Lauren Grumka

Professor Suk
Education Field Experience EDUC 230-01
Spring 2016
Rationale Statement for Standard Eleven
Standard Eleven: Ethical Practice
Teachers shall act in accordance with legal and ethical responsibilities and shall use integrity
and fairness to promote the success of all students.
Name of Artifact: Service Learning Time Sheet and Evaluations
Date of Completion: April 21, 2016
Course Completed in: Education Field Experience EDUC 230-01
Rationale Statement:
The above-stated artifact of Service Learning Time Sheets and Evaluations is a physical
representation of the experience of Service Learning as a whole. They represent the fifty hours
of time and effort I put into going to, observing, and hopefully enhancing, the middle school I
was placed at. What initially was an experience that worried me, turned out to be one of the
most life-affirming I could have ever had. My placement teacher was such a blessing that I feel I
will fall too far into the vernacular describing my time. Being a part of her classroom showed
me that I can exist, and thrive in this profession. Her career, especially the start of it, so closely
mirrors mine it was uncanny. We are both alternate route, dual-certified, language teachers who
did not originally intend to become teachers, but found ourselves in need of a solid profession
that we found out was a secret passion. We both have that no nonsense, funny; realistic type of
personality and she has become more than just a means to the end of my fifty hours, but a mentor
who I truly admire. Even though I ironically have not gotten to directly teach the class, as I do
not speak French, I have had my first tangible experiences of what it is like to work as a teacher.
I got to see the other aspects; the realities of teaching beyond the classroom.

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It is easy to make guidelines and rules and regulations for your classroom under the ideal
that this class is the most important, end all be all of classes, but to be realistic and adaptable is
harder, but better. At least once a week I listened to my teacher hold a quick round table to find
out her students obligations. Did they have CCD? Was the 7th grade play coming up? How
could she reasonably adapt her schedule, and their workload, to meet their needs as well as those
of the syllabus. It becomes a matter of quality over quantity, and these are the realities of
teaching, especially in a language classroom, which is a daily building experience. I know that I
have seen many a teacher flounder when change is forced upon them, and I know that I am guilty
of that panic and stuttering as well, so when I got to see that flexibility in such an effective
manner I really took note. Things such as lessening daily amounts homework or giving it over a
longer span of time are things that can be done to make things less stressful for the students,
while still accomplishing goals. For each period she would sit with me beforehand and go over
what her core tasks would be, and then make an order of things to do, time permitting. Learning
how to prioritize is something I will take away from this experience. Not only will it keep me
sane, but it benefits the students more than I even realized when I was one. The respect they
have for her because of it was a bonus I did not originally foresee.
Another aspect beyond the classroom is workplace dynamics. These are always tricky,
and they are quite important in a school as all the teachers affect the students. At the middle
school level teachers are in teams, and the collective of subject teachers together cover a select
group of students. I worked on the days when my teacher went to team meetings, and that to me
was one of the most interesting moments. For one period they shared how their classes were
going, issues that might need to be addressed, and kept a running table of these points. That day
they were discussing a student who is on the cusp of a learning disability. Also involved was the

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team guidance councilor. Each teacher was asked to give their input about how that student was
fairing in their class and their opinion on if there should be a resource aid placed with them, even
though they did not quite meet the standard parameters. This student is of capabilities so that
they do not need to be specifically in the resource center, but is not fully capable of being
integrated without assistance in a traditional classroom. The parents saw their childs struggles
and advocated for some form of intervention. The collaboration between counseling services,
the teachers, and the parent requests was smooth and pragmatic. There are many places were
this type of student would fall between the cracks, so it was encouraging and important to see
how to avoid this problem and possibly be of assistance to students of this nature in the future.
As the issue of learning disabilities and integration grows, teachers need to be prepared to deal
with all types of situations. By being a part of these weekly meetings, and the aforementioned in
particular, in conjunction with the attention I have paid to adapting to students outside stresses, I
feel that I fulfilled Standard Eleven, Performance III The teacher promotes aspects of students
well-being by exercising the highest level of professional judgment, and working cooperatively
and productively with colleagues and parents to provide a safe, healthy, and emotionally
protective learning environment (NJPST, 2014, p14).
Prior to my service learning my subject matter mastery was my biggest concern; being
prepared to be the best giver of knowledge I could was what worried me. Being at the school has
completely flipped that on its head. Building that environment is what I now know I need to do
first and foremost. Its like growing a garden: you can stake the plant and tie it to that stalk, but
its not going to grow if it does not have the nutritious soil to grow from; the sunlight to help it,
and the water to cultivate it. The conditions have to be right in order for something to grow, and

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this is no different with students. I want to be the encourager; the foster of their growth, as not
only language learners, but as strong, productive, fulfilled members of society.

Reference List:
New Jersey Professional Standards for Teachers Alignment with InTASC NJAC 6A:9C-3.3
(effective May 5, 2014). (2014, May 5). Retrieved March 24, 2016, from
http://www.state.nj.us/education/profdev/profstand/teacherstandardscrosswalk.pdf