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For the Final Paper, you will demonstrate an understanding of the complex set of issues that must be considered as you embark on your professional preparation to become a classroom teacher. The best way to do this is to conduct an interview of an educator to get a realistic perspective of the teaching profession. It is hoped that after the interview, you will have a better understanding of the daily work a teacher does and how the teaching philosophies and learning theories guide the teacher in making classroom decisions. In addition, you will then have an opportunity to reflect on your own “goodness of fit” as a future educator. Please be courteous of the teachers you are interviewing. Plan ahead and schedule your interviews early. It can be difficult to secure an interview date with the teacher. Writing or emailing a thank-you note to the teacher you interviewed is good professional practice. (I already done the interview for you) Requirements: You will interview one teacher at the elementary level (K-5) or secondary level (6-12) depending on where your own teaching interests lie. Please ask your teacher the following questions and record their responses: Mrs. Jones is a 3rd teacher at Solomon Elementary

Why did you decide to become a teacher? What was your motivation and what attributes do you think are important for a teacher to exhibit to be effective? (Attributes/Motivation) I became a teacher because I enjoy working with kids and seeing them make learning connections. In college I had developed and taught my own preK summer program. Once out of school, I worked at a child development center, teaching preK as well as working with the school age program. I found that I really enjoyed working with school age children. So I began working with Red Cross youth programs as well as Boy and Girl Scouts. I went back to school and completed a Master of Arts in Teaching program. I think a teacher needs to be someone who wants to help children become successful citizens. They need to be able to communicate to both children and adults. A teacher also needs to be someone willing to collaborate with others sharing ideas to help all students succeed. They need to be willing to learn and grow. · What is your philosophy of education? What is the role of the teacher and the students? (Teaching Philosophy) I believe that every child can learn and should be given the opportunity. The teacher should present the concepts and instruction in a way students can understand. The material should be challenging and should get students excited. I believe that students should be given the opportunity to learn in a variety of ways. Students need to come to school ready to learn. It is very frustrating to work with students who refuse to try. · What are your learning goals for your students? How do you effectively meet their needs? (Learning Theory) My learning goals for my students are ideally to meet academic success and be proficient in all grade level standards. I provide grade level materials in a variety of formats, allowing students to work together as well as independently. I check for understanding regularly, adjust teaching and activities to review/reteach or challenge learning. For students who are having difficulties, I scaffold instruction, helping them to discover the answer with necessary support. · What do you believe are the most effective methods for teaching? (Learning Theory) The most effective form of teaching is what involves students and gets them excited. I have found a little instruction followed by student practice/discussion, then students explaining their work to be most effective. The problem I find most often is the students who get lost and don't ask questions. They refuse to try because they might fail. To help with those students, I have them play cooperative learning games. Through this I find them more willing to take risks and be involved because of the smaller group. · What is your comfort level with technology and how do you integrate it within your lesson planning? (Technology) I LOVE technology. Not only do I use a smart board, I also use several educational internet sites. Students watch videos that reinforce concepts I have taught. We use educational web sites like KidBiz3000 to practice in depth reading and comprehension. IXL to practice math concepts. There are many other sites we use to support the variety of subjects we encounter. Additionally, I use Google Classroom, creating assignments to be completed by creating documents, spread sheets and slide presentations. I have also created Forms similar to what they will see on the Smarter Balanced Assessment. Through these students are given the opportunity to practice and develop the skills they will need for testing. · How do academic standards drive your instruction? Do you feel a need to teach to the test? Why or why not? (Academic standards) I teach to the standard. This way I know my students have been taught what they need to be successful next year. I also teach process - reading several different times for different purposes, looking back for text evidence to support their thinking. Math problem solving is also taught as a process. My philosophy is students should have processes in place to help them decipher the problems they will encounter in the world. By learning processes, they are better equipped to tackle harder materials. I do not teach to the test but make sure they have the skills and confidence to use the processes they have learned to be successful when they take the test. I make sure they have plenty of key boarding and computer experience so they are not frustrated because they can't figure out how to "work" the test. · What types of assessment do you use in your classroom? Can you give me an example of a formative and summative assessment? (Assessment) I am constantly using formative assessments. Much of this is done through having students solve problems on their own wipe boards, then share. Also through discussion. Based on the feedback (how they are doing/what they are understanding), I either review, stay with the same level of work or step it up and make it more challenging. This drives my instruction, so I am constantly planning as I go. Many summative assessments are projects or writing assignments that require students to use many of the skills we have learned. This also requires them to follow directions. · How do you incorporate elements of multicultural education in your classroom. Can you provide a specific example? (Diversity) Much of the multicultural education in my classroom comes through Social Studies and the cultural explorations we do in reading. Working with military families, I have a very diverse class. Instead of focusing on culture we focus on everyone being successful and developing positive character traits. I believe that Character Education is something they can use to help them interact positively with others regardless of culture. · How do you effectively manage a classroom? What is most challenging about issues related to discipline and classroom management? (Discipline and Classroom Management) Class room management is the most challenging part of my day. I focus on the district GLO - General Learner Outcomes. Self-Directed Learner, Community Contributor, Complex Thinker, Quality Producer, Effective Communicator, Effective and Ethical User of Technology. By focusing on these I find that most students are able to monitor their own behaviors. There are the students who no matter what, wander the room and disrupt others. I pull these students to the side and talk to them. I have them remind me what they should be doing. If they continue, they are redirected to independent learning centers (single desks) or given work to take to another classroom. For those who redirection does not work, I refer them to the counselors or admin. If the problem continues, I get the parents involved. I believe that issues should be addressed and resolved when they occur. Although informing the parent is important, I don't expect the parent to be able to control a child's behavior when they are not there. Because of this, I work closely with the student to develop responsible behaviors and hold them accountable for their actions. · How do you foster a positive relationship with students, parents, and the community? (Relationships) I send emails to parents informing them of what's going on as well as having a classroom page on the Solomon Elementary Web site. I treat my students with respect and have the same expectations for them as I do for my personal children. I am involved in several committees that work with military and the community. As part of the Military Culture course I took, I participated in revising the web site. We updated this to better support parents and keep them informed of school as well district policies. · What are the best and worst parts of the teaching profession? What concerns might you have for the future of our education system? (Contemporary Concerns) The best part teaching is working with the kids and seeing them get excited about learning. The worst part is fighting with students to try. The most frustrating part of teaching is watching a child who has potential not wanting to try. Dealing with a child who doesn't care about their education is hard. Even with the support of parents, these children have a tendency of doing very little and refuse to take risks. One of the biggest problems I see with education today is lack of support from society. It seems as though teachers are blamed for students graduating and not being prepared for the real world. However, when teachers push students and try to hold them accountable, parents get mad that we are being too hard on their children. · As you have gained experience, has your philosophy of education changed? When I first started teaching I thought every student would be excited to come to school. What I found out, is they are not. Without them seeing the value of education, they come to school to hang out and socialize. Part of this may be due to the fact that I teach at a school serving children of Military service members. These children are constantly moving and having to build relationships. I wish our school had more programs to work on this skill.

