TEACHER

WORK SAMPLE

Getting the Job: Career Portfolio Unit

Naomi Forster
Spring 2015

Fort Collins High School, Financial Life Management

Pam Davidson, Cooperating Teacher

Table of Contents

Setting and Context

District Context: Poudre School District
School Context: Fort Collins High School
Classroom Context: Secondary Education

Unit Topic and Rationale

Unit Goals, Objectives and Standards
Assessment Tools
Instructional Plan

Daily Lesson Plans

Assessment Analysis
Reflection
References

Setting and Context

District Context: Poudre School District

Located in Northern Colorados Larimer County, Poudre School Districts mission is to
Educate Every Child, Every Day. The 9th largest district in Colorado serves the
cities of Fort Collins, Laporte, Timnath, Wellington, Red Feather, Livermore, Stove
Prairie and portions of Windsor. It is home to just over 27,000 primarily Caucasian
(74.1%) students with Hispanic comprising nearly 18% of the student population in 50
schools.
The districts motto is honored with the implementation of multiple programs that
provide alternative ways of learning. Some examples are focused curriculums such as
International Baccalaureate, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), Core
Knowledge and Bilingual/Dual Language Immersion. The success of these programs has
helped contribute to consistently above state average standardized test scores
across the district.
Another distinctive component to Poudres success is the development of an
instructional program is centered on District Ends. This plan is meant to guide the
entire districts goal of an instructional program, which includes implementing
meaningful change in the methods used to educate and to prepare learners to be
successful adult contributors to society. Some of the tools used to assist the districts
goal of achieving individual student success are its offering of additional resources
like School of Choice, the Integration of Health and Wellness and Post Secondary
Readiness programs.
School Context: Fort Collins High School
An example of a high school that uses a variety of tools to assist in the success of its
approximately 1,650 students' is Fort Collins High School (FCHS), "Where Excellence Is


Expected" from all. The school has been serving the Fort Collins community since 1890
and was reopened in its new location in 1995. The foundation for its vision is the
Pillars of Excellence motto, which includes Acceptance, Pride, Integrity, Respect and
Responsibility. These character traits help to set behavior expectations for both
students and staff. Teachers and administration recognize individual student's efforts
in exhibiting these traits by nominating specific students to receive "Clyde Kudos", a
coupon making them eligible to receive a prize. In this way, the behavior
expectations are directly taught, modeled for students and consistently rewarded.
Programs designed to prepare students for college are also tools offered to ensure
future student success. FCHS works with local colleges and universities to provide
courses that also receive college credit, provides opportunities to meet with college
recruiters, assists with college planning through class coursework beginning Freshman
year, hosts a strong Advanced Placement program (18 courses, 25% of all students
have taken AP tests for college credit) and the school sponsors the only Bio-Science
Academy in all of Poudre School District.
The AVID tutoring program is also represented strongly at FCHS providing college
study skills to students, Gifted and Talented Students are provided extended learning
opportunities with an Advanced Learning Plan and the Transition Academy provides
students with an opportunity to fulfill graduation requirements making them eligible
to receive a high school diploma even if they have fallen behind in their coursework.
Evidence of the success of these programs are the 343 graduating in the Class of 2014
and the 62% 4-year college attendance rate of its graduates with 20% attending a 2year college.
In addition, the administration also supports a strong Student Services department
providing the diverse population of students (70% Caucasian, 22% Hispanic, 32%
participating in free or reduced-price lunch program) including those with special
needs, a counselor to "promote academic, career and personal/social development".
Counselors form a partnership with the student, parents, educators, and members of


