Brianna Rider

Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota

Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs

Portfolio Entry for Wisconsin Teacher Standard Ten

EDUW 696 Documents of Accomplishment

Instructor: Catherine Anderson

March 27th, 2020

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Selected Wisconsin Teacher Standard Descriptors

Wisconsin Teaching Standard #10: ​Teachers are connected with other teachers and the
community. ​The teacher fosters relationships with school colleagues, parents, and agencies in the
larger community to support students’ learning and well-being, and acts with integrity, fairness,
and in an ethical manner.

Knowledge​ 10.K.2 The teacher understands how factors in the students’ environment outside of

school (e.g. family circumstances, community environments, health, and economic conditions)

may influence students’ lives and learning.

Dispositions​ 10.D.3 The teacher is willing to consult with other professionals regarding the

education and well being of his/her students.

Performances​ 10.S.5 The teacher talks with and listens to the student, is sensitive and responsive

to clues of distress; investigating situations, and seeking outside help as needed and appropriate to

remedy problems.

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Danielson Framework for Teaching

Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities: ​Accomplished teachers have high ethical standards and

a deep sense of professionalism, focused on improving their own teaching and supporting the

ongoing learning of colleagues. Their record-keeping systems are efficient and effective, and they

communicate with families clearly, frequently, and with cultural sensitivity. Accomplished

teachers assume leadership roles in both school and LEA projects, and they engage in a wide range

of professional development activities to strengthen their practice. Reflection on their own teaching

results in ideas for improvement that are shared across professional learning communities and

contribute to improving the practice of all.

Component 4c:​ ​Communicating with families

Teacher’s communication with families is frequent and sensitive to cultural traditions, with

students contributing to the communication. Response to family concerns is handled with

professional and cultural sensitivity. Teacher’s efforts to engage families in the instructional

program are frequent and successful.

Element: ​ The teacher frequently provides information to families about the instructional program.

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National Board Core Proposition # 5:​ Teachers are members of learning communities.

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 Professionalism Introduction

When I was in grade school I knew I wanted to be a teacher. As I went through high school

and college the idea became more ingrained. I loved working with children and helping them

grow. Now it is five years later and I have been teaching ever since. Four-year-old kindergarten is

where I started my teaching career. After that I moved to kindergarten where I currently am today.

I have learned that to be a professional in the teaching profession, it means you have to be open to

new ideas, willing to collaborate with other professionals, be respectful and communicative

towards families, and dedicated to the students you are teaching. What I value most about the

teaching profession is the ability to make an impact in a young person’s life.

My teaching philosophy exemplifies my professionalism and my dedication towards my

teaching career. As a teacher I want to make sure I do everything I can to serve the students in my

classroom. Currently I do that by making my classroom aesthetically pleasing, greeting each of

my students and saying goodbye to them everyday, collaborating with my co-workers, reflecting

on my teaching practices and the lessons I teach, and communicating with my students’ families.

Everything that I do is done with my students’ best interests in mind.

The students that come into school everyday have a range of backgrounds and home-life

situations. Although I can’t control where they come from, I can control the environment in my

classroom and tune it to my students’ needs. That is one of the qualities that I possess that makes

me a professional. I am sensitive to the needs of my students and I am able to adjust accordingly.

I am also able to show respect toward my students’ families whenever I communicate with them.

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Through collaboration with my colleagues, families, and students, I work hard to try and meet

every student’s physical, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual needs.

Effective involvement with families and the community are crucial in establishing

successful relationships. Families are entrusting me with educating and taking care of their child

throughout the day. In order for a student to be successful in the classroom and in his or her

community, I believe it is important for there to be a positive relationship between me and the

parents/guardians of my students. Together we can work on helping each child grow. That is also

why it is important to involve the community. Afterall, it takes a village to raise a child. Whether

it be a priest from a local church, the librarian down the street, or the cashier at the grocery store,

the interactions we encounter every day, whether positive or negative, help form us into who we

are.

Changes are happening everyday, especially in the world of education. There are always a

plethora of podcasts to listen to, webinars to watch, or classes to take. As new generations of

learners come into my classroom, it is important that I am able to mold my teaching techniques in

order to reach every learner. For that reason it is important that I am willing to learn and expound

on my own education. How can I expect my students to learn if I am not willing to learn alongside

them? Being a learner means I am willing to take whatever steps are needed to better not only

myself but my colleagues, my community, and my students.

