Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Looking Forward
Claudia Alvarez
National University
Professor University
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Abstract
development of teachers. I will discuss five professional developmental goals that I would like to
accomplish within my first five years of teaching. Education is evolving constantly and it is
important that individuals within the educational system, develop their knowledge to support the
change in education.
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As an educator it is important that I am aware of what changes are happening in the realm
of education and academics. Reflecting on your own teaching is extremely important in order to
learn what is working within your class and what changes need to be made in order to becomes a
better teacher. The California Teaching Performance Expectation (2013) mentions, “Candidates
use reflection and feedback to formulate and prioritize goals for increasing their subject matter
knowledge and teaching effectiveness” (p.17). Learning our own strengths and weaknesses
allows us to increase our effectiveness inside the classroom, allowing for our students to receive
“The best teachers probably do not have a barrister’s background, not can they assemble
an iPad out of an old soda can. But they do their jobs, and they do them well, day after
day, year after year, decade after decade. They adapt to change without losing sight of
In order for schools to have great teachers, the teachers need to believe they are great. These
teachers need to make their strengths stronger and work on disappearing their weaknesses.
During my first year, I would like to complete my 24 units of Early Childhood Education
(ECE). I currently have 15 ECE units but I need 24 in order to qualify to teach Transitional
Kindergarten plus my multiple subject credential. Since this age group is my favorite I want to
be fully qualified in order to teach this age group. I would take these classes online through
Miracosta Community College or Palomar Community College. Both community colleges offer
different courses that can help me reach my goal. Miracosta offers the, CHLD 106: Introduction
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to Curriculum in Early Childhood. This course would be of my interest because I never took a
During my second year of teaching I will focus on beginning the California Teacher
Induction formerly known as BTSA. I have very little information on the California Teacher
would like to begin this credential clearance during my second year of teaching because I think
that I will have a better idea on how I should run my classroom based on the experience I have
from the first year of teaching. The California State University of San Marcos has a good
program that I would be interested in joining in order to be able to complete this goal.
attending conferences, classes, and workshops. Conferences will help me learn from other
teachers who share their experiences and will guide me to become a better teacher. Taking other
classes will help me develop as a teacher because I will be able to learn new information on
education, child development, and teaching techniques. Workshops will also allow me to learn
During my fourth year of teaching I would like to teach upper grades (3rd -5th grade).
Most of my experience is working with students ages 2-6, predominantly preschool and
kindergarten classes. The only experience I have with upper grades were the two in a-half-
months in my student teaching where I was placed in a third grade classroom. Since I have little
to no experience teaching older students, this is something that I would really like to do as part of
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my professional development. I believe that as a teacher I need to get out of my comfort zone
For my fifth year I would like to get more involved with the administration portion of
education. I would like to learn what are some of the responsibilities that the principles have to
do. In the future I would like to become a principle therefore, I need to become aware of the
obligations that this position entails. National University offers the masters degree of Education
Administration, which is needed in California for those who are interested in becoming school
principals.
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References
prep/standards/adopted-tpes-2013.pdf.
Whitaker, T. (2013). What great teachers do differently: 17 things that matter most. New York,
NY: Routledge.