Standard+9

**Teachers are able to evaluate themselves.** The teacher is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates the effects of his or her choices and actions on pupils, parents, professionals in the learning community and others and who actively seeks out opportunities to grow professionally.
 * Standard 9**

Evidence 1:

Rationale 1: This survey is a simple form but is one illustration of the time I take to reflect on my practice. I think of my teaching as an art that continually evolves based on the outcomes I see in my students behaviors and work. I also work closely with my special education team at school, as we are involved in an action research team. We develop an evidence-based question each fall and work through the year to see what the effects of our collaboration and research have on student learning. The teacher standards survey mirrors our evaluation process at my school as well. I meet with the principals yearly to discuss my proficiency in relation to the standards, similar to what is done on the teacher standards survey.

**KSD**

 **9.K.3 The teacher is aware of major areas of research on teaching and other resources for professional learning (e.g. professional literature, colleagues, professional associations, professional development activities).**

Though the TSS doesn't reflect this, I do a good deal of reading on educational trends. Web 2.0 has accelerated my inclusion into the conversations on these topics, whether by commenting on a book review on Amazon.com or debating a topic at the ASCD blog. These are two examples of how I work to continuously improve my craft by reading about what works for others.

 **9.S.1 The teacher articulates and defends a philosophy of education to guide his/her practice and contributes to the stated philosophy of the school building/district.**

Our school has a proud reputation of fostering an environment of students high quality intellectual work. This applies to both academic and behavioral learning. When a problem arises, students are offered the chance to work through the problems in a independent, yet supported environment. When I work with other teachers in the building, I am challenged to maintain a solid stance to this end. Teachers still hold fast to the more aged idea of teacher-led instruction rather than student-driven learning, and I have to sometimes sell the benefits of high quality lessons to teachers when they would rather give multiple choice assessments based more heavily on recall than construction of knowledge and higher order thinking.

 **9.D.4 The teacher is committed to seeking out, developing, and continually refining practices that address the individual needs of students.**

I am committed to know my students better than anyone else in the building. When situations arise where the student is not learning, I have to adjust my approach and determine the reason for this. I reflect on possible causes: is it isolated to this day, events at home, trouble with peers, or is the lesson not clear, relevant, meaningful, or aligned with that student's ability, taking into consideration special needs? After serious reflection on this, I have to communicate a conclusion with the regular education teacher involved. Teachers can be critical and cautious when I offer suggestions, so it is imperative I have a sound base for suggestions.