Collaborating with my colleagues helps me become a better learner and it helps me reflect

on my own teaching practices. I love reaching out to other teachers for collaboration, especially

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the other kindergarten teacher, because I like being on the same page as everyone. In kindergarten

we try to keep things the same as far as what units we cover each week. Collaboration allows us to

do just that. I also enjoy collaborating with my colleagues because they have a lot of great ideas

that I am able to implement in my own classroom. Taking on a leadership role during our

collaboration meetings is something I am starting to feel more comfortable with. The opportunity

of being a leader allows me to inspire other teachers and be a role-model for them.

Portfolio Pages

I am always trying my best to communicate with the families and the community of my

students. To do that, I make myself available for phone calls and emails outside the school’s

regular operation hours. This is communicated to families constantly. I do it right away at the

beginning of the year by handing everyone a “business card” that contains my name, phone

number, and email address. There is a magnet on the back so that families can post it on their

refrigerator so it doesn’t get lost. My goal is to inform families that I am always willing to lend a

helping hand and/or a listening ear if they ever have any comments, questions, or concerns. I want

the families of my students to know that I am an advocate for their child.

During the middle of the year I do my best to communicate with the families of my students

through a “Kindergarten Chronicle.” This is a document that outlines important tidbits, what is

coming up in terms of special events, and what we will be covering in each subject area. By

keeping families informed of the happenings in my classroom, it is my hope that they will continue

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to review and discuss what is happening at school. It is also my goal to keep the families of my

students as updated as possible.

The students in my classroom come from different family dynamics. The dynamics this

year seem to be more diverse than what I have seen in the past. I have one student whose dad

recently passed away from cancer, one student whose parents are going through a divorce, two

students who have a new baby in the family, one student whose dad is in the National Guard and is

away a lot on weekends, and multiple students whose parents lead very busy lives working, raising

multiple other children, etc. That may not seem like a lot, but that is only what I see on the outside.

I don’t know what goes on inside my students’ homes. For that reason, I believe it is my job to do

the best I can to get to know all of my families and try to understand what my students experience

when they leave my room at the end of the day. One of the best ways I can do that is through

communication.

The Kindergarten Chronicle and the business cards I distribute are just two ways I offer

communication opportunities throughout the year. In kindergarten we like to have a lot of dress up

days. We also have numerous special events that occur such as Holy Days of Obligation, trips to

the local nursing home, concerts, etc. The newsletter allows me to communicate to my families

well in advance of when these events occur and what they will entail. By offering this information

to my families (along with other important information about my classroom) it is my hope they will

be more involved in their child’s education. When families are more involved, I believe it offers a

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great way for them to establish a positive connection with their child and show them they are

interested in what they are doing in school.

I have had great success in implementing the Kindergarten Chronicle and my business card.

It means the world to kindergarteners when they get to participate in special dress up days and have

their parents/guardians come for special events. Families are informed they are welcome to help

their children participate in those special days. Communicating with families also plays a huge

role in the education of my students. For example, I have one student who would constantly say to

me at the beginning of the year, “I hate school” or “I hate you.” Through active communication

with mom (sometimes involving the student) we came up with numerous ways to try and get him

to like school more and get him accustomed to his new routine. Something mom was really good

at was reading the weekly Kindergarten Chronicles and discussing with her son what was going on

in school. This particular student has a huge connection with his mom, so I would be willing to bet

that it made a world of difference knowing that his mom took notice in what he was learning.

Once we reached the half-way point in the school year, instead of telling me he hated school or

hated me, he now tells me often how much he loves me and gives me huge hugs. I believe that

those changes would not have happened in that student if mom and I hadn’t been in communication

with each other on a regular basis. It is moments like that that remind me of why I wanted to

become a teacher.

