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APS 10: Fulfilling Professional Responsibilities

Jill Bardin Christmus

A. Advocating for Students

I am and I will always be an advocate for my students. I will always do what is in their

best interest. To do this, I must collaborate with other professionals. I do not believe that as a

teacher I know everything. You can always learn and get ideas from other professionals. In my

practicum, I collaborated with my teacher and the assistants. I discussed ideas I had to make the

students more normal and have a better quality of life with my teacher.

In my own class, I collaborate with my assistants, regular education teachers, speech

therapists, occupational therapist, and other professionals daily. I have worked closely with the

regular education teachers to actively involve the students in the regular education setting to themaximum extent possible. I have also worked with the regular education teachers to assign peer

buddies in order to help prevent bullying.

B. Working to achieve organizational goals

I have been the Special Education Representative on the Leadership team for the past two

years. I am the facilitator for the Special Education Professional Learning Community. In our

professional learning community, the five self-contained teachers and a speech pathologist

analyze student data. We decide what it is that we want all students to learn, and how we will

know when they have learned it. I am also a member of Nursery Road's School Improvement

Council.

C. Communicating Effectively

To be an effective teacher, I believe it is very important that I have a strong

communication with other professionals, students, and parents/guardians. I believe that in order

for the student to make valuable progress, it truly must be a team effort. I communicate with

parents through progress reports, phone calls, in person, e-mails, and daily notes home. I believe

that I must have at least three positive contacts before a negative contact. I also believe it

important that the parents know what we are working on in the classroom, so they can reinforce

the skills at home.

I believe that I am confident when speaking with the parents and other professionals. I

make a conscious effort to speak clearly and not use special education jargon that other

professionals and teachers do not understand. I frequently ask for suggestions from other

professionals and welcome input from parents.

D. Exhibiting Professional Demeanor and Behavior

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Throughout my four years teaching and my practicum, I have complied with all the rules,

policies, and procedures and adhered to the ethical standards. I am a stickler for doing the right

thing for my students, and being an advocate for them. I have very high expectations for myself

and my co-workers. Because of these high standards, I am now the chair for our professional

learning group, the leader for the special education teachers, and a member of our School

Improvement Council.

E. Being an Active Lifelong Learner

I am definitely a lifelong learner. I keep up to date with evidence based practices and

research. I am a member of Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). I have attended webinars,

professional conferences, and seminars. I attended a three day conference in Atlanta titledAhead

of the Curve. I love to read professional journals such asJournal of Positive Behavior

Interventions and Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities. After I complete my

Masters degree, I plan to continue to take classes. I look forward to continuing to learn more that

I can implement in my classroom.