyone has different goals as to why they want to work out and there is not a one size fits all approach. My
goal is to have students enjoy coming into the weight room or working out outside of the school day so I want to provide them with the knowledge they need to develop or find a workout plan they can follow. I have tried having students prepare a workout from scratch but it was a very long and tedious process to complete in PE, where my goal is to get them moving. Some students that took health first semester would be able to develop this plan in class and carry it over to PE second semester. But this plan would not work for students in PE right away. Also, I would like to spend more time on creating SMART goals and an effective way to track each student’s progress. I believe this would give them more ownership over their workout effort and give them something to strive for. Personal and Professional Impact: The impact this had on me was it encouraged me to review and study effective workouts and lifting form more in depth so I could teach this to students. Furthermore, this impacted how I lift as I researched and realized some things I wanted to change to my personal program or maybe something incorrect with my own form. It also encourages me to continue to work out on a continuous basis so I can be that role model for students. Student Impact: The impact I want this to have on students is combat the anxiety and stress that comes with the phrase “let us go workout” or “weight room” in general. Many students, primarily those who feel they are weak or have little experience doing specialized workouts, are afraid that their peers will watch and laugh at them. By structuring this program and going over preworkout expectations that everyone has different goals and physical abilities, I could cast away a lot of those underlying stressors, and many of these students noticed themselves building strength and feeling better overall from having a workout even a couple days a week. I do not know for sure but This will hopefully impact students to carry out a workout plan outside of school. Research: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain talks distinctly about the necessity of a fitness-based PE curriculum and the benefits of a fitness-based curriculum for not only students’ physical health but also their mental, emotional and social health. The book also talks in depth about the link between daily physical activity that is fitness based and academic success in schools.
*Insert Student Workout Plan Here*
STANDARD TWO: EDUCATORS KNOW THE SUBJECTS THEY TEACH AND HOW TO TEACH THOSE SUBJECTS TO STUDENTS Substandard(s): 2.3, 2.4 Artifact: Bodybuilding.com/exercises website 2.3 Educators Generate Multiple Paths to Knowledge 2.4 Educators Use Instructional Technology Effectively The implementation of this artifact ties into how I implemented standards 2.1 and 2.2. This technology resource is a workout database for students to research and expand their knowledge within the context of performing physical activities. I give my students a path to knowledge through direct instruction and expertise. This database gives them multiple paths to a variety of holistic and targeted workouts that they can include into their program. I also introduce this website in class and show students how to navigate the database. Students have time to access their chrome books or phones (with permission) to navigate this database during the learning stages of the workout program and I encourage students to explore the website, as well as other fitness-based sites they may come across. We do discuss misconceptions and false/inaccurate information on the internet because there is a lot of it. Therefore, we briefly discuss what makes a site valid and reliable and what aspects would raise red flags. We discuss who is the author of the content and what are their credentials. We focus on finding medical professionals who are publishing information specifically but that physical trainers and therapists can be an excellent resource for how to perform the workout itself. Implementation/Step by Step: After I introduced the workout plan and discussed weight room safety I, introduce this database to the class. I pull it up on a projector on the wall in the weight room so if students have questions about a workout or how to adapt it with the resources we have, we can discuss and
demonstrate that in the moment. I post the link on Google Classroom first and show students where that link is always accessible to them. I open the link and break down, page by page, what different information they can access. Essentially, the primary page I focus on is the male and female model. These models have arrows pointing to specific muscle regions with links for users to click on. For example, if I wanted to focus on hamstrings, I can see visually on the model where the hamstrings are at and click the link. This link will bring me to a page with a list of a variety of different hamstring focused workouts. We also navigate the filter on the webpage. For example, users can select workouts with no equipment, dumbbells, machines, etc.… We have limited exercise machines in our weight room, so this is beneficial for students to navigate different ways to target muscle groups even if resources are limited. Last, I give all students time at the end of class to navigate the database with or without a partner. I have no specific objective other than I want them to just feel comfortable accessing the link and navigating the website at this point. I will continue to direct students back to this database if they want to attempt new workouts or incorporate something different into their structured plan. What Went Well: Students seemed to have a better understanding of what workouts target specific muscle groups by visually seeing the graphics provided on the bodybuilding exercise database. I could observe this in students when they would come and ask if they could access the database on my computer to research different workouts for the muscle groups they were attempting to target. It also made redirection of students not meeting expectations much easier because I could always direct them to the database. What Didn’t Go Well: There are several workouts in the database that require specific machines that our weight room doesn’t have available. I was not as proactive with explaining this barrier so I had several questions related to how students’ complete certain workouts with the absent machines. What I Would Change: Proactively communicate that there are workouts listed within the database that cannot be completed due to lack of resources in the weight room. I could also mention that some of the workouts could be modified using bodyweight or free weights and demonstrate how that modification can take place. Personal and Professional Impact: Personally, I will access this database if I am working out to research new exercises to incorporate into my own workout plan.
