Week+8+Experience


 * Oct. 18th, 2010 - Oct. 22nd, 2010**

This has been an incredibly eventful week - especially for being just four 'student attendance' days long! Since today is Friday, and a scheduled professional development day here at Hickory Tree Elementary, I've decided to take a few moments to reflect on the things I've learned and experienced so far in my little teaching world!

First of all, experiences this week have made me do a lot of thinking about the importance of having a good support network. Whether you're a new teacher or one whose taught for ages...it sure is helpful to have people to whom you can turn for ideas, advice, and a general "keep up the good work" boost every now and then. Sometimes, I find myself thinking that others expect that I will succeed all on my own, yet it never hurts to ask for help too! In the world of exceptional education, it's those individuals who are brave enough to seek help when they need it who are commended in the end!

So, who should be a part of your support network ? Think about people like:
 * Teachers you admire - If your school doesn't set you up with a mentor teacher, don't be afraid to flatter that teacher whose classroom you're envious of and ask for her guidance!
 * Faculty & staff - They ARE the inner workings of the school, so don't underestimate the wealth of teaching knowledge these individuals possess!
 * Family & friends - Don't forget ~ even though you're a teacher, you still need to have a little fun after school too!
 * Professional development resources - Because you should never stop learning!

Something else that made me do a bit of contemplating this week was the school Faculty Meeting I attended on Wednesday. Lots of interesting topics were brought up for discussion - the results of the Fidelity Check conducted by our school district, new details about this year's Florida Comprehensive Academic Assessment (FCAT), and even some fun community/school involvement information. Two topics that really caught my attention, however, were the Principal's message concerning redistricting, and what he had to share about professional ethics.

I am eager to find out more about the subject, but Mr. Knoebel shared with everyone that next school year, Osceola County plans to rework what schools which students can attend, apparently in effort to ease school overcrowding and accommodate for population growth in our area. What this means is that many teachers must prepare to enter into co-teaching models, sharing learning environments with colleagues so that there will be enough classes and classrooms for all the students that will soon be flooding HTE. Where the ESE department is concerned, this might mean that we - the teachers and all our students with special needs - will be moved to another school location where there will be enough room and resources to best accommodate everyone. What a lot of change!!!

The things that Mr. Knoebel had to say about Professional Ethics also caught my attention at our meeting, too. Of course, I knew that things shared on social networking sites like FaceBook become public record. Plus, everyone in this profession knows that teachers are held to a very high standard, so you should always type with caution when blogging! What surprised me to hear though, was that it's advised that I not add details related to my profession on my profile.

As a new teacher, I kind of looked at this like a status symbol...a bragging right, if you will. I've worked hard to be able to distinguish myself as a Special Educator, but Mr. Knoebel said it's better to "cover your tush" just in case a friend-of-a-friend-of-someone-who-posted-scandalous-pics doesn't get one of us into hot water because we're guilty by association. Whew! So much to think about!?!