Teaching standards are a way for certificate holders to know what they are expected to do, what they are able to do and how they conduct themselves in and out of the classroom. They aren’t rules but are guidelines that teachers are meant to follow. They exist so that the public can trust in the education system and so that teachers have parameters set for them.
I feel that #2. Educators are role models who act ethically and honestly would be the most problematic for some. After being in this program for a year I have heard many voices that suggest that it is unfair that teacher’s personal lives need to be upheld to the standards of the BCTF. Many feel that their teaching life and their personal life should be separate and that actions and events that take place in their personal lives should not be treated as a reflection of their teaching capabilities. I am unsure how I feel about this personally, since I feel like my personal life does uphold the standards but if it doesn’t continue to do so will I be willing to modify it so that it falls in line with the BCTF’s expectations? I think this question is what many of my colleagues are currently asking themselves.

My definition of professionalism is the skills and capability and competence to perform your job within a specific profession. As an educator I feel that being professional involves many things. The first and most important of them being: maintaining a positive yet appropriate relationship with students and colleagues. Another requirement of this is to be well prepared for all lessons and tasks of the day. Finally, I feel that another expectation of professionalism is communicating with parents about the progress of their children via email, report cards, parent- teacher interviews and so forth.
Belonging to an organization such as the BCTF influences my educational philosophy and commitments through the expectations that the BCTF holds of their members. Being apart of this profession comes with certain expectations of a teacher in and out of a classroom. These expectations will probably shift my educational philosophy and my commitments drastically over the years. While some may find this hindering I hope that I do not find these expectations restrictive but beneficial to my career and my educational practices.

Teaching is a journey that is meant to be travelled as a collaborative group. My classroom practices are a reflection of this. It is vital and beneficial for me to model a positive, encouraging and equal attitude towards the learning environment, students and colleagues. My philosophy does not only encompass striving to be a reputable teacher but is also geared towards student centered learning. When instructing students I am clear, detailed and patient about the expectations and objectives and the short or long-term academic goal that is set for them. I also encourage each individual student to set their own academic goals and guide them in taking steps to achieve this. I know each student is different and because of this I hope to appeal to them based on their own parameters for their abilities. In order to cater to my students needs I need to be aware of what they may be. I plan on communicating with parents, counselors, teaching assistants, and the student’s other teachers regularly to be aware of the student’s progress, needs, and concerns. My classroom will strive for the categorical approach and serve each student based on his or her need.
Since I feel teaching is a journey I also stress the importance of hearing and respecting all voices and input within the classroom. No voice will be disregarded in my room. My personal teaching philosophy also embodies the significance of creativity; I encourage and applaud student creativity. I believe that each student has unique ideas that they can bring into the classroom. I’d like for my room to be a
place where they can explore their creativity within the assignments and flourish. I think it is crucial for students to be comfortable with their own voices, opinions and work and encourage them to push the boundaries, think outside of the box and produce what is their own. I hope to foster an environment where any student with any ability can develop and feel safe. Most importantly I feel it is beneficial to the students’ well being and learning if they know that they have an adult who genuinely cares about them and their progress. By encouraging students on a daily basis I hope to instill feelings of well being and academic accomplishment within the atmosphere.

Our Ideal School- EDST 401

When I did my undergrad it was clear to me early-on that I wanted to share my love for English and the way I could do that was through teaching. Naturally, the Language & Literacy Education courses I have taken during this program have been the most inspirational. The most recent of these courses being LLED 449- Teaching Adolescents Literature. Through this course I was able to reconnect with reading novels and reading for pleasure. I was reminded of the reasons that I loved books growing up, why I excelled at English in high school and why I pursed it in post secondary and most importantly why I want to teach it for the rest of my career. The other LLED courses I have taken have taught me many ways to share and teach the English language and literature with my future students. I feel like these courses were the most beneficial because they provided you with many different applicable resources which is what I felt I needed going into the practicum and now coming to an end of the program. While the other courses in the program provided many insights to teaching I felt like my LLED courses were the backbone.
I felt like Social Justice and Social Emotional Learning was a big theme throughout the year. Now that I am reflecting back on this I realize that this was a concept that I immediately accepted without any hesitation.I think I did not have any hesitation or reservations with these themes because they are already practices that are reflective of not only my teaching but my own personal ideals. I really support Social Emotional Learning because I think that supportive relationships are often the foundation of many great classrooms and workplaces.

Why do I love literature

Born Confused Response- Immigrant YA Novels

Authors that shaped me

brochure

Inquiry & Dialogical Understanding
Curriculum, Pedagogy & Assessment
Social & Ecological Justice & Diversity
Language Literacies & Cultures
Field Experiences: School & Community

Of all of these five strands of the Education program two of them really stood out and provided the most insight for me. Despite this I felt like each strand had much insight to share and were valuable tools of the program. The two stands that stood out the most for me were the Language Literacies & Culture and the Field Experiences: School & Community.
In my LLED courses I was able to obtain a lot of resources that I could use in the classroom. These resources ranged from novels, articles, ways to bring technology into the classroom to activities or lesson ideas. Not only did I gain useful tools for the classroom but I was able to produce a lot of creative work that I am really proud of. Carl Leggo’s LLED 367 Teaching Writing class will forever be a favourite of mine. In this class I was able to develop my writing but most importantly my poetic voice.
The Field Experiences were definitely the most beneficial aspect to this program. I feel like I learned the most while on both my long practicum and my Community Field Experience. I’m sure many people would agree with me when I say most of my knowledge gained from this program occurred while on practicum. I was supported by two wonderful School Advisors and an amazing Faculty Advisor (Elaine Barr) who helped me improve many things in the classroom and in my lessons. The advice and resources that they gave me will be used in my future classrooms. The time spent with my students was also priceless and I am really grateful that I had such a great practicum experience.
The only question that I have lingering is one that I’m sure many of my colleagues have wondered or asked at some point during this program. The question being: why hasn’t the program been restricted so that all of these great classes are offered before we go on to the practicum? I feel like the teacher candidates to follow us will benefit from these classes a lot more and also be a bit more prepared for their practicums if UBC can structure the program differently.

King Arthur Comic
MOA Project
Writing Portfolio
Portfolio

Visual plot outline for Hills Like White Elephants- LLED 449

Fahrenheit 451 Game Board- Student created
Capture a scene- LLED 449
My comic version of ‘The Lottery’ by Shirley Jackson- LLED 449