This database can also give me a variety of ancillary lifts I can complete no matter what workout plan I am completing. Professionally, this resource continually refreshes my knowledge of the biomechanics and exercise science related content I need to know to effectively educate students. The database provides videos and descriptions on how to correctly perform the lift with accurate form. This knowledge I can relay to my students to ensure they achieve maximum benefit of the workouts they complete, as well as protect themselves from injury. Student Impact: Students obtain a visually/auditory accessible database that can break-down components of lifts that they can incorporate into their workout programs for school. Students can also access this resource to create or modify workout plans for their own use outside of the school setting. As I mentioned above, the database provides video with auditory and written description breakdowns of lifts. This ensures users achieve maximum benefits of the workout and reduce the risk of injuries associated with improperly lifting. Research: Many of my thoughts and observations within this standard derive from research provided in Kid’s Deserve It: Pushing Boundaries and Challenging Conventional Thinking by Todd Nesloney and Adam Welcome. I have observed other PE teachers and workout plans that follow a very traditional and structured framework. This concept does not allow students freedom to access knowledge on their own, challenge their prior knowledge, or push themselves out of their comfort zone in a weight room/workout setting. Many students are intimidated by the weight room and a lot of this comes down to lack of confidence due to minimal knowledge of weight room safety and concepts of lifting. This book challenged my thinking of providing students with a predetermined workout template. While this would have been much easier for me to develop, approve and provide to students; students would not be able to take control of their learning. As a result, will not buy into the program. By allowing students to develop their own plan, research their own lifts and how to perform them, it allows students to achieve personal goals they have set for themselves by tailoring a workout plan that fits their needs. This results in more motivation to complete workouts as they can track their progress.
STANDARD THREE: TEACHERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MANAGING AND MONITORING STUDENT LEARNING Substandard(s): 3.1, 3.2, 3.5 Artifact: Cooperative Team Activity-Wall Ball 3.1 Educators Call on Multiple Methods to Meet Their Goals 3.2 Educators Facilitate Learning in Group Settings. 3.5 Educators Emphasize Principle/Critical Objectives What standard three means to me is finding unique and creative ways to help students engage in learning. Having a plethora of instructional strategies will challenge students learn in a variety of ways while still reaching our academic goals as an educator. Furthermore, educators have to be able to manage student learning in their environment to ensure that all students are meeting the lesson objectives. Last, I believe it is important for the educator to emphasize the principle or critical objective clearly to students so they understand the ‘why?’ of the lesson. This transparency of lesson objectives will allow students to engage in a deeper level of learning. Implementation/Step by Step: The wall ball activity is a cooperative activity that engages students to work together, support one another and think critically and creatively to achieve a common goal. I commonly implement this brief activity at the beginning of the school year to help build peer relationships between students. Furthermore, this activity gives me an instructional foundation to explain to students that working positively with others and supporting one another are expectations I have for them every day. I enter the gym with a large exercise ball. This immediately grabs a majority of students’ attention. I enthusiastically ask them to follow me to the far wall of the gymnasium and instruct them to all lay on their backs with their feet up on the wall. At this point, I will explain the wall ball activity and the parameters they need to meet. First, they must work together to move the ball down the length
of the wall using only their feet to pass it to the person next to them. Once they are confident the next person has secured the ball, they need to jog down to the end of the line and assume the position to prepare to receive the ball again. Prior to starting is when I also explain the necessity of working together and having a positive attitude even if a classmate drops the ball. When the ball reaches the end of the wall, the last person needs to kick the ball up into the air into the pit of students behind them. Someone must catch the ball and not allow it to hit the ground to successfully complete the activity. At this point, I will praise their teamwork and positivity and this often carries over to our next activity. If necessary, I will use this time to discuss frustrations and negative behaviors and why we feel that way. I allow students to have time to speak and have their frustrations be heard but I always finish reiterating our expectations for class and that positivity and teamwork are critical life skills that will benefit students through the duration of this class and life. What Went Well: What went well was the overwhelming support and positivity I observed from even the most competitive students. These select few students are often the ones ‘chirping’ at other classmates during team games in PE. It was refreshing to see them coaching other classmates and giving advice on how to get the ball down the wall because they were all on the same team now with a common objective! This activity also allows every student to be engaged in the lesson because there is not an opportunity for them to sit out or hide in the background because they need to stay in their order as they move the ball. Many students were smiling, laughing, solving problems when the ball was stuck or another challenge arises. Furthermore, I added the final kick and catch at the end as an exciting finale to the activity. Students cheered and high-fived each other when they all worked together to achieve a common goal! What Did not Go Well: The first time I introduced this activity, I did not mention that students must stay in the same order so some would ‘cheat’ and move out of their order. I also only had a couple students that really struggled If someone did drop the ball or make a mistake. What I Would Change: One thing I would change to deter the mentioned behaviors above would be more explicitly explaining the expectations more clearly at the beginning and the ‘why?’ of the activity could help deter these behaviors. I could also split the class into two teams and put them on separate ends of the gym so students get more engagement with moving the ball with their team.