the community to support the empowerment of every student to achieve their full
potential. Students trained as Peer Counselors also support students by acting as an
additional resource to help with issues related to transitioning to high school,
transferring into FCHS, relationship struggles and other social and emotional concerns
common to the teen-age population.
School-wide policies for attendance include strict rules regarding being late to class
(tardy), verification requirements for absences and campus monitors assist with
tracking of student attendance. The school follows district guidelines for conflict
resolution and employs strategies such as conferencing with parents and counselors,
In-School-Suspension, School Suspension and finally Expulsion when handling behaviors
that violate the School Code of Conduct.
Classroom Context: Secondary Education
The classroom environment for my 4th Period Financial Life Management class is
typical to most high schools found in Poudre School District. Each classroom is
provided with Smart Board technology, three large white boards for use with dry
erasers, a document camera and all 37 students are outfitted with a personal laptop
computer. This classroom was on the 2nd floor of the "M" or Mulberry wing of the
school and large north facing windows provided ample natural lighting for the 10:0010:45 morning class which met 4 times per week during a normal schedule with a
block period of 90 minutes once weekly.
This sophomore level (aged from 15-16) classroom student demographic consisted of
29 Caucasian, 7 Hispanic and 1 student of Asian descent. Individual Educations Plans
and 504 Plans were in place for 5 students with accommodations ranging from needing
more time to complete assignments, impaired vision and several diagnoses of ADD and
ADHD. From the beginning of the semester it was an important part of my lesson
planning to seamlessly incorporate these accommodations into the curriculum so that
the success of each student was possible.

One of the ways my lesson planning incorporated these accommodations was by

creating small groups of 4-5 students at the beginning of the semester. It was a venue
for students to meet and introduce themselves to at least 3-4 other students in the
class, to begin supporting the class doctrine of teamwork and collaboration with
others and to provide a classroom resource to students who benefitted from peer
review of assignments and activities.
By organizing the class in the way on the first day, my goal was to create an
environment where sharing was encouraged, collaboration was fostered and mutual
respect was mandated. One of my first lessons asked students to complete a brief
questionnaire in which they were asked to respond to several prompts and to share
one fact (of their choosing) about themselves. To model, I completed the same
assignment and shared some of my personal work history, hobbies and family member
information with the class. With this activity, the students enjoyed learning about
each other; learning about me and it also reinforced my classroom expectations for
cooperation, collaboration, and mutual respect.
Expectations were discussed in class and included showing respect by not using a cell
phone during class, arriving on time and being prepared, participating in class
activities, refraining from side conversations, speaking respectfully to all classmates,
contributing to group projects, and being responsible for making up missed work in a
timely manner according to FCHS school policy. My personal style of classroom
management is one of firm and calm with levity. Classroom disruptions are handled
immediately in a respectful manner. Embarrassing a student or making them feel
ashamed are not in my toolbox. Instead, a rational reminder for the expected
behavior is provided to the student and consequences for continued behavior is
discussed.
Most importantly, I make significant efforts to build positive relationships with
students by being available during lunch and planning periods to help with questions


or missed work. Also, learning their name quickly and remembering something unique
about them adds to my "bank account" with them where I can make "withdrawals"
when necessary.

Unit Topic and Rationale

The overall course objective for Financial Life management Students to support the
vision of preparing all FCHS students' post-secondary success and to ensure the
Colorado Department of Education's goal, " Ensure that students are engaged and
graduate ready for success in postsecondary and the workforce". For these reasons,
the Career Portfolio Unit is a compulsory item of all high school students at Fort
Collins High School and is a graduation requirement in Poudre School District.
Students are taught decision-making skills on becoming educated consumers with an
understanding and academic knowledge of consumer resources and financial
organizations. The class focuses on personal and family resources, job and career
investigation, personal and family finance, and wellness. (Relevant topics include:
independent living, healthy lifestyles, career research and job portfolios, personal
financial literacy, investments, credit, insurance, leasing vs. purchasing of autos and
homes.) The one-semester course also fulfills the current Financial Literacy
graduation requirement for Poudre School District.
The Career Portfolio Unit requires students to create a complete and error free Job
Portfolio which includes; a Resume, a Cover Letter, a Job Application, a Thank You
Letter, a Resignation Letter and request a Letter of Recommendation) and a sit for a
Mock Interview. Students will also complete a 2 5 hour Job Shadow in a career area
they are interested in pursuing as an adult.


By completing the Job Portfolio, students will be better equipped to research a job,
compare their skills and abilities to the job posting, compose a relevant resume and
cover letter specific to the posting and be prepared to interview in a professional
manner. With these acquired skills, students are more likely to enter the workforce as
a candidate who has a higher degree of being hired and gainfully employed. A
measure of success by any standard!

