Philosophy
Within the context of an alternative school, flexibility may be the most important quality that a teacher may possess. Within this volatile environment, material that is not working must quickly be reworked or abandoned. On any given day, a teacher is at the mercy of the fickle mood of the student population- an activity which may have been a smashing success at one time, can fall completely flate with another. An ability to "roll with the punches" is essential for success in an alternative school environment.
Progress Self-Assessment
Being flexible and adaptable in terms of my instruction may be my greatest strength as a teacher. In the course of every day's events I must adapt to meet the tone and behavior of any given classroom. If it is clear that an activity is not being successful, I do not have the benefit of performing a post-mortum after-the-fact. Often I must, "pull an audible" in that given moment, changing the activity or moving on to another one. At times, despite my best efforts, a lesson will end in total disaster. These moments provide important "teachable moments" and are useful for reflection and greater success in the future.
Explanations of Artifacts
Artifact 1: Lesson Reflection
In this reflection I examine how a poorly-thought out lesson led to a classroom management disaster and, later, a teachable moment.
Artifact 2: Observation report
Areas for Future Development
Improved preparation allows for greater flexibility. In the future, I hope to amass improved curriculum resources that catalog reflections on past successes and failures. Also, I hope to amass more alternate lessons and encorporate their potential use into daily lesson planning.
