October 24, 2016
What Every Pre-Professional Educator Should Know as They Transition from College to Career
Maddie introduced our speaker for the evening: Dr. Chris Clayton. Chris talked about the experience of the strike being a good thing for us to see. It was a body of people working together for quality education. This is what we stand for too. He and Emilee talked about the pension bill that is going to vote in Harrisburg right now. We have a defined pension right now, but the passing of the bill would change this. More information can be found on the StudentPSEA Facebook page. PSEA is holding a rally in Harrisburg to protest this change, and any member is encouraged to attend this lobbying event.
Chris had us sign into nearpod.com to transition into the discussion. In a way, we pay for our first 6 months of teaching- our student teaching. He told us that we have to start thinking of ourselves as educators now. Our career has already begun. We need to get a hold of our “internet footprint”. Employers will definitely seek out information about us before we get hired. Also, we need to get as much out of field experience as possible. We are paying for this! We should work with the other teachers; we should get involved in the school. We may see things we don’t like, but that just shows that we don’t have to do it that way. Student teaching will be the longest, best interview we ever have. You need to make yourself as indispensable as you can. Arrive and depart at the same time as the teachers. You have to follow the dress code. Find out the expectations of the school. Familiarize yourself with the procedures of student arrival/departure. Chris suggests we keep a flash drive on us at all times- teachers are willing to share their resources. If not required, you should request that the principle or a supervisor come observe you. If they see you teach you look more hirable, or they could use this to write you a letter of recommendation. Your student teaching and the first two years of teaching will be the hardest of your career- be prepared!
Secretaries run the school. Befriend them; they are valuable. You will learn so much from the students, but request time with the parents too. It’s a difficult, awkward part of the job, but it is good practice. Be a part of some negative and positive meetings with parents. Make a solid plan for classroom management!!
PDE 430 and Danielson’s Framework are how student teaching is evaluated. There are at least two evaluations: once at midpoint (formative), once at end (summative). The four domains of Danielson’s Framework are Planning & Preparation, Classroom Environment, Instruction, and Professional Responsibilities. In domain one, a distinguished student teacher uses differentiated instruction, whereas the failing student teacher does not. They also assess students’ abilities, and are able to use this to plan the next step. Teachers before had to “cover the concept”. However, our job is to ensure students learn the concept! In domain two, a distinguished student teacher has students who are innately involved in the functioning of a classroom. The three main problems of classroom management occur when students don’t know what to do, aren’t held accountable, and the lesson isn’t engaging. In domain three, a failing teacher uses assessment just for a grade, and have rigid instruction. A distinguished student teacher uses assessment to develop their instruction, and is flexible. In domain four, a distinguished teacher goes above and beyond. They are proactive with parent communication; they are involved in the school and lives of students. They are ethical. The failing student teacher does the bare minimum.
http://www.education.pa.gov/Teachers%20-%20Administrators/Educator%20Effectiveness/Pages/Classroom-Teachers.aspx#.Vr4hE_krKM8
http://www.pdesas.org/
The links above contain more information about student teaching evaluations.
Right now, we are all working towards a level one instructional certificate. He discussed the different fields of certificates- Pre K-4, 4-8, etc. A level one certificate is good for 6 service years, then it becomes invalid. A level two certificate is needed. This is gained through 3 years (6 semi-annual) evaluations, 24 additional post-baccalaureate credits, and a completion of a department approved induction program. Service counts if you are working in PA. Substitute teaching 70 days or more in a single assignment/ 50% or more of the school day counts towards service years. Once a level two certificate is reached it is valid for 99 years, but only active for 5 years.
Within this 5 years, a teacher has to have six college credits or 180 approved activity hours (or a combination of both) to keep the certificate active.
http://www.education.pa.gov/Teachers%20-%20Administrators/Certifications/Pages/Assistance-with-TIMS.aspx#.Vr4hevkrKM8
http://www.education.pa.gov/Teachers%20-%20Administrators/Act%2048%20and%20PERMS/Pages/default.aspx#.Vr4h0vkrKM8
These sites deal with these requirements, and will be really helpful when we have to keep track of our hours.
Chris discussed high stakes assessment: PSSA, Keystones, PASA. Things are changing though, so we need to keep updated.
http://www.pdesas.org/ - This is an important site with information with the standards. Future teachers need to be familiar with these.
What is tenure? “It is a status enjoyed by professional employees that provides enhanced protection from termination of employment and layoffs. Temporary and professional employees attain tenure, and become professional employees, upon successful completion of a three-year probationary period.” Transferring tenure- once reached in this state, you have it for life. The requirements of tenure are: serving a three year probationary period and receiving a satisfactory rating during the last four months of the final year, service as a substitute teacher does not count toward tenure, all of the probationary period must be served in the same district, and a teacher must be working during the entire probationary period.
Chris summarized the session, and made sure we understood everything we covered tonight. If anyone has any questions, they can contact Dr. Clayton at [email protected] or 717-255-7028.
We thanked Chris for leading our session. We took a group picture, and then we sent emails to our legislatures to not pass the pension bill. The link to do so is provided below.
https://www.psea.org/general.aspx?mid=788&id=1436
We had a raffle; the winning member received a prize. We also passed out Sheetz coupon booklets. Each booklet costs $10 dollars, and a member is required to sell at least three to bring in a total of $30. We mentioned that we are having a tailgate this Saturday for Homecoming, and all are welcome to come!
We welcomed everyone back for our next meeting October 31st, 2016.