Unit Goals, Objectives and Standards

Unit Goals:

Students will create an error free resume

Students will create an error free cover letter

Students will complete an error free job application

Students will create an error free Thank You letter

Unit Objectives:

Students will create a usable education and career portfolio for a job search

Students will successfully use technology to complete a personal skills, ability

and interests inventory (Naviance software)

Students will successfully use technology to investigate a local job search

Students will analyze their personal skills, abilities and interests to determine
suitability when performing a job search

Students will demonstrate understanding of the components of a professional

resume, cover letter and thank you letter

Students will peer review other students' job portfolios for accuracy

Unit Standards:
Content Area: FACS Core

Standard CPCP.01 Career Preparation and Application

CPCP.01.1 - Techniques for finding a job, connections and networking,
Colorado Workforce and web searches

Standard CPCP.02 - Career Portfolio

CPCP.02.1. - Resumes, cover letters, applications, letters of
recommendation, thank you notes and follow-up letters.

Standard ESSK.09.03 Demonstrate skills related to seeking and applying for

employment to find and obtain a desired job.
ESSK.09.03.c Prepare a letter of application (cover letter)

Assessment Tools
Pre- and Post-Assessments
As this was a classroom comprised of sophomore grade high school students, most
under legal working age, the pre-assessment was an informal classroom discussion.
Students were asked to raise their hand if they had ever written a resume, cover
letter or knew the necessary components comprising each document. No students
raised their hand. As this is a group of students who willingly shares these types of
accomplishments and knowledge, I accepted their admission of not having prior
knowledge of the information.

The post-assessment would be the final documents themselves. The students'

documents were compared to examples of professional documents provided in class as
a student resource and underwent several revisions until they were able to submit
error free documents.
Instructional Assessments
In addition to pre- and post-assessments, on-going "check-in" type assessments were
held during several class periods. Students were required to bring into class their
latest revisions for small group reviews. The "3 before me" peer review method was
utilized where at least three classmates were to review a student's documents before
they were submitted for teacher review. In this way, I could evaluate the learning of
other students by how well they were finding errors in and making corrections to
other portfolio documents. Also, this type of cooperative learning helped students
engage with the material in a deeper way by also teaching it to their peers.

Instructional Plan
To begin the Job Portfolio unit, the class began with the pre-assessment question to
determine prior knowledge. When it was determined there were no students with
knowledge of or experience with the content, students were then encouraged to
share their work experiences. When they confirmed that they did not possess any
formal employment history, they were then encouraged to think of their informal
experiences with babysitting (even siblings), volunteering at church or summer camps
and small jobs done for neighbors such as yard work or snow shoveling.
Students were invited to share how they found these jobs (most by word of mouth)
and how they applied for the jobs, usually by asking for the work or with the help of
parents. They were also encouraged to consider skills gained through coursework,

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such as cooking classes. Students were also encouraged to consider skills learned by
their participation in any clubs or extra-curricular activities such as public speaking
experience from a debate club. The relevance of the unit was explained as a career
skill that would be necessary in any chosen field and would be useful throughout their
lifetime as a working teenager and adult.
Several instructional strategies were used throughout the unit such as group/peer
reviews of student documents, teacher demonstration and modeling, scaffolded
instruction by providing examples, and cooperative learning in which students were
responsible for the successful completion and thorough editing of each group
members' documents.
Due to the nature of allowing students to revise documents outside of class, after a
one-class introduction to each document and its components, the individual lessons
for each document were interspersed throughout a two-month period. Additional
lessons on interviewing tips, resume blunders, why some jobs pay more than others,
career budgeting and work laws and responsibilities completed the "Looking for a Job
Unit" and supported the relevance and importance of the portfolio documents. For
this reason the individual lessons and the corresponding dates may appear as standalone lessons but were in fact part of the larger "unit" which lasted approximately 8
weeks.
Lesson One
Tuesday, February 17
One class period, 10:00-10:45
Activity Name: What is a Resume'?
Objective: Students will be able to successfully identify the relevance of the resume
in a job portfolio and the required components and formatting essential in the
document.
Standard: Content Area: FACS

