INTRODUCTION
My name is Katie. I am currently an MU Fellow. I teach elementary Art at Mark Twain Elementary in Hannibal, MO. This is my first year teaching and I am very excited that I will have my masters at the end of it, even though this fellows program is prohibiting me from having a life this year. I am hoping to find a job closer to home (Lee's Summit) next year, but we'll see what happens. :)


12 QUALITY REFLECTION

I would definitely agree that teacher's need all 12 qualities of an effective teacher. A few qualities I would add are:

13) The ability to differentiate. In order to be the best teacher you can be, it is essential to teach to every student's needs. You must be able to present information in a variety of ways and ensure that every student understands. Teachers need to be willing to take the time to create alternative introductions and assessments. We should try to present every lesson in a way that is visual, verbal, and hands on.

14) The ability to be creative. We have to be able to think on our toes in creative ways. Many times things do not go the way we planned. This means we need to be able to formulate quick easy solutions.

15) The ability to see through kids eyes. Children think much differently than we do. They are more apt to be enthusiastic over a new eraser and less likely to politely pay attention if they are bored. When planning lessons we need to think about how the kids will feel. How can we make it fun for them? How can we explain it in a way they will understand? How much information will be overload?

16) Know how to motivate independent learning. Teachers need to understand that their voice should not be heard the majority of the time. We have to keep our students engaged by: allowing them to talk about the content, asking open ended questions, allowing time for reflection and conversation, and inspiring them to answer their own questions. It's our job to teach kids how to think not what to think.

How am I doing?
Since I'm only a first year teacher, I know that I have not mastered all of these skills yet. I am amazed by how much I've learned and changed in this last year. I am really looking forward to growing even more over the years. Here's my self evaluation.

Self inventory on the qualities 1- Excelling, in place  2- Good, developing strategies 3- Fair, about half the time 4- Need support
1) Passion for teaching.	1 - I'd hope I haven't lost my passion already.
2) Love of kids.	2 - I love most of them. I'm still working on loving the ones who really try me.
3) Love of their subject.	1 - I love art and I truly love seeing the kids work and their enthusiasm.
4) Understanding of the role of a school in a child’s life.	2 - This year has really been an eye opener.
5) A willingness to change.	1 - Since I'm still learning, I am constantly changing my methods.
6) A work ethic that doesn’t quit.	2 - Some days I feel overwhelmed and I sure want to quit, maybe not quit teaching but quit fellows.
7) A willingness to reflect.	2 - I reflect a lot but I need to write in my response journal more.
8) Organization.	3 - This is the hardest part! I need to plan my lessons so that I don't have all my grades doing messy projects at once.
9) Understanding that being a “great teacher” is a constant struggle to always improve.	1 - I'm always trying to improve, and ask veteran teachers for advice.
10) Enough ego to survive the hard days.	3 - I'm way too hard on myself at times.
11) Enough humility to remember it’s not about you.	2 - Some days that's a struggle, especially on full moons :p
12) A willingness to work collaboratively.	2 - I don't have another art teacher to collaborate with, but I am usually willing to collaborate if possible.
13) The ability to differentiate.	2 - It's very time consuming, but I'm working on it.
14) The ability to be creative.	1 - I have to be a creative problem solver, because I often misjudge what will happen.
15) The ability to see through kids eyes.	2 - They constantly surprise me.
16) Know how to motivate independent learning.	2 - I try my hardest, but sometimes I just don't have enough time with them.