Hearing “I hate you, I hate school”, or getting the remark, “Nope, not happening” really

took the wind out of my sails at the beginning of this school year. I was fresh off of maternity

leave and summer vacation and I had no idea how I was going to reach this student so we could

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make it through the school year without both of us feeling frustrated. By exhibiting my ability to

be a continuous learner, I reached out to my principal and asked if I could attend a Love and Logic

conference. I attended one three years ago and it helped me tremendously in discovering strategies

for helping a difficult child during my first year of teaching kindergarten. Over the years a lot of

those strategies slipped my mind and I figured it was never a bad idea to attend a conference on the

same subject twice. I was not mistaken.

I walked away from the Love and Logic conference feeling refreshed and ready to go. I

was prepared to go to school the next day and start implementing a few strategies right away. This

contribution to my learning was significant because it gave me the confidence I needed to make

sure I was approaching my hard-to-reach student in a loving and caring way. The first strategy I

tried was simply acknowledging my students everyday when they first walked in the door. I tried

this with all of my students, not just the one I was having a tough time reaching. For example I

would say, “Johnny, I notice you brought a stuffed animal dog with you today” or “Becky, I

noticed you wore your rainboots today.” By acknowledging my students, I was showing them I

cared about them and was glad to see them.

Another strategy I implemented from the Love and Logic Conference focused on how I

phrased requests and changed my language. In the past I would say things like, “You need to take

out your book and turn to page 2” or “You need to sit down.” Oftentimes this led to a power

struggle because it was as if I was pointing my finger and putting the blame on the student. I now

would say, “Do me a favor and turn to page 2 in your book. Thanks.” or “Do me a favor and sit in

your chair. Thanks.” What was important to remember about this strategy was to walk away after

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you stated your request. Then the student doesn’t have the chance to argue with you (unless they

wanted to shout it across the room). By stating requests as if the students are doing me a favor, it

leads them to believe they are choosing to do it for me and it sounds less threatening.

What I learned at the Love and Logic conference had a profound effect on how I teach and

the relationships I have with my students. Going back to the example of my student who hated

school and wouldn’t want to do what I asked him, it worked tremendously. Granted it didn’t

happen overnight, but it was almost as if a switch went off one day and I could see it in his eyes

that we had made a connection. Once we reached the second quarter, I was hearing less and less of

the, “Nope, not happening” and instead I would see compliance. I was also receiving hugs from

this particular student and at times he would tell me he loves me. I couldn’t believe it! I felt very

proud of my efforts which fueled me to keep going and continue to work on building on this

positive relationship. Examples like this is why I love being a teacher. As long as I am willing to

put in the effort and learn, amazing things can happen.

This year our school was fortunate enough to add another section of kindergarten. With

hiring a new teacher came the opportunity for me to act as a mentor, therefore demonstrating my

ability to take on a leadership role. My duties included having meetings with my mentee, checking

in with her throughout the day, answering questions, offering advice/suggestions, and lending a

listening ear. Along with being a mentor to the new kindergarten teacher, I was also assigned a

month where I met with all of the new teachers in our building. During the month of November, I

met with the new kindergarten and first grade teacher to discuss important events that would be

happening. I found that it can be a lot of work at times having extra meetings and trying to help

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with another classroom, but I believe it was a very beneficial experience because I remember what

it was like being a new, first year teacher. I was happy to help in any way that I could to try and

alleviate any stress or anxiety that the new teachers were feeling.

Being a mentor is a significant contribution because teaching is a lot of work. Not only are

new teachers not used to having a classroom of their own, but they have to figure out what

classroom management strategies they want to use, how they’re going to organize their classroom,

how they want to prepare lesson plans, and they have to figure out how to teach using various

curriculums. In my opinion it would be much harder trying to do all of those things if you were not

offered any assistance. I remember what it was like being a new teacher and I would not be where

I am today if I did not have such a wonderful mentor.

Teaching involves a lot of learning as you go. A lot of questions are asked, suggestions are

sought, and advice is needed. For that reason, I believe that many teachers can easily feel burned

out, especially in their first year of teaching. That is where the role of a mentor comes in. I wanted

to be the best mentor I could. Offering emotional support, guidance, and motivation were what I

strived for. I did that by bringing coffee to my mentor after she had a rough day, leaving notes for

her in her mailbox, and answering her questions multiple times a day. No one expected me to do

those things (except for maybe answering questions), but I wanted to do the best I could in helping

my mentee become the best teacher she could be.

