Classroom Practices Reflection: I'm my toughest critic.

When reflecting about my professional practice, it is always easy for me to think about what isn't working and how it can be improved. Like most educators, I want to be sure that I am doing the best that I can to teach the students that I work with. With so many requirements, standards, and pressures that are frequently put on the shoulders of educators, it is easy to feel frustrated, ineffective, and hopeless because there is always something that can be improved. I am my toughest critic.

When I first completed this inventory, I was dreading my 'results' because I thought it would bring to light areas in which I was 'falling short.' I consider myself one that welcomes and accepts constructive feedback. Teaching is one of the few professions where you are constantly changing, learning, and growing, and it truly encompasses the idea of being a 'lifelong learner.' That's what makes teaching exciting, authentic, and organic. But I've also realized that constructive feedback can be hard to accept when it seems that all of the feedback that you get is 'constructive.' There comes a point where the feedback goes from being constructive and becomes destructive and there is a very fine line between the two.

After completing this inventory, I've noticed that I often overlook the good things that are happening in my classroom ... and there are good things happening: I base my teaching on the needs of my students, emphasize critical and creative thinking in all subject areas, provide several instructional formats, provide students opportunities to choose activities whenever possible, and offer enrichment and remediation as needed. My students enjoy coming to school and feel safe in their classroom and I feel that I've created an environment that is nurturing, open, and respectful for them (I got this information from a few of their surveys). My classroom is fairly differentiated and offers the students an opportunity to take ownership and demands that they become active in their learning.

But, there is always room for growth. I would like to become more familiar (and comfortable) with compacting and accelerating content. I've realized it is sometimes hard for me to figure out what is essential and what isn't in some subjects. I also would like use pre-assessments more often than I currently do and offer more ways for students to demonstrate their learning.

Upon further reflection, I think that I will need to make more of an effort to reflect on the good and the 'bad.' I will give myself permission to make deposits in my 'teaching bank' before I can make any withdrawals. It will leave me in a positive and motivated mood as opposed to feeling negative and depleted.