My Teaching Journey

I believe that teaching with compassion, respect, and encouragement is the key to unlocking a child’s potential. I strive to create an environment where students feel supported, heard and respected. I am dedicated to listening to each student, understanding their individual needs and helping them reach their goals. I believe that by providing a caring and supportive atmosphere, our students can achieve success.

Michelle DeVicariis

Professional Growth Goal

Improve student assessment, data collection, and interpretation to better group and teach students.

Through the experiences this year, I have improved in many areas within the California Standards for the Teaching Profession. I was a bit surprised with the results of the post-assessment when compared to the pre-assessment, as most areas improved dramatically, with the exception of my greatest weakness, Standard 3. Although I improved in a couple of areas within Standard 3, I scored the same in the remaining areas. I have a lot of room for improvement within this standard. As an impact teacher, I know that better organizing the subject matter based on the student assessment data will help me as I teach the students. I will focus on professional development opportunities to improve in this area. I also found that at least one area within most standards did not have improvement. I will continue to learn better methods of applying these skills so that I build on these areas of weakness.

Knowing how critical using assessment data is for identifying the greatest needs of my students, I am very proud of the improvement within Standard 5, Assessing Students for Learning. This set of skills has improved my interaction with my colleagues and our decision-making behind which students and subject areas need intervention time for the greatest impact.

Overall, I was pleased with the increases in the scores of the other five standards and the many areas within these standards that improved. I know that the most important aspect of these results is what they reflect on my ability to teach the students. Having improved in the understanding of these standards will directly impact how well my students understand the material, how I can clarify and reteach skills that they are still struggling with, and how well I can work with my fellow teachers to improve the joint efforts of helping the students. It is only through the mentorship of my colleagues, experience applying these skills, and professional development that I can continue to improve. I will always remember to be a student and use every opportunity I am given to continue learning.

Building on last year's experiences, I have attended a few professional development courses, received coaching and instruction from my induction coach, observed other teachers in the district, and gained additional experience.

My goals for this year were to build on the momentum I started last school year and try to understand how to apply the information I have been given to my instruction with the students. This focus, along with all the help and instruction I have been given, has greatly improved my scores in all the standards of the CSTP. I have also gained confidence in my ability to teach, although I know that I have a lot more to learn and a lot of growth opportunities ahead.

Continued Goals

I have two main goals as I continue to teach. My first is to improve on the classroom management skills that I have started. This will require working within the norms and policies of the site that I am assigned to, while setting the rules and policies for my own classroom. I know that this will be an ongoing adjustment based on the students and how things change within the culture of the school, but improving classroom management will be key. The second goal is to continue to understand the best ways to assess the learning of my students so that I can make better decisions for future lessons.

Meeting These Goals

I will always continue to learn. We teach our students to never stop learning, and I would like to practice this as well. I will try to attend professional development seminars as they are available, and learn from my peers on ways they have found work best for the students. I will also utilize the many resources available on the internet.

Staying Connected

For me, the best way to stay connected is to always be involved. It is too easy to simply fall into a routine of showing up, walking through lessons, and go home. I want to always seek ways to collaborate with my peers, communicate with parents, learn from my administration, and attend professional development opportunities.

Sustaining the Energy

I know that for me, I have to have a solid purpose to keep me motivated. I have found the greatest motivation in focusing on the students. I truly want to help the students in my class to succeed, and to have success in all aspects of their lives, not just get a good grade. I know that as I break things down and focus on one piece at a time, I am able to find joy in having a student see that they have improved and can accomplish something new.

I have not been teaching for very long, but as a mother of three students and a volunteer for several youth groups, I have a couple of suggestions for new teachers.

Have a Love for the Students

The most important thing you need to have as a teacher is a love for the students. You are not just teaching math, you are teaching human beings who have feelings, needs, strengths, and weaknesses. You need to care about them as individuals, not just as test scores or data points. You need to show them respect, kindness, and empathy. You need to listen to them, understand them, and support them. You need to celebrate their achievements, encourage their efforts, and help them overcome their challenges. You need to make them feel valued, appreciated, and safe in your classroom. You need to build positive relationships with them and create a sense of community and belonging. You need to have a love for the students, because they will feel it, and they will respond to it.

Put the Needs of the Students First

As a teacher, you will have many responsibilities, expectations, and demands. You will have to plan lessons, grade papers, attend meetings, communicate with parents, collaborate with colleagues, and follow policies and procedures. You will have to deal with stress, pressure, and frustration. You will have to balance your personal and professional life. You will have to face many challenges and make many decisions. In all of these situations, you need to put the needs of the students first. You need to ask yourself: What is best for the students? How can I help them learn and grow? How can I meet their academic, social, and emotional needs? How can I differentiate instruction and provide interventions for the students who need them? How can I challenge and enrich the students who are ready for more? How can I make learning fun and meaningful for the students? How can I motivate and engage the students? How can I prepare the students for the future? You need to put the needs of the students first, because they are the reason why you are a teacher.

Teaching is a rewarding and challenging profession. We will have many joys and sorrows, successes and failures, highs and lows. We will have many opportunities to learn and grow, both as a teacher and as a person. We will have many moments that will make us smile, laugh, cry, or wonder. We will have many memories that will stay with us forever. We will have a lasting impact on the lives of many students. As a new teacher, you need to have a love for the students and put the needs of the students first. This is the best advice I can give you, and I hope it will help you in your journey as a teacher.

I wish you all the best and welcome to the teaching profession!

California Standards for the Teaching Profession Self-Assessment

Standard 1

Engaging and Supporting All Students in Learning

Within Standard 1, I was able to make improvements in all areas, with the exception of 1.1 Using knowledge of students to engage them in learning.

The improvements within Standard 1 have been made focusing on the individual student and how I can improve the questions I ask and the direct instruction to meet the student's needs better.