Personal and Professional Impact: Personally, and professionally, this cooperative activity reminds me that I need to lead by example and remember to work collaboratively and support my colleagues as well. Furthermore, this gives me another outlet to meet some of the PE cooperative standards in the form of an activity that students enjoy. I will also come back to this activity or a variety of this activity if I have a class that is very competitive and negative behaviors are apparent. This activity sets a positive tone for the rest of the class and sometimes helps reset some of those negative behaviors that arise in PE. Student Impact: The impact on students is that it involves students on polar opposite ends of the athletic scale. The most competitive to the least athletic student all share an equal part in this activity and this levels the playing field. The equity of student involvement to achieve a common goal empowers students and makes them feel confident to all be working together. I have also noticed cooperative activities such as this has helped positively shift attitudes of students who were struggling coming into class initially. Furthermore, students observe how good they feel to help others and work cooperatively and this mindset carries throughout the class and beyond! Research: Emotional Poverty in All Demographics by Ruby K. Payne highlights much of the psychological impact emotional poverty that is often observed in school settings. This book digs into strategies to help reduce anger, anxiety, and violence in the classroom. For a handful of students who do not enjoy PE is often linked back to the either feelings of shame, humiliation or guilt they feel performing physical activities in front of peers or a fear of letting other down. PE can easily become an environment where students can feel ‘less than’ or ‘separate from’ their other peers but this ultimately comes down to how the specific educator manages the class. These cooperative activities, such as wall ball, allows students to experience a since of equity when working together and combats the feelings of ‘less than’ and ‘separate from’ because they are actively involved in achieving a common goal together!
STANDARD THREE: TEACHERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MANAGING AND MONITORING STUDENT LEARNING Substandard(s): 3.3, 3.4 Artifact: Daily Grade Book 3.3 Educators Focus on Student Engagement 3.4 Educators Regularly Assess Student Progress Standard 3.3 and 3.4 is an area of my teaching I have been actively trying to improve in. Especially in physical education, I believe engagement and student progress is strongly related. I believe these two concepts are also directly correlated, because if students are not actively engaged in the lesson and activities each day, they will not provide a true measure of their academic, or in this case, physical and social progress. Student engagement is crucial in education because if students are not actively engaged, they check out mentally and do not learn and retain information as effectively. Furthermore, student brains and bodies need to be frequently stimulated through movement or challenges within a lesson. When this active learning process is implemented in a classroom, I can clearly identify student progress throughout the lesson and unit. Implementation/Step by Step: My current practice is assessing student engagement and progress via daily points that are recorded into a written grade book each day. Students obtain a majority of their points based on overall engagement and their ability to work with other classmates in a positive manner on a daily basis. For example, students were introduced to a Kan-Jam (frisbee) unit. The first couple days students were paired up with a partner and would practice tossing a frisbee back and forth. I take this time to visually observe students’ ability to not only be able to throw a frisbee accurately and consistently to their partner, but also how they interact and work productively. Students overall grade each day is directly impacted by their engagement in an activity, regardless of their skill level, and their ability to work with their partner
and/or classmates. Furthermore, I will jot down any brief notes near their name based on their skill and cooperative levels. This process allows me to pair students evenly based on ability for Kan-Jam gameplay. Students’ progress can be tracked by observing daily points and observational notes that are kept within my grade book each day. What Went Well: What went well is that I could efficiently observe and record student engagement and monitor progress in the grade book based off their daily points and a brief comment for justification. This gave me a daily reflection on student’s abilities, engagement and can easily track their progress day by day and intervene if necessary. This efficient process allows me to interact with students and provide more constructive feedback compared to be being behind a clipboard and checking skills constantly. What Did not Go Well: After much thinking and research, this is not a best practice for tracking student engagement and academic progress, regardless of this being a very normal practice for many PE instructors. This grading process, that was common practice throughout the PE dept, also grades arbitrarily on behavior, dress code, and engagement based on my personal observation. This can subliminally cause students to be graded inaccurately because student engagement looks very different from child to child. For example, an athletic, fit student could receive full credit because they are able to perform activities much more effortlessly but physically do not challenge themselves. On the other hand, an unfit student could be working at the peak of their heart rate max but their effort may not look as engaging as the prior student. What I Would Change: I have pushed for this resource for a couple years now but because of lack of funds, we have not been able to accomplish it. Several school districts have been begun implementing the use of heart rate monitors that can actively track and provide instant feedback to students and the teacher on their engagement level. Heartrates can be anonymously projected on a wall in the gym and students are given a number or ID so they can see their heart rate in real time. This would also provide for more objective feedback and grading that more accurately portrays the student’s engagement and physical progress in class. Personal and Professional Impact: This process of focusing on student engagement and assessing student engagement has been the standard I have been exposed to since I began my teaching career. As I have progressed in my teaching experience and knowledge of best practice, I have taken more
initiative to go against the norm of physical education grading and expectations. Personally, I have been able to reflect on my experiences in PE in the past and how I felt about grading practices as a student. Professionally, I am expanding my knowledge and opening my mind to new resources to assess student progress in a physical education classroom. Student Impact: The impact for students is that my grading process gives them a general overview and reflection on their engagement in PE that directly impacts their progress. I am able to spend more time interacting and working one-onone with students rather than focusing on skills checklists and they enjoy that interaction. I can tell they enjoy our teacher-student interaction because they are laughing, smiling, working productively with their partner and asking questions if they need too. I believe students should be able to be provided more specific feedback instantaneously on their engagement during lessons in PE. Research: Grading Smarter Not Harder: By Myron Dueck Much of my research came from the book Grading Smarter Not Harder, which focuses on “assessment strategies that motivate kids and help them learn” (Dueck, 2014). This book gave me insight on assessment practices that will provide students with much more sensitive feedback that motivates them to learn because it deters impractical grading measures. One example is giving student’s 0’s for missing work. This demotivates students because of the negative finality that a 0 in the gradebook emulates. This book also helped me organize my grading practice and revise whether or not I was grading more on behavior or on academics. This allowed me to reflect on the norms in PE assessments and grading. I realized that much of our PE practices focus on behavior related concepts and very little on the academic nature of physical education. This research will serve as a foundation for my assessment practices in the future.
