Portfolio Part Three

Portfolio Part Three

Professional Responsibility

Kimberly McCarthy

Vermont State University- Castleton Campus

Spring 2024
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Introduction

1 Teachers have a lot of responsibilities that cover various domains. Some of these

responsibilities may be obvious, but some may not be. Some of the more obvious responsibilities

that a teacher holds may include creating a safe learning environment for the students, lesson

planning, and teaching the lessons that they prepare. However, some responsibilities that may not

be as obvious may include dealing with classroom issues among students, quick problem solving

and decision making. All of these examples are equally important. If they are not all managed, it

can cause a disturbance in the well running of the classroom and school as well as limit the social

and emotional growth of the child.

Many people who do not have experience in the classroom do not fully understand how

much teachers are responsible for outside of teaching a lesson. Personally, as a student this was

the case for myself. Each of my teachers did a good job at accomplishing each of their

responsibilities.There was never a time where any of my teachers visibly seemed overwhelmed

with the tasks that they had to handle. However, now that I am taking on more roles as a teacher,

it is obvious that there is a lot more that comes with the job.

PC 9.2 Candidates are prepared to practice in a legal and ethical manner.

Description

An important task that teachers are faced with is giving each of their students equal

opportunities for success. Each student comes with different learning levels and different

homelife struggles, but they each deserve the attention to reach their specific needs. These needs

are not always strictly academic based, but are often more focused on a student's social and
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emotional growth. A student will not be academically successful if their emotional needs are not

met first. It is vital for teachers to recognize these needs and to properly go about meeting them

for each of the students. Sometimes there may be a need for the teacher to research legal aspects

of a situation they may be unsure about. There are many resources that a teacher can turn to in

order to ensure that procedures are being carried out properly. A simple step is to ask another

teacher in the school or an administrator. If they don’t know the answer they might be able to

give directions on who to go to next.

Theoretical Framework

It is commonly known that elementary age students benefit and grow the most when a

routine is established. For many students, their home lives might make it so that coming to

school might be the only sort of consistency that they are exposed to. One way a teacher can

enforce this type of consistency is by incorporating morning meetings into the classroom

schedule. Morning meetings not only create the consistency that kids desire but they also help to

promote social and emotional learning. The article Elementary classroom ethics: the emergence

of ethical literacy within the morning meeting 2023, author Leo A. Zumpetta states that “the

morning meeting is rooted in social and emotional learning (SEL), an approach that integrates

traditional academic pursuits with an understanding of emotional regulation, self-actualization

and interpersonal relationships” (Zumpetta, Pg 13). Marshall University did a study to determine

the benefits of morning meetings. The conclusion of their study determined that there are more

beneficial aspects to morning meetings than there are negatives. Morning meetings help students

to feel more seen and heard by both their teacher and their peers. Although it is not a core

academic learning block, through morning meetings students are learning how to show kindness

and empathy while listening to their peers. Morning meetings can also help prepare students to
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become more focused on learning. The biggest negative would be time. It might be difficult for

teachers to find time to incorporate morning meetings into their daily routine, but it would be

beneficial if it could be done.

The article How Morning Meetings Impact Classwork Productivity (2018), author Lisa

Parelius also supports the inclusion of morning meetings within the classroom setting. This

article and studies done through the Dominican University of California, prove that morning

meetings don’t only have benefits on the students' social and emotional learning, but the impact

also crosses over into their academic success. “Research has shown that students who are given

social and emotional tools to work with in their school day are better able to learn in all subject

areas” (Parelius, Pg 1). By having consistent time in the morning to share and interact with their

peers, students are set up to be more successful for the rest of the day when they are faced with

academic tasks.

Salient Evidence

There are several different ways that morning meetings can be run. These differences

might have to do with class needs and what works best for them as well as the different age

groups. In a small rural school morning meetings are a common routine found in all of the

classrooms. However, even though every class conducts morning meetings, they vary in so many

ways. In the fifth grade class, each morning the students meet in a circle on the rug in the back of

the room to discuss the day's discussion topic. Each day there is a new discussion topic chosen

by the teacher. If it were a Monday there the topic could be, “What did you do over the

weekend” but it could also be something more random such as, “If you could teach anything,

what would you teach students? The class would share what their responses would be. Across the
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hall in the third grade classroom, morning meetings are run a little differently. There is a system

that the teacher created in which the students are rotated to decide who gets to share that day. On

a student's day, they get to read the morning meeting slide to the class which states any important

information as well as a little bit about the day that they are going to have. The student is then

able to go to the front of the class and share something from home. Some students have brought

in toys that they love or crafts they have made. After the student is done sharing, the rest of the

class are able to make positive comments or ask questions. For the rest of the day that student is

the “lucky duck.” They are the line leader while going to meals or specials and they are chosen

to do any special tasks that the teacher may have on that day. Students always look forward to

their share days.

