Strengths and Weaknesses

Preparation and Organization:

As an educator (and in general) one of my greatest strengths is my ability to thoroughly prepare and plan for situations ahead of time. This paired with my exceptional organizational skills helps compliment structure within all aspects of my teaching. Whether these skills compliment my lesson plans, class routines, grading systems/assessments, or teacher meetings I always come prepared to give the best version of myself and everyone involved in my classroom.

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One example of how I routinely demonstrate my preparation and organization skills is by keeping everything logged into my google drive. Whether it be a lesson plan, citizenship trackers, locker sheets or anything else in between… I always make sure it is documented and ready to be utilized if ever needed.

 

 

Professionalism:

Another one of my strengths is my ability to display exceptional professionalism within the school and classroom. When employed by a school or school district we take on the responsibility of reflecting those institutions through our actions and how we carry ourselves. Not to mention, that by portraying constant professionalism as an educator we give our students a positive adult role model to look up to and rely on.

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Some ways that I have personally demonstrated professionalism within my teaching experience is by following my school’s dress code/guidelines for teachers. Whether this be in a PE/Gym setting or a more traditional classroom setting, I always try to portray my most professional self through my appearance. For example, during my student teaching through Weber State I always followed the Physical Education Program’s Dress Policy. Which included wearing appropriate athletic shoes, athletic pants, Weber State’s PEP Teaching Polo, and covering all tattoos while teaching.

 

 

Time Management:

Another aspect of my teaching strengths is time management which supports activity structure, classroom set up, and clean-up routines. With excellent time management, lessons are able to have an outline on how to be successful covering all the subject matter needed while still ensuring classroom routines to compliment structure.

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An instance in which I’ve exhibited strong time management is by incorporating a section for time allotted within lesson plans as well as keeping a running clock throughout my lessons. During my planning process of creating a lesson plan, I ensure to structure a time outline of the entire class period in which I’m not allowed to go over to guarantee coverage of the whole subject matter. While I teach the class I keep some form of running clock on myself to keep track of the time while I teach to keep myself on track to complete the entirety of the class.

 

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Classroom Management:

Classroom management is another topic that could be considered a strength within my teaching practices. By setting classroom expectations early and often to ensure structure within the classroom, inadequate student behavior often minimizes while safety and student learning typically improves. Students often thrive on structure, therefore by keeping classroom expectations present and reinforced student behavior becomes less of an issue.

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One method in which I’ve demonstrated exceptional classroom management during my teaching, is staying consistent with classroom rules and expectations while also giving the students frequent reminders. One technique of how I’ve given students frequent reminders is through daily journal entries. More specifically I’ll have the students critically think and respond to a question related to classroom rules/procedures. These daily journal questions allow the students to consistently reflect and review our classroom standards.

 

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Passion For School and Students:

One of my greatest strengths as an educator is my passion for the well-being of the school community and the students. As a part of my teaching philosophy, I’m a strong believer that education first and foremost needs to prioritize the well-being of the students. Meaning that as an educator I will do whatever I can to help the students grow in their journey of becoming a contributing member of society. With this concept, is the idea of creating a supportive school environment to help compliment this student growth.

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Some specific ways in which I’ve demonstrated this passion for school and students, is by taking an interest and supporting the school’s extracurricular activities. More specifically, one way I’ve tried to compliment this theory is through coaching and supporting the athletic programs within the school. While I love taking a hands-on approach to supporting students through coaching, I also prioritize attending the various athletic events within the school. While at my time at Layton High School, we would gather as many of our baseball players to attend the various sporting events throughout the year.

 

By raising the attendance of various sporting events by gathering our baseball players, we accomplished two main things. Firstly, we taught the importance of showing up for one another throughout the school and how this can have a positive impact on one another. Secondly, we were able to show a multitude of student athletes that their efforts to represent the school mattered and were cared for. When students can see others care for them, their overall motivational factors rise exponentially.