Standard 10: School and Community Involvement

Description

The teacher fosters relationships with school colleagues, parents, and agencies in the larger community to support student’s learning and well-being.

Reflection

Teachers can be more effective when they become involved with their students and community outside of their classroom. It is important for teachers to understand where their students come from and what is going on within the community. The culture of the community plays a large role in the way students react, talk, dress, and even view themselves. Teachers can become very successful in engaging their students when they can bring in relevant topics among the community into the classroom. Becoming involved within the community is not an aspect of teaching that is required, but it can be a very important tool to establish oneself as a good teacher.

Along with gaining more knowledge about the student’s background, becoming involved can also earn a teacher respect among the students and parents. Students will notice when a teacher appears to take an interest in their lives, simply by attending community events that are important to the students. When a child sees his or her teacher shopping at the same store or attending the same church they can develop a more personal connection which will then translate to a better relationship inside the classroom.

Evidence

I currently hold my coaching certificate and plan to coach along with teaching. By doing this I will become actively involved in the athletic department which in some cases consists of a large portion of the student population. Games are often great events that gather students, faculty, parents, and community members.