One of the favorable aspects about morning meetings is that there is not one specific way

to run them. As previously mentioned, each teacher will most likely run morning meetings

differently. Teachers can use online resources such as research articles to get ideas of how to lead

morning meetings. They could also gather ideas from other teachers from their school or even

other schools to see how different variations might work. In the rural elementary school where

the examples above came from morning meetings are mandatory in each class. There was a

workshop that teachers were required to attend before the start of the school year to help teachers

become more aware of the system as well as gather ideas. It might take time to figure out how

morning meetings work best in a particular classroom. However, once a good system is found, it

is important to stick with it so the students have consistency that they can rely on.

Evidence: PC 9.2 evidence - Google Docs

Critical Reflection
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From my experiences morning meetings are very beneficial for students and are

something that I would like to incorporate in my classroom. I do not remember having morning

meetings in any of my own elementary school classes so I can not speak to the benefits from a

student's perspective. However, while being in a teacher role I have experienced many morning

meetings and can see how beneficial that is to the students as well as the teacher. Both the

students and the teacher might learn something new about a particular student during their share.

It also allows students to feel seen and important and to share something that they might not get a

chance to in a typical school day. It is also a good transition into the rest of the day. With

morning meetings, students are not thrown into academic learning right away. I would be

interested in attending a seminar or workshop about morning meetings to get more ideas on how

to run them since it is something that I want to incorporate into my classroom. I want to educate

myself well on the subject to ensure that I am creating the best environment for students each

day.

PC 10.1 Candidates are prepared to collaborate with learners, families, colleagues, other
schools, professionals, and community members to ensure student learning.

Description

As teachers, it is important that we continue to grow as lifetime learners. The learning

does not stop when we get our diploma or our teaching license. We are expected to continue to

acquire new techniques, learning skills, curriculum, classroom management skills etc. for the

entirety of our teaching careers. Many times this can be done by going to different workshops or

professional development trainings that are offered, but it can also be done on a more lowkey

basis in the schools. Teachers are able to continue learning during their interactions with other

teachers daily. Through this communication and collaboration, teachers are able to share new
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ideas, some of which might be beneficial for their colleagues. If the expectation of lifetime

learning is put on students, the expectation should also be shared with their teachers.

Theoretical Evidence

Studies have shown that students benefit more when there is collaboration between

teachers and administrators. When collaboration is present in a school, everyone is the

beneficiary. Students are more likely to get their needs met, and teachers are developing

professionally while in many cases also lowering their workload. Teacher Collaboration as a

Core Objective of School Development ( 2020 )states that there are different forms of

collaboration. There are three forms that are most commonly used, “: (1) informing colleagues

through exchange, (2) sharing work with colleagues to enhance teachers’ efficiency and (3)

co-construction in order to enhance school quality and foster professional development.”

(Muckenthaler, 4).

The first entails that information and materials are shared between teachers while still

teaching independently. This is the simplest form of collaboration while still having a positive

impact. The second form includes teachers sharing work and sometimes responsibilities with one

another. This form of collaboration requires colleagues to have more trust in one another which

could at times cause conflict. The third form of collaboration talked about in this article is the

most complex. With the third form, teachers work together towards one common goal. Work and

responsibilities are often shared and it is not uncommon to see teachers working together to teach

a class. All three forms of collaboration can be beneficial if used appropriately among schools

and classrooms. What collaboration looks like in each school is going to be different. It is even

likely that collaboration within the school could look different among various teachers.
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Collaboration does not just stop between teachers. It can also expand to the

administration, parents and students and even the greater school community. Successful

Leadership in Rural Schools: Cultivating Collaboration (2017 ) talks about these extensions of

collaborations. The administration's role while running a collaborative school is to build a

community that is focused on leadership and teamwork. Principals are to build trust among their

staff members and work with them to support student success. Parents at home also have an

important role in collaborating with their child's teachers. There should be frequent

communication between a teacher and the parents of their students. While at times this

communication might be regarding an issue or concern for a student; however it should not

always be that way. It is encouraged that teachers often reach out to parents to report positive

behavior or academic success among a particular student. While the greater school community

might not be able to have as much of a direct impact on the success of a school, they can still be

involved. This involvement could include administration opening up school facilities, such as

gyms or playgrounds, to the community. In some cases, community members also have the

opportunity to join the school board to have more of a voice within the school. Like previously

mentioned, collaboration is going to look different among each school. However, it is highly

encouraged for a school to have some sort of collaboration to add to the schools overall success.