By: Mrs. Jones 3rd grade teacher at Solomon elementary

You will then prepare an 8-page paper to include the following:

· Introduction: An introduction that includes demographic information (teacher name, school, grade or discipline taught, number of children at that school, other pertinent information).

· Summary of Interview Questions: Summarize the answers the teacher gave to the interview questions. It should be clear that your summary includes all elements of teaching exhibited in the interview questions. If you asked additional questions, please provide the question you asked and why you included the questions(s); what did you want to learn?

· Connecting to Content: Analyze how the teacher responses aligned or didn’t align with the information presented in your text and at least two other scholarly sources. Show how the responses of the teacher supported or possibly didn’t support what you learned in this class. Make reference to the following topics: Motivations/Attributes, Philosophy of Learning, Embracing Diversity, Using Standards and Assessments to Drive Instruction, Implementing Technology, Contemporary Concerns, and Discipline/Classroom Management.

· Conclusion: End your paper by redefining your specific career goal in the field of education. Discuss your experience with the research portion of this final assignment. What surprised you most about the information you learned from your informational interview? Do you think you are a “good fit” for your particular career goal? Why or why not? Consider the attributes that you exhibit that make you a good fit and what motivates you to pursue the career you have identified. What concerns do you have and how might you resolve them? End with a powerful, inspirational statement that leaves your reader satisfied.

Paper should be formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center and must include a title and reference page. You must use a minimum of two scholarly sources in addition to the course text.