*Insert Daily Grade Book Here*
STANDARD #4: EDUCATORS THINK SYSTEMATICALLY ABOUT THEIR PRACTICE AND LEARN FROM EXPERIENCE Substandard(s): 4.1: Educators regularly model ethically reasoned judgements as they engage in daily decision-making within their learning community. Artifact: Thank you note- Student-Athlete What standard 4 means to me is that educators consistently reflect on their teaching and overall practice. Critical thinking and reflecting on how to effectively reach specific demographics of students, build relationships, become involved in extracurricular activities and all the other aspects that fall into an educator’s career, are of key importance when thinking of a successful educator. Furthermore, how do teachers reflect on things that have went well or wrong with lessons, relationships, classroom expectations, coaching, etc. and how do they continue to learn from those positive and/or negative experiences to continue to grow as an educator. What substandard 4.1 means to me is how do teachers conduct themselves inside and outside of the school building that emulates ethical and moral judgment that students can regularly observe. Every day, teachers are put under the microscope for every decision they make in their professional and personal life. Therefore, how do teacher’s daily decision-making in their community represent ethically reasoned judgement that students and members of the community can look up to. My artifact of a thank note from a student that I had in class and as an athlete, ties directly to this substandard and shows how I conduct myself in a professional manner while connecting with students/athletes on a deeper level. Implementation/Step by Step: This substandard is unique in the sense that I cannot necessarily pinpoint a step-by-step implementation process on how it is
achieved. Overall, whether the environment is my classroom or wherever I am coaching, setting clear expectations of what I expect to see (physically, mentally, emotionally, socially) from my students and athletes is clear and concise. I explain the reasoning behind the expectations I have for students and remind them that I hold them all to a similar high standard because challenging them is the only way they will continue to grow academically and as a beneficial member of society. I have open discussions with students/athletes on concerns they have before we even begin class or practice and I emulate that communication is a primary factor for success on my team, in my class and in life. By being proactive with expectations for students, I begin to build a relationship with them right away and it deters unwanted behaviors so the learning environment is much more positive and focused. Lastly, I discuss the important of social and emotional health and am very transparent with students on how important these dimensions of health are. Furthermore, I am open with students that the content we need to learn always comes second to their socialemotional needs. If students have personal issues, I open that door for communication for them to talk to me and work out a plan so we can discuss issues they are having that are deterring them from being academically successful. What Went Well: What went well is in numerous cases the “thank yous” either in cards or in person, that indicate I made a positive impact on that individual’s life. It is reassuring to know as an educator and a coach, that I can make that kind of difference in someone’s life and it feels really good to do so. Obviously, educators do not actively strive for to be thanked or be given gifts, but it definitely feels nice to be recognized and know that someone thinks of you as a role model. What Did not Go Well: What did not go well but I believe is a part of the process, is I had to make decisions and have numerous conversations with students, athletes and parents, that were not always very well received or unpopular in the moment. Holding kids accountable, holding them to a higher standard, challenging them when they want to give up – is always going to have pushback because it is not what they want to do or hear at that moment. Sometimes things are said or done in the “heat of the moment” as well, that are often regretfully taken back by either one or both sides, but these are moments of growth for students, athletes, teachers and coaches. What I Would Change: I am constantly revising my beginning of the year expectations and while I know how to work with student behavior’s and
expectations related to social-emotional learning well; I often struggle to tie in the proactive expectations for the academic side of things cohesively. Things such as implementing best practice in grading, assignments, quizzes/tests are things I muddle through and feel like I am changing on the fly each year with new information I hear. I would like a more structured discussion and plan for students and athletes so I am not missing any key aspects. Personal and Professional Impact: The impact on my personal and professional life is very interconnected. As I mentioned before, teachers are held to a high standard in their communities. Educators’ personal and professional lives are often intertwined and observed as one. Getting thank you cards from students and athletes personally impacts me in a way that makes me feel great that I could help somebody, sometimes without even being aware that I did anything special. Furthermore, my personality has grown more in an empathetic and giving nature due to the experience I obtain in an educational setting. Therefore, people I meet in my personal life I can connect with and learn from much like I would do with my students in a professional setting. Professionally, tokens of appreciation are small gestures that have kept pushing me to become a better educator and continue in the profession even when I had intense doubts of leaving. Spread positivity and it always comes back in return in some way and it is that thrill that encourages me to educate and inspire young people. Student Impact: The student impact that I have observed is that they have an adult role model that they may not have otherwise in their life. Someone to support them in specific or all dimensions of health depending on their needs. At the very least, having someone they trust in a school setting that they feel comfortable talking to is a huge step in the right direction for a lot of these students. Research: Primarily the research for this substandard come from the book Emotional Poverty in All Demographics by Ruby K. Payne. This book talked in depth on how to reduce anger, anxiety and violence in the classroom but more specifically, it discusses how to teach students about their brains and how they can actively calm themselves. Furthermore, how students can build strong inner selves, identify and addressing students with social and emotional needs and also how teachers can recognize their own emotional needs while advocating for well-being of their students. This book gave me a lot to think about with regards on how to proactively work with my students of all backgrounds and recognize that there are many students that suffer with emotional poverty. With
this being said, recognizing and addressing these students’ needs allows educators to build trusting and caring relationships that can last a lifetime.