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Standard CPCP.01 Career Preparation and Application
CPCP.01.1 - Techniques for finding a job, connections and networking,
Colorado Workforce and web searches
Materials: Smart Board, desktop computer to display instructional videos, document
camera to project resume examples
Procedure:

Discuss the importance of completion of the Career Portfolio Unit (it is a

graduation requirement and a life skill)

Discuss and remind the class why resumes are an important piece of the job
portfolio puzzle (tells an employer what skills/ability/knowledge you bring to
the position)

As a warm-up activity, ask students to think of themselves as employers. What

would they want to know about a person they were hiring? Write responses in
journal

Present instructional PowerPoint on how to create a resume reminding students

to take notes. Q: did what they learned match what they wrote in their
journal?

Ask students to turn on their laptops and open a new Word document

Display an electronic version of a resume example and demonstrate correct

formatting for a professional resume. Instruct students to follow along

Ask students to retrieve their "Want Ad" assignment from the previous class

Instruct students to review the relevant skills/experience listed in the job

posting and begin crafting a resume listing their own relevant skills/experience
to match the posting

Assign the first draft of a resume due for peer review next class period in two
days

Assessment: At the conclusion of the instructional video and before students begin
their first draft, distribute handout titled "Resume Worksheet" where they will
demonstrate their understanding of concepts related to composing a resume.

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Accommodations: The lesson is scaffolded by provided step-by-step teacher lead
instructions, examples of the exact document to be produced and on-going pair-share
with your neighbor. Teacher circulates the room to provide individual support to
students who request assistance. No extension is needed, as all students are
inexperienced with creating professional job portfolio documents.
Reflection: What I learned from this lesson was to never assume students know
anything. I was caught off-guard by their lack of skill regarding basic formatting of
documents in Word. This slowed down the lesson significantly and I did not plan
enough time into the lesson to accommodate to answer what seemed like very basic
formatting questions. Next time, I will plan more time for activities of this nature.

Lesson Two
Friday, February 20
One class period, 10:00-10:45
Activity Name: What is a Cover Letter'?
Objective: Students will be able to successfully identify the relevance of the cover
letter in a job portfolio and the required components and formatting essential to the
document.
Standard: Content Area: FACS
Standard ESSK.09.03 Demonstrate skills related to seeking and applying for
employment to find and obtain a desired job.
ESSK.09.03.c Prepare a letter of application (cover letter)
Materials: Smart Board, desktop computer to display instructional videos, document
camera to project resume examples
Procedure:

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Review the purpose of the resume from last class and how the Letter of
Application (cover letter) fits into the Job unit

As a warm-up activity, ask students to think of themselves as employers. How

might they want you to introduce yourself in a letter? Write responses in
journal

Display and discuss Visual 1 (Example of Letter of Application) and the

individual components of the cover letter. Instruct them to check their
journals. Did they predict what information was included in a cover letter?
What were they missing?

Ask students to retrieve their completed Resume from the previous class

Instruct students to review the relevant skills/experience listed in the job

posting and their resume listing their own relevant skills/experience

Use this information to craft a cover letter appropriate to the job posting

Ask students to turn on their laptops and open a new Word document

Using the Smart Board to display an electronic example of a cover letter,

demonstrate correct formatting for a professional document. Instruct students
to follow along

Assign the first draft of a cover letter due for peer review in two class periods
on Tuesday, 2/24

Began discussion of requirements for Letter of Recommendation, assigned due

date of 3/27, reminder that revised resumes also due Tuesday, 2/24

Assessment: Students will be able to proficiently apply their knowledge of drafting a
Letter of Application as it relates to the desired position.
Accommodations: Students will work in pairs where they will peer review each
other's letters and offer feedback and suggestions. Providing step-by-step teacherlead instructions, examples of the exact document to be produced and on-going pairshare with your neighbor scaffolds the lesson. Teacher circulates the room to provide
individual support to students who request assistance. No extension is needed, as all
students are inexperienced with creating professional job portfolio documents.

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Reflection: For this lesson I planned in more time for the formatting portion and it
went smoother. I also re-arranged some pair-share groups according to who seemed to
"get it" more quickly so that they might be a resource to a struggling student. I also
allowed more out of class time to complete this assignment than the resume and
asked the students to have their parents sign the document as proof that "another set
of eyes" had reviewed their work.

