Meets Professional Responsibilities

Meeting my professional responsibilities is an area that I take very seriously. With respect to my legal and ethical responsibilities, Minuteman High School has regular professional development days, with some of them dedicated to providing teachers with an understanding of what their responsibilities are in this regard. I am an active participant in all of these sessions.

Some of the topics covered within these training sessions are:

  • Teacher responsibilities as a "Mandatory Reporter"
  • Right-To-Know Law
  • Sexual Harassment
  • Title VII
  • Title IX

In addition to the professional development offered within the district, I take advantage of courses and workshops offered at local colleges and universities. In addition to the MEd program that I am enrolled in at Fitchburg State, I am taking courses toward professional licensure offered through UMass Boston, Fitchburg State and Westfield State. I also participate in content related (Computer Science) workshops at UMass Lowell and UMass Boston. This past summer, I co-taught a workshop at Worcester State with Computer Science faculty member there.

Collaboration is an area of teaching that I embrace. In my current situation, this takes the form of making connections with other subject areas and incorporating them into programming or web development activities. For example, I have done several web development projects that have their roots in social studies content. I have also collaborated with a physics teacher and an automotive instructor. I have plans in place now to complete a project with my students where they develop a cell phone application for use by electrical students.

I maintain regular contact with the parents of my students via email, face-to-face meetings and telephone. In addition, parents have log-in access to the X2 gradebook so they have the opportunity to view their child's grade and monitor their progress. I regularly participate in parent-teacher conferences and open houses. When necessary, I have scheduled before school and after school meetings with parents in order to accommodate the needs of those unable to attend regularly scheduled conference events.

As someone whose classroom is a computer lab, I am well versed in the district's computer and internet usage policy. It is posted in my room and all students are on notice that it is to be adhered to 100%. I hold students responsible by using a tiered approach to discipline. In the case of internet violations, minor infractions are first met with a warning. Second offences result in the violator losing break privileges. Third offenses earn the violator a detention and a call home. Subsequent offenses result in a discipline referral to the dean. To date, I have not had to escalate beyond the loss of break for any of my students.

I am fully aware of my responsibilities and follow through on them as I carry out my duties as a teacher. I am continually looking for ways to improve what I teach and how I teach it. I am receptive to suggestions from supervisors and peers and often solicit feedback from students. Given that the subject matter I teach is continually evolving, updating curriculum is a constant process and ongoing reflection is a part of that process.

Standard E - Meets Professional Responsibilities

Indicators

Evidence

1.  Understands his or her legal and moral responsibilities.


2. Conveys knowledge of and enthusiasm for his/her academic discipline to students.

3.  Maintains interest in current theory, research, and developments in the academic discipline and exercises judgment in accepting implications or findings as valid for application in classroom practice.

4.  Collaborates with colleagues to improve instruction, assessment, and student achievement.

5.  Works actively to involve parents in their child's academic activities and performance, and communicates clearly with them.

6.  Reflects critically upon his or her teaching experience, identifies areas for further professional development as part of a professional development plan that is linked to grade level, school, and district goals, and is receptive to suggestions for growth.

7.  Understands legal and ethical issues as they apply to responsible and acceptable use of the Internet and other resources.

 

(1) District Professional Development Certificate
(1) Professional Development Post-Test | 1 | 2 |

 

 

 

(3) College Courses:MEd Program | Vocational Licensure | BATEC Summer Institute


(4) Summary of Collaborative Project involving Programming and Web, Automotive and Physics


(5) Email interaction with parents: Example 1 | Example 2

 

(6) Summative Evaluation Report (Highlighted)

 

 

(7) District's Acceptable Use Policy enforced and posted in classroom.