1. The Big Interview Sonya Edwards Ashford University Teaching, Learning and Leading in the 21 st Century Dale Kimball

2. Introduction and Classroom Teacher Position Summary My name is Sonya Edwards, I live in Bossier City La. I graduated from Wiley College in Marshall Texas with a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management and Ashford University with a Master of Arts in Education. I am applying for a kindergarten teacher position at an area elementary school.

3. Job Summary Kindergarten Teacher -Area of Responsibility Working under the direction of a principal or assigned evaluator, administers the classroom in accordance with School Board policies and uses instructional and administrative skills to promote the educational development of each student. Competencies and Performance Standards will be used for teacher evaluation in conjunction with measures of student growth. Measures of each student growth will be aligned with Caddo Parish Public School System's accountability measures as outlined in the Louisiana Accountability System (CPSB,2015).

4. It is my desire to help students meet their fullest potential. I will assist children in discovering who they are, so they can express their own opinions. I will allow children to become responsible members of our classroom by using strategies such as class meetings, positive discipline, and democratic principles. In showing children how to become successful in life, to believe in them and to love them. I believe cultural, academic, social, and gender differences should be regularly recognized and repeated in the classroom. My classroom will be one that embraces the diversity among its inhabitants. Differences among inhabitants of the classroom will always be welcomed in a positive light. Philosophy of Education

5. Classroom Management Plan Rules and Expectations Establishing class rules and expectations for effective classroom management the first week of school is very important. I will introduce the concepts of class rules. First we will talk about all types of rules, rules for home, rules for school and rules for traffic. As a class we will brainstorm what rules we will have. I will then print the rules neatly and colorful on chart paper in the classroom, visible to the students to refer to and always follow. Classroom rules are used to guide the behavior of the students. To ensure greater understanding of the rules, I allowed students to help create the classroom rules. When students know they can rely on equal treatment, they will more readily accept and respect the rules (Newman, 2013).

6. Different School Models The pressure on schools and districts to innovate and improve student achievement has also led to the emergence of a greater number of schooling options. While there have always been calls for more school choice in America, the voices have grown louder as the impact of high stakes testing has expanded. Schools, parents, communities, and lawmakers are asking for more school options and for greater levels of involvement and accountability. States, districts, and a range of organizations have responded. There is now a wider range of schooling options from which parents can choose (Newman, R., 2013). Public School and Alternative School (Magnet) are the two models I chose to visit.

7. Effective Lesson Planning and Design One important elements in effective lesson design is good learning objectives. An effective lesson design is well organized. The desired plan connects to the lives of the students. The desired outcomes of the lesson should be clear to everyone involved. Effective lesson design involves careful integration of goals, objectives and assessments. The role of the student is that students are constructors of knowledge. Students are seen as active participants in the learning process and are not passive recipients waiting for the teacher to impart knowledge.

8. Assessment Matters Assessment is a huge topic that encompasses everything from statewide accountability tests to district benchmark or interim tests to everyday classroom tests. The more information teachers have about students, the clearer the picture teachers have about achievement. In a balanced assessment system, both summative and formative assessments are an integral part of information gathering. The assessment is designed to help guide the teaching and learning process, not just to evaluate where student is in his or knowledge acquisition (Newman, 2013). If you depend too much on one of the other and the reality of student achievement in your classroom becomes unclear. The video by Rick Wormeli on Formative and Summative Assessment,discussed how formative assessment is the most important assessment, and that students cannot learn without formative assessment and the feedback that comes from it. He states, the best formative assessment involves descriptive feedback.

9. Professional Learning Communities PLC is a group of educators who collaborate in such processes as collective inquiry and action research in order to achieve better results for students (Dufour, Dufour, Eaker, & Many, 2007). Educators in these communities believe that their continuous learning is the key to improved student learning (Newman,2013).

10. References Alber. R. (2011). Three ways student’s data can inform your teaching. Edutopia Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/using-student-data- inform-teaching-rebecca-alber Caddo Parish School Board,2015.Caddo Public Schools. Retrieved from http://www.caddoschools.org Newman, R. (2013). Teaching and learning in the 21st Century: Connecting the dots. San Diego,CA:Bridgepoint Education,Inc