Lesson Three
Thursday, February 26
Block period, 7:30-9:05
Activity Name: What is a References document?
Objective: Students will be able to successfully identify the relevance of providing
references in a job portfolio and the required components and formatting essential to
the document.
Standard: Content Area: FACS
Standard CPCP.02 - Career Portfolio

CPCP.02.1. - Resumes, cover letters, applications, letters of

recommendation, thank you notes and follow-up letters.
Materials: Smart Board, desktop computer to display instructional videos, document
camera to project resume examples
Procedure:

Review the purpose of the resume and cover letter from last class and how the
list of references fits into the Job unit

As a warm-up activity, ask students to think of themselves as employers. What

kinds of references might an employer be interested in contacting? Write
responses in journal

15

Display and discuss Visual 2 (Example of References) and the individual

components of the references page. Instruct them to check their journals. Did
they predict what information was included in a page of references? What
were they missing?

Ask students to retrieve their completed Resume from the previous class

Instruct students to review the "experience" portion of the resume. Discuss why
these are good "references" (as former employers they can describe your
attention to detail, reliability and work ethic, etc)

Use this information to create a reference page

Ask students to turn on their laptops and open a new Word document

Using the Smart Board to display an electronic example of a reference page,

demonstrate correct formatting for a professional document. Instruct students
to follow along

Assign the first draft of a reference page due for peer review in two class
periods on Tuesday

Begin discussion of requirements for Letter of Recommendation, assigned due

date of 3/27

Because this is a block period, use time left over to assist with rough drafts of
resumes and cover letters

Assessment: Students will be able to proficiently apply their knowledge of drafting a
Letter of Application as it relates to the desired position.
Accommodations: Students will work in pairs where they will peer review each
other's letters and offer feedback and suggestions. Providing step-by-step teacherlead instructions, examples of the exact document to be produced and on-going pairshare with your neighbor scaffolds the lesson. Teacher circulates the room to provide
individual support to students who request assistance. No extension is needed, as all
students are inexperienced with creating professional job portfolio documents.

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Reflection: For this lesson I planned in more time for the formatting portion and it
went smoother. I also re-arranged some pair-share groups according to who seemed to
"get it" more quickly so that they might be a resource to a struggling student. I also
allowed more out of class time to complete this assignment than the resume and
asked the students to have their parents sign the document as proof that "another set
of eyes" had reviewed their work. Some students have even begun to share that they
are using these documents to apply for after-school jobs! It's very rewarding to see
them realizing the full value of a classroom "assignment".

Lesson Four
Friday, February 27
One class period, 10:00-10:45
Activity Name: What is the correct way to complete a Job Application?
Objective: Students will be able to successfully complete a Job Application
Standard: Content Area: FACS
Standard CPCP.02 - Career Portfolio

CPCP.02.1. - Resumes, cover letters, applications, letters of

recommendation, thank you notes and follow-up letters.
Materials: Smart Board, desktop computer to display instructional videos, document
camera to project job application example
Procedure:

Review the purpose of the resume, cover letter and reference page from last
class and how the job application fits into the Job unit

Discuss the importance of completion of the Career Portfolio Unit (it is a

graduation requirement and a life skill)

As a warm-up activity, ask students to think of what an employer might ask on

a job application

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Are there any questions that might be "illegal" to ask? How do you answer
illegal questions? Write responses in class journal

Display and discuss Visual 3 (Example of a completed Job Application) and the
individual components of the job application

Instruct them to review their journals

Did they predict what information was included in a job application? What
were they missing?

