Professional Growth Plan

First Year Goals:

I. Pinpoint personal deficiencies in pedagogical knowledge and continually work to expand
my own knowledge in my subject area.
A. I know that in my first year of teaching there will be areas of my content area that I
teach that I could either strengthen or have more immediate knowledge in. I would
like to use my first year of teaching to find where my deficiencies are and improve
upon them as quickly as possible in preparation for the next year.
II. Make strides in classroom and behavior management in the classroom.
A. Classroom management is the number one thing that is looked at with new teachers. I
plan to use my first year as a teacher finding successful strategies to improve in this
area.
III. Become involved in school community in a helpful manner. I would like to help my de-
partment/school where necessary (e.g., holding lunch/after-school tutoring for World His-
tory).
A. As a first year teacher, I believe I can contribute to the school community by making
myself useful outside of contractual class time while serving a functional purpose.
IV. Use my lunch/prep period productively to shadow and observe other teachers in my de-
partment and learn as much as possible from them.
A. By observing teachers in the school I work at, I can see what strategies are effective
within my specific school community as well as gain new perspectives and strategies
that I had never thought of.

Five Year Plan:

I. Expand my responsibilities within the school by becoming a sponsor of a club or by
coaching the softball or golf team.
A. By my fifth year of teaching, I should be settled and experienced enough to take even
more responsibilities within my school. By sponsoring a club, I can better enrich the
school community or I can contribute with coaching, as I have prior experience with
that.
II. Earn my MEd.
A. I would eventually like to go back to school and receive my Masters degree in Educa-
tion. I feel that this will help me become a better teacher and that would benefit my
school and my students.
III. Join professional organizations such as:
A. (ACHE) Arizona Council of History Education
B. (ACSSAZ) Arizona Council for the Social Studies
C. (AEA) Arizona Educators Association
IV. Become nationally certified in my content area.
A. This goal is a bit loftier, but I would like to be a part of an organization of teachers
who are wholly qualified to teach in any part of the country. Just as with a MEd., I feel
that this will push me to be a better educator.