Individual Goals for the 1997-1998 Internship
Name: Jan Andrea
Cooperating Teacher: Xxx Xxxxxxx
Grade Level: 7-8 Science Date:
11 October 1997
Goals: I would like to...
Where I Am Today:
Today, as of this moment, I am still unsure of my future in the teaching profession, simply because I am not certain I have the physical or emotional stamina necessary for the job. However, I know that all things worth doing are worth doing right, and worth taking time for; so I am learning to be patient with myself and to not expect to be able to do everything at once, while at the same time keeping deadlines in mind. I have now had the experience of planning a couple of small lessons (field trip to Odiorne and the "sub plans" for the end of Merrowvista week), and have learned a lot from both my mistakes and my successes. Xxx and I are trying to make our relationship work better for the two of us; but we are both aware that should irreconcilable differences be present, there are other options for both of us.
Timeline:
13-17 October: During this week, Xxx and I will work closely, during planning periods and after school, on my plans for the Chemistry unit starting on 20 October, when I will be taking over one of the eighth-grade classes. Also during this week, we will be exploring the possibility of looking to another cooperating teacher in conjunction with or instead of this placement.
20-24 October: Xxx and I will use this week as an indicator of our success as a team. If the situation is not improving for us after I have begun to teach my own lessons and assess the students myself (as well as holding them accountable to potentially different standards of behaviour), then we will consider switching my placement, while maintaining my contact with the students in the 7-2 homebase.
After these times, the situation may go in one of two or three directions: I may stay with Xxx alone, continuing my work with the eighth grade class in Chemistry, and working towards picking up the other eighth grade class in the middle of November; or if it is decided that I can go on to the high school for the second semester, with an eye on my solo week either at the end of November or the beginning of December; or I may begin working with another teacher, such as Stephanie Ward, who may be able to provide me with the level of concrete structure that I seem to need (this either in conjunction with or instead of working with Xxx alone), with the intent of staying with her the rest of the school year, in which case I would pick up my own classes in November and do the solo weeks in the spring semester.
Objectives:
I would like to maintain the connections I have with the students in Xxx's classroom, but at the same time, I need to be comfortable in my placement. My objectives now are to gain the sense of structure and forward-planning that I feel have been somewhat lacking in my internship thus far (not as a result of my placement, but of my previous hesitancy to take matters more into my own hands); to continue to work on planning, with an emphasis on the project- and multiple- intelligence-based learning that Xxx has championed; to feel successful in my planning (as has not entirely been the case thus far, in part because I have previously set goals for myself that may not be attainable at this stage); and to arrive at a higher level of certainty where my future in education is concerned.
Activities:
Xxx and I will work more closely together on issues of planning and curriculum. To this end, I would like to be able to have the weeks planned at least a week in advance, rather than going day-to-day; while I recognize that things can and must change within that week, I would like to have a greater sense of what's coming up, and I think that such planning can also benefit the students.
Individually....
Evaluation:
I will keep my goals and "activities" in mind throughout the day, and will take time at the end of each day to note my progress in my journal, reflecting critically on the events and my feelings about them. At the same time, Xxx will observe my progress, and we will have at least a weekly (if not more frequent) meeting about our observations, successes and failures. (I will make sure that we do this conscientiously, perhaps making time for this by having class activities scheduled and planned on a more structured basis throughout the day, and certainly by doing more in terms of setup and the like.)