APS 10: Fulfilling Professional Responsibilities Jill Bardin Christmus

A. Advocating for Students I am and I will always be an advocate for my students. I will always do what is in their best interest. To do this, I must collaborate with other professionals. I do not believe that as a teacher I know everything. You can always learn and get ideas from other professionals. In my practicum, I collaborated with my teacher and the assistants. I discussed ideas I had to make the students more normal and have a better quality of life with my teacher. In my own class, I collaborate with my assistants, regular education teachers, speech therapists, occupational therapist, and other professionals daily. I have worked closely with the regular education teachers to actively involve the students in the regular education setting to the maximum extent possible. I have also worked with the regular education teachers to assign peer buddies in order to help prevent bullying. B. Working to achieve organizational goals I have been the Special Education Representative on the Leadership team for the past two years. I am the facilitator for the Special Education Professional Learning Community. In our professional learning community, the five self-contained teachers and a speech pathologist analyze student data. We decide what it is that we want all students to learn, and how we will know when they have learned it. I am also a member of Nursery Road's School Improvement Council. C. Communicating Effectively To be an effective teacher, I believe it is very important that I have a strong communication with other professionals, students, and parents/guardians. I believe that in order for the student to make valuable progress, it truly must be a team effort. I communicate with parents through progress reports, phone calls, in person, e-mails, and daily notes home. I believe that I must have at least three positive contacts before a negative contact. I also believe it important that the parents know what we are working on in the classroom, so they can reinforce the skills at home. I believe that I am confident when speaking with the parents and other professionals. I make a conscious effort to speak clearly and not use special education jargon that other professionals and teachers do not understand. I frequently ask for suggestions from other professionals and welcome input from parents. D. Exhibiting Professional Demeanor and Behavior

Throughout my four years teaching and my practicum, I have complied with all the rules, policies, and procedures and adhered to the ethical standards. I am a stickler for doing the right thing for my students, and being an advocate for them. I have very high expectations for myself and my co-workers. Because of these high standards, I am now the chair for our professional learning group, the leader for the special education teachers, and a member of our School Improvement Council. E. Being an Active Lifelong Learner I am definitely a lifelong learner. I keep up to date with evidence based practices and research. I am a member of Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). I have attended webinars, professional conferences, and seminars. I attended a three day conference in Atlanta titled Ahead of the Curve. I love to read professional journals such as Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions and Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities. After I complete my Masters degree, I plan to continue to take classes. I look forward to continuing to learn more that I can implement in my classroom.