STANDARD #4: EDUCATORS THINK SYSTEMATICALLY ABOUT THEIR PRACTICE AND LEARN FROM EXPERIENCE Substandard(s): 4.2- Educators seek the advice of others and draw on education research and scholarship to improve their practice. 4.3- Educators make decisions based on knowledge of the historical, philosophical, and social foundations of education. Artifact: New Teacher Orientation Workshop Agenda/Info What standard 4 means to me is that educators consistently reflect on their teaching and overall practice. Critical thinking and reflecting on how to effectively reach specific demographics of students, build relationships, become involved in extracurricular activities and all the other aspects that fall into an educator’s career, are of key importance when thinking of a successful educator. Furthermore, how do teachers reflect on things that have went well or wrong with lessons, relationships, classroom expectations, coaching, etc. and how do they continue to learn from those positive and/or negative experiences to continue to grow as an educator. I believe substandard 4.2 and 4.3 are directly related to one another as far as how educators build on their knowledge to come make educationally sound decisions. Specifically, 4.2 means to me that an educator, whether they are a first-year teacher or a veteran, that they are open-minded and willing to learn from other educators. Furthermore, willing to adapt your teaching practices based on the latest educational research and keeping up with the most updated resources. Substandard 4.3 I believe is a result of an educator meeting substandard two. Without a willingness to be a life-long learner and continually grow in your educational knowledge, you will not able to make sound decisions based on historical, philosophical or social foundations.
Implementation/Step by Step: My new teacher workshop was comprised of three consecutive days in-person with a variety of different New Prague administrators and all new incoming staff. Day one of the workshop involved getting to know all the new staff and administrators, primarily principals and other head support staff in the district. Throughout day 1, we participated in a variety of icebreaker activities then reflected on how we could utilize these activities in our own classroom with social distancing protocols. Day one involved a lot of reflection and discussion on leadership and opportunities to grow as a leader within the district. Furthermore, we had guest speakers from the tech department and the coordinator for educational equity in the district. These coordinators for their respective departments shared necessary information for new teachers to transition comfortably into the district. Furthermore, the equity coordinator shared the current educational equity status and demographics of the district. With this background, he also covered services and best practices in within the district that create a much more welcoming environment for all students. Day 2 consisted of meeting and working with our newly appointed mentors. Upon meeting my mentor, I was able to ask questions, get to know each other, and bounce ideas of how to make the upcoming school year as productive and efficient as possible. My mentor was able to share and provide specific information to my position in the middle school and is a reliable resource for me to go whenever I have any questions. My day 3 takeaway was hearing from our assistant superintendent on the “New Prague Way”. While most school mission statements, from my perspective, are redundant and mundane. Our assistant superintendent was very passionate about this mission that is utilized at every level in the district and even shared with parents. He also gave countless stories on how teachers, students and administrators referenced the “New Prague Way” and how it reverted negative or unproductive behaviors back to the foundation of what our school district strives for. What Did not Go Well: Getting use to wearing a mask consistently all day was a new and uncomfortable experience. Furthermore, it was the first look into how much harder it can be to get to know and build relationships while remaining socially distanced. It is hard to know if people do not like you approaching them to talk with or without a mask outside, and how that will be received. Also, just being able to speak, share ideas, and discuss openly in a group, especially across the room, through a mask proved to be difficult. We also missed out a
few different community building opportunities where we would normally get to have lunch or meet and greet with members of community as new teachers due to the COVID pandemic. Overall, it has been overwhelming learning all the aspects of a new district, as well as navigating planning for the school year with the health protocols in place (that no one else also has any experience in). What I Would Change: Less health pandemic and more relationship/community building activities. Obviously, this is out of everyone’s control but this makes it harder to become more comfortable and known within the community. Only thing I would have maybe added, is more discussion on teaching with a mask and social distancing protocols. On the other hand, considering all the new teachers/support staff have a variety of different schedules, students, classroom layouts etc... it will be something more effectively discussed in our district workshop meetings in the upcoming weeks. Personal and Professional Impact: The personal impact was being to meet new colleagues and administrators in my district and beginning to form those new relationships. Professionally, I had a lot of information that was a refresher or added to functional knowledge I already had on certain things. I was almost able to collaborate with other educators and support staff on how to implement a variety of different activities for the upcoming school year given the circumstances surrounding having school during a health pandemic. Student Impact: The impact for students is hopefully having more prepared teachers that are going to teach to their specific needles regardless of the unusual school environment. With the workshops, I am able to build on previous knowledge and gain new knowledge that all links back to what is best for students. Research:
