Teacher

Professional Growth Plan

Name: Ashley Speakman

School: Mike Mountain Horse Elementary School
Practicum Dates: August 27 December 18, 2015
Teacher Mentor: Krista Seaman
School Administrator: Erin Hurkett
Faculty Mentor: Cory Beres

A. PROFESSIONAL GOALS
Goal #1: Take time away from teaching to take care of me.
Rationale: After my first two practicums I have learned that I burn out when I am investing all I
have into my teaching. While it is good to be as committed as I am, I know I cannot be the best
teacher if I am not the best me.

Goal #2: Become more involved in activities at the school.
Rationale: I have not had a lot of opportunity to do this in the past. As such, there have been
times that I have felt disconnected from the school, staff, and have not always had the
opportunities to bond with students outside of the classroom.

Goal #3: Continue developing my confidence and voice in the classroom and school.
Rationale: I want to work to become a master teacher and a leader for my students and peers. I
cannot do this if I am not 100% confident in myself and my abilities as a teacher.


B. STRATEGIES TO ACHIEVE MY GOALS
Strategies for addressing Goal #1: I will take the time to exercise. I will go to the gym at 5:30
every morning Monday Friday. I will also attend yoga two times a week. In addition, I have
made it my goal to leave every Thursday as soon as my students are gone. If needed, I will stay
late every other night and come in on weekends, but Thursday night is for me. Further, I will
take the time to buy groceries and prepare healthy meals instead of eating out. I have recently
started making the time to go to get chiropractor, massage, and acupuncture treatments.
Lastly, I plan to make a counseling appointment in order to attend to my mental health and
deal with any unresolved trauma from the school shooting. Everyday I will walk tall and smile
lots in order to pass on the positivity and create a better working and living environment.

Strategies for addressing Goal #2: Since Kindergarten has different hours than the rest of the
school it can be difficult to attend certain events. Nevertheless, I have volunteered thus far in as
many areas as I can. Starting in October, I will be joining the after-school skating program on all
scheduled days minus the two that conflict with my UofL seminars. This will provide me with
opportunities to get to know students of all grades at MMH and other staff members. In
addition, I have signed up for the Spirit Committee, Social Committee, Christmas Concert
Committee, and Crockpot club. All of these will give me the chance to get to know staff outside
of my teaching team and help build community within the school.


Strategies for addressing Goal #3: My confidence will build as I practice teaching in a way that
is natural to me. I believe that this will come automatically with the freedom to take charge of
the class in PSIII as if it was my own. Further, as I continue to grow professionally through
professional development, I will become a more informed teacher, and thus more confident.
While it will take time and practice to become the master teacher that I envision being, I
believe that this self-assurance is a necessary first step. I will work towards this through
reading, researching, and listening to other master teachers and experts in the education field.
Moreover, as I believe it is my purpose to serve and build up others, I need to learn to become
a leader. As such, I will need to overcome my fear of public speaking. Through the spirit
committee, I hope to take on small roles of addressing crowds in order to start developing this
skill.


C. INDICATORS OF PROGRESS TOWARDS GOALS
Indicators of Progress for Goal #1: I will feel happy, energetic, and feel like I have found
balance between my work and home life.

Indicators of Progress for Goal #2: I will feel a sense of accomplishment as I view the
contributions I have made to my school.

Indicators of Progress for Goal #3: I will see my students flourish because if I model that I am
capable of anything I set out to do, they will come to recognize that they are too. I will also feel
comfortable in front of the classroom and in large groups. There will be evidence of both me
reaching out to help support others and of me stepping out of my comfort zone.


D. TIMELINE FOR COMPLETION
While I intend for the goals that I set to be things I do consistently throughout my career, I plan
to have evidence in all areas of my growth plan by the end of September. I will continue to
work through these goals until the end of my practicum in December.


E. SUMMARY OF GROWTH AND GOALS ACHIEVED
I made growth in all goals. For my first goal, near the second half of my practicum I did not
make it to the gym daily, but I still attended as often as I felt able. With regards to my second
goal, I felt I surpassed what I originally set out. I was very active in every committee that I was a
part of. I brought ideas to the committee and carried them through. I volunteered to supervise
after school skating and took part in many staff events including the handbell group. I
developed relationships with my coworkers and felt like I was a real part of this staff. I doing so,
I developed my voice and felt confident that I had the ability to become the leader I envision.

F. REFLECTIONS ON PROFESSIONAL GROWTH

Throughout this practicum, I have felt a surge of confidence as I have made the transition from
student teacher to teacher. One challenge in meeting my goals was that the commitments I
made all required a lot of time; therefore, I had to work to find a balance and some things took
priority. Specifically, as I was highly involved in activities in the school, my first goal of finding
time for me away from the school was not consistently met. Nevertheless, I feel that from all of
my practicum experiences, I still took care of myself more than I previously had. I am proud of
the accomplishments I made during my last practicum and I feel like I will be valuable to any
school setting that I find a job in.