Being a mentor to the new kindergarten teacher was a success for the most part. I felt like I

was able to help her get a good grasp on what it is like teaching kindergarten. Not every

suggestion was utilized, but I recognize that everyone does things a little differently. What works

for one classroom might not work for the next. One thing I struggled with was knowing when to

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offer help and when to step back. I related it to parenting. When children are young, parents do

much of the work for their child. However, as they get older, parents start to do less and less to

promote independence. With being a mentor, I wanted to offer help and give suggestions, but I

also wanted to instill independence so that in the future she will be able to make more decisions on

her own. Reflecting on the experience as a whole, I enjoyed my time being a mentor. Not only did

I feel like I was helping someone else become a better teacher, but it also helped me become a

better teacher as well.

Reflective Summary

Based on the examples I gave, a pattern that I see in myself is that I am a strong advocate

for my students. When it comes down to it, I simply want what is best for them. A big part of my

teaching philosophy is to give every child the education they deserve and to do it in a way that is

best for them. Not only do I want what is best for the students in my classroom, but I want all of

the students I encounter to know that I care deeply about them whether they are in kindergarten or

second grade. In order to do what is best for my students, I need to communicate effectively with

their families, create an environment that is conducive to learning, and collaborate with the other

faculty and staff that I work with, especially the other kindergarten teachers.

I have a soft spot in my heart for students who can be a little more challenging. I may not

recognize that during the first month or two of school, but reflecting on my past four years teaching

kindergarten, each year I have had at least one student who was more challenging to teach due to

behaviors. However, due to the fact that I had perseverance and the willingness to learn, I was able

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to end the year on a positive note with each of those students. With that being said, the most

effective thing I have done to improve student learning is attending the Love and Logic conference.

I attribute much of my success to what I learned at that conference. Children want (and need) to be

loved. It is my job to make sure that it is done in a logical way.

Moving forward, I would love to have the opportunity to attend more conferences related to

classroom management. I recognize that everything I learn along the way cannot be implemented

at once, but every year I am faced with a new set of students. What worked for my class this year

in terms of classroom management might not work for my class next year. Teaching is about being

flexible. As I continue my journey of teaching, I will do everything in my best effort to ensure that

each child is receiving the education and the love that they deserve.

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 Evidence for Families and Communities

1. Kindergarten Chronicle:

Kindergarten Chronicle

2. Business Card:

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 Evidence of Learning

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 Evidence of Being a Leader

Mentor Mate
A Mentor Mate is someone to help new teachers with the daily on goings of the school as well as
help them feel integrated into the MACS system.

Monthly Mentor Mate

It is important that new teachers get to know other staff in the building to build community. It is
equally important for the existing staff to take ownership of the process of knowing and helping
new teachers. Existing staff are assigned a month (depending on the number of existing staff, staff
may be assigned multiple months) with chat sessions for the month to discuss with new teachers.
These are to be fun, welcoming check ins.
The principal is responsible to assign mentor mates their months (it is a good practice for teachers
to keep the same month from year to year to build consistency).

Responsibilities
● October through May – Teacher Mentor Mate (Principal assigns mates to months at
beginning of school year)
● Meet with new teacher(s) weekly to check in to say hello and go over monthly talking
points. This could be an extended lunch date. Remember these are not just task check-ins but
friendly chats and building co-worker relationships
● Help them with any questions that they may have.
● Find ways to celebrate new teachers each month and make them feel special and included.
● At the end of the month, the mentor completes this ​form​.

Mentors
Aug/Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb March April May June

St.C Principals Deb Brianna Bekka Shannon Val S Krista Cindy Principal Principal

HG Principals Cheri Erica A Bridget Diane H Val S Barb Bekka Princ Princ

ND Principals Erica B Jill R Peter Justin Erica B Peter Jennifer Jill Princ

Mc Principals Jason & Steve Sean & Mary K Kari S Julie Shelly Tony Princ
D Mary H Mary T

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St. Charles: November
New Teacher(s): Taylor Matthews - K, Abby Adams - 1st

Brianna Chat Sessions Notes

● Connect to other staff from other
buildings
● Home and School/Parents 4
Learning/Spaghetti Spectacular info
● Writing Folders
● Invite to observe other classrooms
● (Celebrate and include new teacher)

A note I received from my mentee

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