STANDARD #5: EDUCATORS ARE MEMBERS OF LEARNING COMMUNITIES Substandard(s): 5.1- Educators contribute to school effectiveness by collaborating with other professionals Artifact: Graduate School Admissions Letter What this standard means to means to me is how educators connect with other groups of educators and professionals, not only in their content area but educators from all grade levels and backgrounds. This allows teachers to view teaching and perspectives from a variety of lenses to continue becoming a lifelong learner. What this standard and substandard mean to me is that an educator is willing to adapt their teaching based on modern research as well as, collaborate with others in the profession to share and implement best practices. It is not about doing things “your way” or doing things the same way because “that is how it has always been”. We learn more every year as more research is done on how to effectively educate our young people. Teachers cannot have a selfcentered, egotistical personality because they will not listen to others on how to improve their teaching practice. Implementation/Step by Step: My plan to go back for my masters has bounced around in my mind since I was still in my undergrad program at Minnesota State University, Mankato. After three years of teaching, I decided to pursue my master’s in education through SMSU the fall of 2019. I weighed the pros and cons of returning to school by myself, with my family and colleagues. After much thought, I contacted SMSU graduate studies department and asked for more information regarding a master’s of education program. I was anxious at the idea of taking on this new challenge with teaching and coaching full time, but I was feeling as if I was in a rut with my teaching practice in my previous district. I also have had aspirations of eventually moving into a more administrative role and take on challenges at that level to positively impact students. In the end, I
was late enrolling but was accepted and felt excited when I opened up my accepted admission letter to the masters of education through SMSU. What Did not Go Well: I did not have a lot of guidance on how to take on this new challenge so I learned a lot on my own; as far as applying, student aid (again), approving ceu’s/classes through the district etc. Also, I was initially told (or misunderstood) the actual start date for class so I was not accepted and had the information necessary to start class by the first meeting. Fortunately, I was openly welcomed into this learning community and got settled in with the help of Tanya, Jay and Jenna (facilitators of the program). What I Would Change: Getting more information and research done earlier so I was not so rushed moving into the program in the fall. Regardless, I am still happy I went through with the process and thoroughly enjoy the classmates and facilitators I have during this new chapter in my life. Personal, Professional & Student Impact: Personally, this step has challenged me to be more open minded about students, adults and anyone I interact with in my life. Not only has this program helped me grow a more empathetic and diverse perspective mindset in my teaching, but also in my life. I have been able to have more in-depth, educated discussions with friends and family where I would either say nothing at all because I did not want to engage in a conflict or a conversation about a sensitive topic would escalate into a conflict. This program has helped me listen and understand people’s point of view more and that has directly impacted my ability to build relationships with my students. I know how to more effectively think and respond to a variety of situations and how to build trust with my students so I am able to get more out of them. What I love about my career in teaching, is that a lot of what I do to improve as a teacher, has helped me improve as a human being. The impact this choice has had on my students is that this program has allowed me to grow as an educator and improve my practices. I have become a stronger leader, learned new teaching strategies, became a better communicator with students. These aspects have improved the quality of my teaching as well as, improving my ability to establish relationships with students. Research: https://www.smsu.edu/graduatestudies/index.html A majority of my research to learn and select a program came from the SMSU website. I was lured towards this university because of its originally proximity to where I lived/worked. Furthermore, I chose SMSU because of the high level of
achievement associated with the master’s program as I heard from many past alumni of the university.