Salient Evidence
How a school chooses to include collaboration into their culture is going to vary. One

third grade teacher in a rural elementary school chooses to frequently collaborate with parents.

Each Thursday a newsletter is sent home with each student to include the parents in what is

happening in their child's classroom. This newsletter includes important dates to remember, any

classroom or school reminders, and a brief run down at what was taught during the week.
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Oftentimes this teacher will also include sample work for parents to explore. While it is likely

that not every parent takes the time to read through the newsletter, this teacher knows that there

are a handful of parents that appreciate it. With a weekly newsletter, parents are able to feel more

involved in their child's classroom. It also gives the parents the opportunity to ask their child

more specific questions based on what they learned during the week.

The elementary school that I went to worked hard to involve parents as much as possible.

Parents had the opportunity to help their child's teacher by becoming what was called a class

parent. The roles of these parents would vary but were often similar between classes and grade

levels. The most common responsibility of a class parent was to help plan and run classroom

parties or big events. My mom was a class parent and I remember her coming into my classes to

help with holiday parties. This not only made me as a student feel excited, but it also meant a lot

to my mom as well as the other parents involved knowing they could play a part in their child's

school lives.

Critical Reflection

Collaboration between all parties is vital for the success of schools. As a teacher I plan to

collaborate with my peers and administration as well as try to include my students' family as

much as I can. The idea of a weekly newsletter sounds helpful in creating trust between myself

and families. In my newsletter I would aim to include any special announcements and important

dates that the class or school might have. I would also like to include a short description of what

was taught during the week as well as a preview for the next week. Communicating positive

behaviors or academic success is something that I would like to incorporate within my

classroom. It is important that my direct communication among parents does not only include

negative behaviors or concerns I might have for their students.

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While a newsletter is a great way to communicate with families at home, I wouldn’t want

to stop there. An idea that could be incorporated into my classroom is sending personalized notes

to a few parents each week to fill them in about their child's recent success. Different families

each week would receive a personalized letter from myself that includes what their child has

been enjoying in school, as well as some of the academic and social successes that have been

seen. With this, parents will get to celebrate with their child and it would also act as an

encouragement for the student to continue to do well in school. I want there to be frequent

communication and open communication between myself and the families of my students.

Incorporating weekly newsletters and success letters are two great ways to do that.

Evidence- Newsletter - Google Docs

Portfolio Part Three Final Reflection

Through my experiences with working in several classrooms and grade levels, I see the

benefits that morning meetings have on students as well as the importance of collaborations

within the school community. Through these experiences I know that I want to incorporate a

form of morning meeting into my classroom. Morning meetings are a good transition piece to

help students settle into the school day. There are also social and emotional benefits that result

from consistent morning meetings as well. As for collaborations, I want to strive to work well

with my colleagues and administration to gather the best resources to reach my students' needs. I

also want to include families as much as I can by doing things like weekly newsletters.

Collaboration in schools is not only beneficial for teachers but it can also be a lesson for

students. School is not just a time for academic learning, but also a time for social growth and the

life lesson of “alone we can do so little; together we can do so much”- Helen Keller. It is the time
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where kids get to really learn how to work well with other people. Teachers are able to model

this behavior by working well with other teachers. One particular third grade class has a lot of

trouble getting along with one another and working as a classroom team. There are a few

students in this class that struggle often to work peacefully with other classmates. To help teach

the students how to be a good classmate to one another my mentor teacher and myself often have

to remind the students what it looks like to be a respectful student and classmate. This includes

using manners, looking at someone while they talk, not interrupting someone etc. What might

seem like simple concepts are often difficult for many of the students within this class. Gentle

reminders as well as myself and my mentor teacher modeling these behaviors between our

interactions have had beneficial effects on this particular group of students.

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Sources

Muckenthaler, Magdalena, et al. Teacher Collaboration as a Core Objective of School

Development, 2018, Teacher-collaboration-as-a-core-objective-of-school-development.pdf

(researchgate.net).

Parelius , Lisa. How Morning Meetings Impact Classwork Productivity,

scholar.dominican.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1326&context=masters-theses. Accessed 26

Jan. 2024.

Preston, Jane, and Kristopher E. Barnes. “Successful leadership in rural schools: Cultivating

Collaboration.” The Rural Educator, vol. 38, no. 1, 9 Nov. 2018,

https://doi.org/10.35608/ruraled.v38i1.231.

Zumpetta, Leo. “Elementary Classroom Ethics;: The Emergence of Ethical Literacy within the

Morning Meeting.” Marshall University , 2023,

mds.marshall.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2836&context=etd.
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