My Future Goals
The Next Chapter of Life Long Learning
It should come as no surprise that I love my job. It has been a dream of mine to teach since the second grade, and my dream to teach chemistry and physics specifically since high school. My path to teaching has been paved by a desire to help people. Whether it was tutoring my friends in advanced placement physics, setting up group rehearsals for band, or working as a supplemental instruction leader in college, I have always wanted to help others learn both inside and outside the classroom. As I continue down this path in the world of education, there are still several areas where I hope to grow. In particular, the use of inquiry in my teaching, being able to better serve my low performing and special needs students, and growing as a teacher leader are three things that I want to improve. While in many ways these skills are ones that I have already been hard at work on, they are areas that are so quintessential to my work that I feel the need to perfect them more over the course of my career. This improvement will allow me to better serve my students, colleagues, and school as a whole.

My first major goal is to continue learning more about integrating inquiry into classroom. Inquiry is big right now in the world of science for a few different reasons. First, it is important to make sure that our students have good critical thinking skills. We want our students to leave our classrooms with the ability to read and analyze data, share and explain scientific understandings, and develop solutions to complex real world problems. Secondly, this type of education aligns strongly with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) which are being widely implemented across the country. The integration of inquiry into the science classroom, in chemistry in particular, is a lengthy and complex process. It involves a complete shift in the way that things are taught. Instead of using labs as nebulous and concluding events, they must be used at the start of units and topics in a way that allows students to discover concepts and develop a strong understanding of the world around them. It is also vital that the role of the teacher changes. Instead of being the sage on the stage, a successful educator must be the meddler in the middle, providing opportunities for students to develop an understanding of the world around them. While there is a lot to learn in the world of inquiry based education, one of the best places to learn more about the topic is through a deep investigation of the Next Generation Science Standards. Specifically, I have yet to full read the cross-cutting concepts and engineering practices which are meant to bolster the critical thinking skills my students must gain in my class. Study of the NGSS website coupled with training using the Next Generation Science Exemplar-Based Professional Learning System (NGSX training) will allow me to achieve this goal.

My second major goal is to learn how to better serve my underperforming and low level learners. Currently I teach both chemistry and a low level physics course. While both classes are wildly different, they both serve students who struggle due to a variety of reasons. In chemistry the rigor and pacing of the course have to be maintained, so I hope to find ways to better provide my students with study skills, vocabulary, and mathematics. I want to ensure all of my students are able to gain an understanding of the material I teach. In my low level physics class, I want to continue to find ways to better scaffold the material so that they are challenged, but have the tools needed to reach a certain level of success. With a large group of students absent for a variety of reasons in this course, I also hope to develop a way to better serve students who miss large portions of my class. A large part of my growth in this area will be gained through continued study which I hope to do as I work on my doctorate, and collaboration with our special education department.

My final goal is to continue developing my skills in teaching leadership. While I have ultimately decided to remain in the classroom for the foreseeable future and not tackle the role of building administrator, I wish to build my skills as a leader in order to benefit my department on a larger scale. In doing so, I can continue to serve a wider array of teachers and students. There are also several departmental and school-wide issues that I would like to be a part of solving, and with better leadership skills, and time, I will be able to work towards solutions to these issues. While there is a lot of great literature on this subject, the book, Turning GoodTeachers Into Great Leaders by Dozier is where I would like to start. This book looks like a great resource and will provide me with a wide array of techniques I can use to become a more effective leader from the classroom.
My educational journey has been a long road. However, even though I have been traveling for quite some time, there is still more in front of me than behind. I cannot wait to see where my education will take me. It is through growth in these three major areas that I can hope to become the best educator I can be. While this will be professionally and personally gratifying, the real purpose will continue to be a focus on student success. When I am able to improve in these areas, my students will be able to have better tools and supports in order to gain a better understating of the world around them.
My educational journey has been a long road. However, even though I have been traveling for quite some time, there is still more in front of me than behind. I cannot wait to see where my education will take me. It is through growth in these three major areas that I can hope to become the best educator I can be. While this will be professionally and personally gratifying, the real purpose will continue to be a focus on student success. When I am able to improve in these areas, my students will be able to have better tools and supports in order to gain a better understating of the world around them.
NGSS - Oregon Science Teachers Association http://www.oregonscience.org/NGSS@OSTA
"Struggling Learners" - http://www.wholechildeducation.org/blog/uncommon-commonsense-ways-to-empower-struggling-students
"Leadership" - http://opportunityculture.org/reach/multi-classroom-leadership-in-person/
"Struggling Learners" - http://www.wholechildeducation.org/blog/uncommon-commonsense-ways-to-empower-struggling-students
"Leadership" - http://opportunityculture.org/reach/multi-classroom-leadership-in-person/