Dear Education Student,

Congratulations on the beginning of a rewarding journey to discovering your teacher self within a career
dedicated to serve others. As a graduate and current teacher, I can testify that there are many
challenges; but with a growth mindset, constant feedback, and perseverance you won’t miss the mark.
Teaching is about what we (as educators) can do (no limitations) to serve and help (without hesitation)
others grow and develop. You will not be recognized for all your hard work, but your reward will be the
growth of your scholars.

Teach because you find passion, love, and joy in it. I teach because there is such an urgency to educate,
shepherd, and cultivate children into their highest potential. Recognize that teaching is a gift and
calling that can potentially train a generation of leaders to live, speak, learn, and be effective
citizens. As you value the process of teaching, also value being a lifelong learner. Cherish the
time spent being learning at Alverno and be an example of a learner as you pour into future
leaders.
Although this is just the beginning, start strong. Seek out others for feedback and observation,
constantly reflect on course material and how your day went. You are not alone in your Alverno journey,
utilize faculty, staff, and all the resource centers available to you. Alverno has the gift of developing
strong women, by the end of you journey you’ll realize all the hard work you’ve put in has firmly
developed you personally and professionally. There are two sources to keep dear to you; the Alverno
Education Abilities and the Wisconsin Teaching standards. These will help guide and mold your practice
as an Educator. These are the set standards to be successful as an educator and scholar.

The Alverno Education Abilities are Conceptualization, Diagnosis, Coordination, Communication, and
Integrative Interaction. During my LTM 612 field placement at HOPE Christian School: Semper, 1st grade I
had the privilege executing these abilities while teaching the curriculum area of Reading. My
instructional objectives were for scholars to be able to select an appropriate pre-reading
strategy based on the previewing of text and questioning (ex. skimming, reading the front to
back book cover, reading slowly, reading fast), and the ability to identify the setting of a story
using picture clues and text evidence. During the lesson scholars were able to engage in
collaborative conversations using turn and talks (SL.1.1), answer questions prompted by
Teacher (SL.1.2, SL.1.3), and describe the characters, setting, and major events happening in the
story (RL.1.3).
My Read Aloud lesson was taught as whole group instruction on the carpet. I modeled what a
good reader looks like and then gave the scholars opportunities to show the mastered skill
through verbal communication. Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin is a fiction book utilize for
this Read Aloud to learn objectives and capture the interest of our first graders. The scholars
can relate to diaries utilizing their writing journals and many having their own personal
journals/diaries. Worms are relatable because they are very familiar creatures. This was also an
excellent book choice for this grade level because of the humor and consistent setting changes,
meeting objectives and appropriation (Conceptualization). Remember, choose, and create
lesson that are tailored to the needs and interest of your scholars. Through conceptualization, I
was able to effectively tailor one lesson to meet all needs.
Wisconsin Teaching Standard #2 means that teachers need to know how children grow. The
teacher must understand how children with broad ranges of ability learn and provide
instruction to support their intellectual, social, and personal development. Cognitively, first
Grade scholars (age range 6-8), enjoy repeating task and reviewing learning, likes to finish what
they started, good at classifying (sorting pictures, words, and phrases), and likes to read. All
these factors are incorporated into the Read Aloud sessions of the class to ensure scholars are
meeting objectives through differentiated learning. Scholars repeat songs and phrases about
the story from the instructor, interact with peers (turn and talks) to discuss predictions and
setting changes within the story, and whole group ask and answer questions to ensure
comprehension.
The Alverno Education Abilities and the Wisconsin Teaching standard helped me to formulate
lesson plans that would suit the needs of my scholars and effectively set them up for academic
success. Not every scholar learns and understands concepts the same and with these resources
it will guide you into developing best practices within your field. Take your time to really find
the commonalities between Averno’s Education Abilities and the Wisconsin Teacher Standards,
utilize them when you are developing lessons and to assess videos of yourself. Remember these
standards are ultimately set to guide you to be a successful educator, utilize them! Cherish
every moment of your learning and keep all your class work organized (you will need it later on
in the semester).

Sincerely,
Quanesha S. Medina