I was expected to work professionally while onsite in my classroom as well as throughout the various workshops and seminars that Golden Apple provided for us to participate in this summer.
I had the pleasure of working with the other scholar who was placed at the same school as I was. We were actually in the same classroom when we were originally assigned at our school. However, through some adjustments and flexibility, we were still able to work together while in our separate rooms.
Finally, I had the phenomenal opportunity of working with 15 amazing students and their wonderful teacher. I was able to lead small groups, the whole classroom, as well as 1:1 help. I am absolutely grateful for being able to learn so much from them!
cultural competency
I encountered plenty of cultural differences whether it was onsite or during our workshops. I was extremely respectful of these groups' views, ideas, opinions, etc. I took everything into consideration since it will all shape me into a better teacher.
My Instagram Autobiography project really allowed me to identify who I am as a person, which then led to my identity as a rising teacher.
My self-reflection times were beneficial as they allowed to look back at my "glow and grows."
civic engagement
I was able to connect outside information to coursework as well as directly to my students at onsite.
I researched a plethora of information to get a good look at the school I would be working at to really get an idea of what kind of values they have. With this research I was able to create an infographic about my school, as well as just get a good look into the school itself.
grit and growth mindset
This summer institute provides us with ample opportunities to be evaluated. I always welcome evaluations and feedback from my peers and mentors. I really decided to accept everything thrown my way and make the best of it. There were certainly situations that upset me, but I decided that they were out of my control and that I would just let everything fall into place as I went along with a growth mindset!
instructional best practices
We each came up with our own goal for our onsite experiences, as well as SMART goals with LEAP. My goal was encompassing a lot of the standards that we as scholars are held too. I had almost planned to go above and beyond just to test my limits. This is why I decided that my goal would be to aim to bring in additional resources that would benefit my students in whatever they were learning about.
A fantastic part of this summer institute was creating our professional Instagram accounts as well as these websites. They have been a great way of preparing ourselves professionally in order to stand out from the rest of our peers.