STANDARD #5: EDUCATORS ARE MEMBERS OF LEARNING COMMUNITIES Substandard(s): 5.2- Educators work collaboratively with parents and families 5.3 – Educators engage community resources to enhance learning Artifact: Coaching Activities-Flag Football Standard #5 Educators are Members of Learning Communities Substandard(s): 5.2- Educators work collaboratively with parents and families 5.3 – Educators engage community resources to enhance learning Artifact: Coaching Activities-Flag Football What these sub standards mean to me is how an educator and coach, how I connect and actively collaborate and engage families and the greater school community. More specifically, how do I engage the community and families to be a more active role in students’ lives, academically and in extracurriculars. These sub standards relate educator’s ability to develop relationships with families and businesses in the communities to thoroughly understand student’s
backgrounds, values and beliefs and how to more effectively connect with young people because of that knowledge. Implementation/Step by Step: Youth flag football involves many different groups of people in the community. It is organized and systemically run through the city’s activities and recreation office and is actively supervised and run by the high school football team, players and coaches alike. Furthermore, this connects families in the community as they come out to watch their kids participate, have fun, learn new skills, and interact with older athletes who serve as their “coaches”. Students in grades K-6 are eligible to sign up and are divided into age-appropriate teams. Every Wednesday night during the football season starting in September, the football players and coaches create modified football fields, provide equipment and get athletes organized to play flag football for about an hour.
During this experience, I am able to connect with my athletes as I teach them how to positively interact with young athletes and teach them skills related to the game and sportsmanship. Furthermore, I get to connect with younger students, that I don’t get to interact with on a regular basis but also, I make connections with families that are watching. When the hour timeframe is up, we whistle for all athletes to “huddle up” in the center of the practice field. In this huddle we discuss positive aspects from the athletes that we like to see (sportsmanship, competition, being a good teammate, respect etc.) We also take that time to share information about the football game we have coming up that week and encourage those young athletes to come watch with their families and continue to learn the game.
Finally, we do our team breakdown with all the athletes, the same breakdown they see the varsity and jv players do at practice and during games. Lastly, student coaches help the young athletes with removing their belts, flags and putting away all equipment necessary to make this experience happen. What Went Well: What went well is seeing our high school athletes positively interact and be role models for the youth in the community. Some of our athletes have troubled home lives and I believe this was a great opportunity for them to have positive interactions with their peers and coach up some youth in the game of football. I could make this assumption based off of my observations
of athletes smiling, laughing and communicating with one another, as well as the young athletes. Coaches would trade off “calling a huddle”, would be down on a knee at the younger athlete’s eye level and actively be drawing up plays for them to run. What Did not Go Well: The primary concern I had during this experience is the varsity and jv football players not actively involved with their young athletes. Some are clearly disengaged, talking with teammates, throwing a football around and just overall, not engaged with the young athletes. This led to adult coaches having to redirect and manage both young and high school athletes on what the expectations were during flag football. What I Would Change: What I would change is explicitly lay out expectations for our high school athletes and what their job is as coaches for this hour of time with the flag football participants. I would also think about organizing coaching teams so certain high school athletes were not together because they fail to meet expectations when they are in close proximity to one another. Personal, Professional & Student Impact: Professionally, this impacted and provided me with a different perspective on how to coach my high school athletes. More specifically, giving them hints and tips on how to manage athlete behaviors, concerns during the experience, or how to positively coach players up. It also allowed me to see some athletes in a different light depending on how I observed them work with young people; some more positive and some more negative than I originally thought. The student impact, is they actively understand their adult coach’s point of view in different situations as they navigate on how to manage their teams. I notice some high school athletes recognizing the responsibilities and decisions coaches have to make as they discuss with their fellow teammates on how to best handle certain situations and when they come ask me to help them with concerns they are having. Personally, I am able to develop new relationships with my athletes, young athletes and the families in the community that come to watch. Furthermore, I get to be involved with the community recreation program on how to effectively run this program so we can keep participants involved and engaged. Research: Every Teacher a Leader: Developing the Needed Dispositions, Knowledge, and Skills for Teacher Leadership by: Levin and Schrum
STANDARD #6: EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP
Standard #6 Educational Leadership Substandard(s): 6.1 Classroom Leadership Artifact: Personal Fitness and Wellness Curriculum What this standard means to me is how I, as an educator, advocate for my profession and engage myself with opportunities outside of teaching to improve education for my district, my class, my students and the greater community. Leadership comes in many different forms and everyone has their own style of leadership. Therefore, this substandard means to me that every teacher has a unique approach to being a leader in their classroom as far as how they are involved. Implementation/Step by Step: Starting in August of 2020, I accepted a new position as a Personal Fitness and Wellness teacher at New Prague Middle School. The process of interviewing, accepting and moving into this new role, had several unknowns but the biggest was the curriculum to be implemented. This is the first year this class has been implemented at the middle school so I have become in charge of developing a fitness and wellness curriculum, that also focuses on social-emotional learning. Without another middle school cohort, I have been working independently creating, borrowing and adapting lessons throughout the first trial year of this class to develop a curriculum that will help meet several physical education and health standards not met in those traditional class settings. Therefore, I have taken a leadership role to develop a foundation for this class as the district hopes to approve a 2nd personal fitness and wellness class at the middle school which would require another teacher. What Went Well: What went well is that the current health teachers had developed a template of topics that are covered between their health classes and what topics should be included in personal fitness and wellness. This allows for them to move more efficiently through their health curriculum and gave me some direction on what units I need to develop for my 6th-8th graders. What Did not Go Well: COVID. COVID-19 has thrown a wrench into many of my plans and my overall ability to adjust to a new school, new class, new students etc.… Many of the ideas I had initially when I accepted the position, had to be put on the way side because of the numerous COVID-19 restrictions, recommendations and different learning models. This has somewhat caused me to move into a “survival mode” style for the first year as education overall looks much different than it has in the past 4 years of my teaching. What I Would Change: Less COVID would be nice. That is out of my control though so I need to continually manage my own stress and adapt as necessary. What I would change, and will change moving forward, is attempt to have more discussions with the fitness and wellness teacher at the high school. I wasn’t originally made aware that there was someone of a similar position as me at the high school. Therefore, we could
actively work together to develop a sequential curriculum that prepares the students I have in 6th-8th grade to take the fitness and wellness course in high school if they so choose. Personal, Professional & Student Impact: The personal impact this has had on me is both positive and negative. Positively, this opportunity got me out of my “teaching rut” that I was in at my previous district and challenged me to branch out and try new things. I made a big move, all by myself that required a lot of personal changes as well that I had to adapt to. Negatively, I have been monumentally stressed. This has caused some health concerns that required medical intervention to help alleviate the overwhelming feelings I had been having.
