Domain IV. Fulfilling Professional Roles and Responsibilities
IV.1. You engage in collaborative decision making and problem solving with other educators.
To show that I engage in collaborate decision making and problem solving with other educators I have included a screenshot of a video I uploaded to ImproveClass, a platform in which teachers can upload videos of themselves teaching in order to seek feedback from other excellent educators. I wrote what I wanted help with in the video and my colleagues posted comments and wonderings throughout the video in order to help me grow as a teaching professional. The link to my video can be found here but without an account you may not be able to view it.
IV.2. You engage student families in their children’s education and respond appropriately to their concerns.
To show that I engage student families in their children's education and respond appropriately to their concerns I have included photographs of me with my Little Artists from the Little Artist Big Artist (LABA) mentorship program. LABA is a non-profit that pairs working artists with a 5th grade student from Austin east-side schools to make art and learn about the business of making and selling art. In my two years as a Big Artist mentor, I spent lots of time communicating with my Little Artist's families in order to coordinate drop off and pick up, inform of upcoming events, and celebrate student successes. I also addressed any concerns the family might have about the program.
IV.3. You engage in a variety of activities to continually enhance both your content and your pedagogical knowledge and skills.
To show that I engage in a variety of activities to continually enhance both my content and my pedagogical knowledge and skills I have included the website of the clay studio I am joining in January once my job starts. In addition to continuing my practice as a ceramic artist I also regularly attend art happenings around Austin and Seattle such as gallery openings and East Austin Studio Tours. I volunteered for Little East at Blackshear Elementary in 2015 and was a Big Artist mentor for the Little Artist Big Artist non-profit in 2014-2015. I am a member at the Blanton Museum of Art, the Seattle Art Museum, and the Wildflower Center where spend time making blind contour drawings of plants.
IV.4. You encourage feedback from students and colleagues and reflect on how you can improve your teaching performance.
To show that I encourage feedback from students and colleagues and reflect on how I can improve my teaching performance I have included a series of assignments and reflections from a student's GoogleDoc from a middle school Art 1 class. On the last reflection, I asked students to reflect back on the 3.5 weeks I had been teaching and asked them which exercises they liked or didn't like in case I teach the same experimental drawing unit again. This student gave me clear and specific feedback on the last page that I will keep in mind if I get the opportunity to teach the same lesson again.
IV.5. You interact with students in a way that is consistent with the legal and ethical guidelines for your profession and you understand the legal structure in Texas.
To show that I interact with students in a way that is consistent with legal and ethical guidelines for my profession and I understand the legal structure in Texas I have included a copy of the certificate that shows I completed a training in reporting child abuse and neglect through the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.