The Professional Responsibility & Ethical Practice standard requires teachers to continually grow and update their instruction so that it reflects current best practices and is appropriately individualized to meet the needs of every learner. The standard is important because education is dynamic and constantly evolving, so teachers must evolve and adapt with it in order to ensure that they are doing what is best for their students.
In April 2020, I was honored to be selected as the Hollins University recipient of Delta Kappa Gamma’s (DKG) Virginia Scholars Award. DKG is the International Society for Key Woman Educators, and the Virginia Scholars Award seeks to recognize one outstanding woman graduate at each of Virginia’s four-year colleges who meets the criteria set forth for a “key woman educator” and is a role model for others. As a preservice teacher who constantly strives to grow my practice in order to provide the best possible learning experiences for my students, being recognized for my efforts was a tremendously encouraging and validating honor.
During my field experience, I participated in all meetings and parent-teacher communications such as faculty and leadership meetings, parent phone calls, IEP meetings, and biweekly check-ins with students and parents during the school closures. At one of the leadership meetings I attended, I learned about the C-Change Framework, Roanoke County Public Schools’ long-term plan for continuous growth, which centers around creating learning environments that facilitate deeper learning through 21st-century skills. Learning about the C-Change framework had a profound impact on my teaching philosophy and the importance of creating engaging, purposeful instruction.
As I was pursuing licensure and completing my Master of Arts in Teaching at Hollins, I became a member of the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA), the National Education Association (NEA), and Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) . I was also selected to be inducted in Hollins’ first class of inductees into Kappa Delta Pi, the International Honors Society for Education. All three of these organizations have provided me with innumerable professional development opportunities, webinars, publications, and forums that have helped me evolve professionally as I navigate the first years of my career as an educator.