Professionally, this new position has expanded my knowledge and teaching style as I have had to take on a brand new style of class and develop a curriculum on my own. This has been a stressful up and down sequence of events but overall has been a beneficial change in my life as an educator. Student impact is that students have a class that teaches them practical life skills to not only become more fit (learning how to lift, lift properly, safety, nutrition, stress management etc..) but are building confidence in themselves to carry these skills over into their everyday life. I aim to have my class be a stress-free area. Where we focus on what students need in that specific moment and how can we actively make a change for the better. Research: Every Teacher a Leader: Developing the Needed Dispositions, Knowledge, and skills for Teacher Leadership by Barbara B. Levin and Lynne Schrum.
Standard #6 Educational Leadership Substandard(s): 6.2 District Leadership 6.3 Community and/or Global Leadership Artifact: Athletics Supervisor
What this standard means to me is how I, as an educator, advocate for my profession and engage myself with opportunities outside of teaching to improve education for my district, my class, my students and the greater community. Leadership comes in many different forms and everyone has their own style of leadership. Compared to standard to sub-standard 6.1, sub-standards 6.2 and 6.3 are sequential steps forward on how teachers can branch out from their classroom bubble and become leaders throughout their district and community. Implementation/Step by Step: I have not had much of an opportunity to become a district or community leader in my new position yet in New Prague so I am going to focus back on a leadership opportunity I had in my previous district. My final year in Pipestone, I asked about becoming a supervisor at athletic events. I was interested in this because I have actively pursuing becoming an athletic director or moving into a similar role in the future. Therefore, I asked our athletic director if their would-be opportunities for me to supervise athletic events on days I was not coaching. Within the next couple weeks, I was shadowing our athletic director or principal during athletic events to get a run-down on the tasks required of this position. After a few shadow experiences, I was on my own to help supervise Pipestone athletic events such as volleyball, girls’ basketball, wrestling and gymnastics. My initial tasks were having the money lock boxes, and programs distributed to the ticket workers as well as for the concession stand workers. I also needed to greet and show the officials for the night their locker room area, provide them necessary documents from our athletic director regarding their payment for services. Furthermore, escorted the visiting team and coaches to their locker room and ensured they had everything they needed prior to their event starting. During the event itself, I made rounds to ensure our workers had everything they needed, that youth were not roaming or running around in the common areas, assisting workers running the event directly (clock and book keepers). At the end of the night, I had to ensure all participants and fans had vacated the building, locked up the money lock-boxes and check that all access points to the event area were locked and secured. What Went Well: What went well is that I had shadow experiences that prepared me for taking on this leadership role by myself. It also gave me an opportunity to connect with people in the community, fellow colleagues in the district and coaches from opposing districts. I enjoyed making a lot of these different connections that I would not be able to otherwise. What Did not Go Well: There was nothing specific that did not go well during my experience but something I had thought of if there was a situation between fans or coaches where there would need to be intervention or a possible emergency arose. That I was not necessarily prepared for but I did mentally prepare for situations like that.
What I Would Change: Now that I am in a new district, I would like to attempt to see if I could be involved in a similar role in New Prague in the future. Personal, Professional & Student Impact: The personal impact this has had on me is my confidence in working and communicating with others. I had to take on new responsibilities that helped me grow in my personal life and also allowed me to connect with a variety of people in my community that I would not have necessarily without these experiences. Professionally, I got some insight on common task that is necessary for athletic directors at districts across the nation. I got to experience the responsibilities they have during these events and got some insight on the behind the scenes work that goes on that I was never aware of before. I am now more comfortable and confident taking on a task like this in the future. Student impact is that I got to watch a lot of students compete and were able to interact with them prior to their event. This helped developed positive relationships with many athletes I have as students as well. Research: Every Teacher a Leader: Developing the Needed Dispositions, Knowledge, and skills for Teacher Leadership by Barbara B. Levin and Lynne Schrum.