Officers Present: Brittany Ebeling, Emilee Stoner, Kristin Naumann, Becky Kauffman, Maddie Adams, and Shelby Rhoten
Signed by SU- PSEA Secretary,
Kristin Naumann
Chris had us sign into nearpod.com to transition into the discussion. In a way, we pay for our first 6 months of teaching- our student teaching. He told us that we have to start thinking of ourselves as educators now. Our career has already begun. We need to get a hold of our “internet footprint”. Employers will definitely seek out information about us before we get hired. Also, we need to get as much out of field experience as possible. We are paying for this! We should work with the other teachers; we should get involved in the school. We may see things we don’t like, but that just shows that we don’t have to do it that way. Student teaching will be the longest, best interview we ever have. You need to make yourself as indispensable as you can. Arrive and depart at the same time as the teachers. You have to follow the dress code. Find out the expectations of the school. Familiarize yourself with the procedures of student arrival/departure. Chris suggests we keep a flash drive on us at all times- teachers are willing to share their resources. If not required, you should request that the principle or a supervisor come observe you. If they see you teach you look more hirable, or they could use this to write you a letter of recommendation. Your student teaching and the first two years of teaching will be the hardest of your career- be prepared!
Secretaries run the school. Befriend them; they are valuable. You will learn so much from the students, but request time with the parents too. It’s a difficult, awkward part of the job, but it is good practice. Be a part of some negative and positive meetings with parents. Make a solid plan for classroom management!!
PDE 430 and Danielson’s Framework are how student teaching is evaluated. There are at least two evaluations: once at midpoint (formative), once at end (summative). The four domains of Danielson’s Framework are Planning & Preparation, Classroom Environment, Instruction, and Professional Responsibilities. In domain one, a distinguished student teacher uses differentiated instruction, whereas the failing student teacher does not. They also assess students’ abilities, and are able to use this to plan the next step. Teachers before had to “cover the concept”. However, our job is to ensure students learn the concept! In domain two, a distinguished student teacher has students who are innately involved in the functioning of a classroom. The three main problems of classroom management occur when students don’t know what to do, aren’t held accountable, and the lesson isn’t engaging. In domain three, a failing teacher uses assessment just for a grade, and have rigid instruction. A distinguished student teacher uses assessment to develop their instruction, and is flexible. In domain four, a distinguished teacher goes above and beyond. They are proactive with parent communication; they are involved in the school and lives of students. They are ethical. The failing student teacher does the bare minimum.
http://www.education.pa.gov/Teachers%20-%20Administrators/Educator%20Effectiveness/Pages/Classroom-Teachers.aspx#.Vr4hE_krKM8
http://www.pdesas.org/
The links above contain more information about student teaching evaluations.
Right now, we are all working towards a level one instructional certificate. He discussed the different fields of certificates- Pre K-4, 4-8, etc. A level one certificate is good for 6 service years, then it becomes invalid. A level two certificate is needed. This is gained through 3 years (6 semi-annual) evaluations, 24 additional post-baccalaureate credits, and a completion of a department approved induction program. Service counts if you are working in PA. Substitute teaching 70 days or more in a single assignment/ 50% or more of the school day counts towards service years. Once a level two certificate is reached it is valid for 99 years, but only active for 5 years.
Within this 5 years, a teacher has to have six college credits or 180 approved activity hours (or a combination of both) to keep the certificate active.
http://www.education.pa.gov/Teachers%20-%20Administrators/Certifications/Pages/Assistance-with-TIMS.aspx#.Vr4hevkrKM8
http://www.education.pa.gov/Teachers%20-%20Administrators/Act%2048%20and%20PERMS/Pages/default.aspx#.Vr4h0vkrKM8
These sites deal with these requirements, and will be really helpful when we have to keep track of our hours.
Chris discussed high stakes assessment: PSSA, Keystones, PASA. Things are changing though, so we need to keep updated.
http://www.pdesas.org/ - This is an important site with information with the standards. Future teachers need to be familiar with these.
What is tenure? “It is a status enjoyed by professional employees that provides enhanced protection from termination of employment and layoffs. Temporary and professional employees attain tenure, and become professional employees, upon successful completion of a three-year probationary period.” Transferring tenure- once reached in this state, you have it for life. The requirements of tenure are: serving a three year probationary period and receiving a satisfactory rating during the last four months of the final year, service as a substitute teacher does not count toward tenure, all of the probationary period must be served in the same district, and a teacher must be working during the entire probationary period.
Chris summarized the session, and made sure we understood everything we covered tonight. If anyone has any questions, they can contact Dr. Clayton at [email protected] or 717-255-7028.
We thanked Chris for leading our session. We took a group picture, and then we sent emails to our legislatures to not pass the pension bill. The link to do so is provided below.
https://www.psea.org/general.aspx?mid=788&id=1436
We had a raffle; the winning member received a prize. We also passed out Sheetz coupon booklets. Each booklet costs $10 dollars, and a member is required to sell at least three to bring in a total of $30. We mentioned that we are having a tailgate this Saturday for Homecoming, and all are welcome to come!
We welcomed everyone back for our next meeting October 31st, 2016.
Officers Present: Brittany Ebeling, Emilee Stoner, Kristin Naumann, Becky Kauffman, Maddie Adams, and Shelby Rhoten
Signed by SU- PSEA Secretary,
Kristin Naumann
Student Attendees:
Rebekah Kauffman Brittany Ebeling Emilee Stoner Kristin Naumann Maddie Adams Veronica Ponti Shelby Rhoten |
Planned by:
Brittany Ebeling Emilee Stoner Kristin Naumann Becky Kauffman Heather Stine Maddie Adams Shelby Rhoten |