CLAIRE OTTMAR

BUTLER COE
MEGA MOMENTS
SPRING 2018
POST-GRAD PLANS
◦ Licensed in 5-12 English Language Arts

◦ Teaching high school English at Center Grove High School –

Greenwood, IN
ABOUT ME
• From Saint Joseph, Michigan
• Always knew I was meant to be a teacher
• Love writing, traveling, & working with people
STUDENT TEACHING PLACEMENT #1
◦ Pike High School

◦ 12th grade English class

◦ Unit on Shakespearean
play Othello

◦ Cooperating mentor:
Ms. Nisaa’ Jones
LESSONS LEARNED
1) Students will always be intimidated by
“hard” texts.

◦ Provide translation support like No Fear

Shakespeare  Students can’t get to the
content if they can’t get past the
language!

2) Even “boring” content can be made fun.

◦ Let students act out parts with props,

draw visual representations of scenes,
have collaborative discussions.
LESSONS LEARNED
3) Building relationships with
students will motivate them,
even if they hate the content!
◦ Attend students’
extracurriculars.
◦ Ask them about their outside
lives.

4) Continuously check in on
student understanding  Not
only with formative assessments,
but with scaffolded summative
assessments.
STUDENT TEACHING PLACEMENT #2

◦ Belzer Middle School

◦ 7th grade Language Arts class
◦ Unit on biographies,
autobiographies, & memoirs
◦ Cooperating mentor: Mrs. Rachel
Sams
LESSONS LEARNED, PART II
1) If your classroom isn’t well-managed, students will not be able
to learn.
◦ Consider making your classroom management strategies
competitive (i.e., scoreboards); have clear and consistent
consequences.

2) Pay attention to students’ developmental needs  Middle

schoolers need lots of structure!
◦ Timers for activities, model/example texts, sentence frames…
SENTENCE FRAMES EXAMPLE
LESSONS LEARNED, PART II
3) Talk to students about their
misbehavior  Don’t make assumptions.

◦ A lot of students bring serious home

issues to school.

4) All students love to talk and move.

◦ Collaborative discussions, think-pair-

shares, expert groups, station work
 MY EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY…NOW
There are 2 keys to student success:
1) Making learning ENGAGING and COMPREHENSIBLE for ALL
students.
◦ Accommodate different learning styles.
◦ Incorporate hands-on activities.
◦ Empower students to make their own educational choices.

2) PROVE to students you CARE.

◦ Ask instead of assume.
◦ Show that you see them as humans, not just students.
◦ Acknowledge their accomplishments instead of just reprimanding
their mistakes.
CLOSING: COE CORE VALUES & STUDENT TEACHING
◦ Appreciation for similarity & diversity
◦ Culturally diverse student teaching placements
◦ More culturally responsive than ever before
◦ Excitement of teaching, learning, & mentoring
◦ More confident & enthusiastic leader than ever
before
◦ Have learned just how much of an influence I can
really be in students’ lives
◦ Challenge of integrated practice & collaboration
◦ Productive collaborations with cooperative mentors
◦ Have learned how to be a strong colleague through
PLCs
◦ Strength of integrity & responsibility
◦ Have learned to hold myself accountable for
students’ learning, engagement, behavior