Ask students to retrieve their completed Resume and References page from the
previous classes

Instruct students to review the "experience" portion of the resume and use
their list of references to complete the job application

Discuss why these items must match and emphasize the importance of
accuracy and legible handwriting when completing the job application

Using the document camera to display a blank paper copy of a job application,
demonstrate how to correctly complete the document

Instruct students to follow along

Answer questions as students work through the job application

Remind them to complete the document in pen and to sign at the bottom

First draft of the Job application will be due at the end of the period

Remind them that their Letter of Recommendation is due on 3/27

Remind them that a revised version of a resume, cover letter, references page
and job application will be due for peer review on 3/4 at the beginning of class

Remind them to print before coming to class. No class time allowed for printing

Assessment: Students will be able to proficiently apply their knowledge of completing
a Job Application and add it to their Career Portfolio.
Accommodations: Students will work in pairs where they will peer review each
other's job application and find errors and make corrections. Providing step-by-step
teacher-lead instructions, examples of the exact document to be produced and ongoing pair-share with your neighbor scaffolds the lesson. Teacher circulates the room

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to provide individual support to students who request assistance. No extension is
needed, as all students are inexperienced with creating professional job portfolio
documents.
Reflection: This lesson was more efficient to teach because students were given a
template to complete. The real struggle was with students who had not kept current
with assignments and did not have the necessary information to complete the job
application. For these students, I asked that they follow along and fill in where they
had the information. In a perfect world, I would have held this lesson until all
students had finished at least one rough draft of their resume, cover letter and
reference page. Unfortunately, some students' attendance was so unpredictable that
this was not possible. What I have learned from these lessons is to post the examples
and powerpoints to Blackboard as a resource to be available outside of class. Also. I
make myself available during lunch so that students can get assistance as well.

Assessment Analysis
In reality, the final or post-assessment for the unit overall is the completed
documents themselves. As stated previously, the pre-assessment was informal and
consisted of students raising their hands to share if they had ever written a resume,
cover letter or knew the necessary components comprising each document. As a class
of 37 sophomore students, I accepted their admission of not having prior knowledge of
the information.
As the lessons began to be introduced and taught, the evidence of their having no
prior knowledge became clear. The majority of students struggled with basic
document formatting, understanding what constituted a "relevant skill" and had no
understanding of what kind of work experience an employer might want more
information about. All students completed at least 4 revisions of each document. The

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revisions were usually issues relating to poor proofreading skills or not correcting the
same mistake from the previous draft. Attention to detail and critically thinking about
the information needed were skills used repeatedly in this unit.
All students found it difficult to write with action verbs and describing just exactly
what skills they learned from coursework (i.e. cooking classes) and most spent
considerable effort to comprehend what the job posting was seeking from a candidate
and crafting their cover letters to match the job requirements. No student was
successful at composing an error-free document in his or her first or even second
attempt. All students required at least 3 attempts before being given the "green light"
to print on resume paper in order to add to their Career Portfolio folder.
There were many successes and a few failures. 33 of the 37 students completed all
documents and were able to complete the "Mock Interview" portion of the assignment.
During the course of the unit lesson, 6 of these 33 students were able to secure actual
interviews for after-school employment and accepted a position. All of these students
shared with me how impressed the interviewer found their documents and could see
how much effort was put into each one. The students felt that the unit lesson was
very valuable and were convinced of its importance for "real world" success. I would
consider the sheer practicality of this lesson to be its largest strength. Teaching
students how to be successful in securing employment and empowering them with this
life skill contributes to their long-term success as a functional member of society.
The exceptions to the success of the unit were the 4 students who were not able to
complete the documents as of this writing. With three weeks remaining in the school
year, it is still possible they can complete the documents but are now ineligible for
the Mock Interview portion of the class. What appeared to be the most formidable
obstacle in their learning the material was class attendance. All but one of these four
students attended approximately 10% of the required class time and these were
marked as unexcused absences. My efforts to call home explaining the importance of
the unit as a graduation requirement and consulting with counselors made little to

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negligible long-term affect on the students' attendance. The cooperating teacher will
make arrangements following FCHS policy for the make-up assignments, which could
include the student repeating the class.
The one student who attended class regularly but did not complete the assignments
had made an arrangement with his parents that I learned about when calling home to
express concern. His desire was to drop out of high school and attain a GED instead.
His mother's wish was that he remain in school so as to be accountable during the day.
A deal was struck, stay in school until the end of the semester and you won't be
required to complete any assignments. Essentially, it was accepted that he would fail
all of his classes but be "in school" all day. Despite this resolution, I made
considerable efforts to encourage him to complete the unit and impress upon him the
value learning to write a resume would be to him throughout his lifetime. He agreed
and yet, turned in not a single document for review, feedback or course credit.
While I wouldn't consider these students to be examples of the unit's "failure", they
are evidence to support how reliant the lesson is upon actually being "taught" in the
classroom. The resources of peer-review, direct instruction and multiple forms of
feedback are all valuable teaching tools that make this unit successful. If a student
misses a significant portion of the semester and is not equipped to follow online
instructions to complete the assignments, it can prove to be a daunting task to catch
up on one's own.

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Reflection
Previous experience in the classroom as a substitute teacher prepared me well for
some of the challenges student teachers face early in their careers. Effective
management of the classroom, learning students' names and establishing expected
behaviors are all skills that I have been crafting before my student teaching began
this spring. But what substitute teaching lacks is the opportunity to really build
relationships with students, to be a witness to their academic growth and to act as an
instrumental contributor to their success. This is the piece of the journey to becoming
a teacher that I was excited to embark upon over the next four months.
Those who have observed me have remarked that I have a "natural presence in the
classroom" and that respect from students has the appearance of coming "easy" to me.
In fact, what I reveal to the students during the semester is that I am actually an
introverted personality type. While they protest, "But you're a teacher! You are
always standing up and talking with us! How can you be shy?" This is an opportunity to
share that public speaking does not come without some discomfort and has taken
much practice and repetition on my part. My explanation goes on to share that we can
do and achieve much if we just set a goal and work hard towards achieving it.
It is these conversations about my weaknesses and how I have worked to overcome
them that seem to resonate with the students. They believe that I understand their
struggles, their insecurities and feel my joy in their successes. By modeling for them
how I have overcome my shyness, the way I honor and respect each of them as
individuals and my belief that school should be a fun place to learn, I teach them
much more than just course content. They see me as curious, evolving, fallible,
understanding, patient and yet firm. They believe that I am invested in their success
when I invite them to come in at lunch and planning periods for help, when I solicit
feedback about the effectiveness of an activity, when I chaperone their extracurricular activities, when they see me at their games and watching their plays,
proctoring Advanced Placement tests for them and when I accept late work so they

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are eligible to play sports. Personally investing in my students in these ways has
contributed much to the success of my student teaching experience and has made it
all worthwhile.
Important lessons I learned in this process were to remember not to take anything
personally as students are also evolving. Expecting them to have prior knowledge of
any subject matter, assuming they can predict an outcome or that they know what
"academic integrity" really means are all areas in which I learned volumes. There is so
much more to teach than just the course content! The importance of advanced lesson
planning and finding creative ways to reduce the amount of grading for each class are
also areas where I would look to do things "differently" in the future. Being prepared
weeks in advance can ensure objectives are covered thoroughly and provide students
with solid timeframes for their own planning purposes.
Other lessons I learned were how valuable collaborating with other teachers and staff
can be to student success. Co-teaching for the first half of the semester was
invaluable as my cooperating teacher was a deep well of content knowledge,
materials, activities and made every resource available to me. My office also had the
fortune of being placed adjacent to the registrar and counseling offices and this made
discussing the struggles of specific students a seamless process. By working with these
departments I was able to understand a student's needs more thoroughly and make
efforts to revise lesson plans and make other accommodations to facilitate student
success.
With all of these experiences and successes I look forward to having my own
classroom in the future. It is now clear to me just how much effort teaching requires,
especially if one seeks to be a life-long learner and constantly strives to improve their
craft. But it is especially clear just how immensely rewarding the entire challenge can
be when you are instrumental in the life of a student's personal and academic
achievements!

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References
Poudre School District, https://fch.psdschools.org/webfm/2224
Poudre School District, https://www.psdschools.org/about-us
Fort Collins High School, https://fch.psdschools.org/about-us
Great Schools, http://www.greatschools.org/colorado/fort-collins/676-Fort-

Collins-High-School/details/

Colorado Career and Technical Education,

https://sites.google.com/site/cofacsdirectorpage/colorado-facs-

standards/colorado-facs-course-outlines

Colorado Career and Technical Education,

http://coctestandards.cccs.edu/WebFormCurricula.aspx

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