Danielle Fox

Personal Narrative
Competency Based Growth
7 March 2015
What makes an expert? By definition an expert is someone who
possesses extensive, authoritative knowledge in a particular field. It
sounds very nice to call myself an expert teacher, but what does that
look like in my classroom? While considering this, I looked into what
makes an expert an expert. How would I know if I am an expert? I
came to find that what makes me an expert is the amount of time
spent in the field. All teachers must go through teacher training,
classes, etc. to become certified, but becoming an expert teacher only
happens with time. No amount of preparation or research can take the
place of time spent in a classroom with a large group of kids. Being an
expert doesnt mean that I have reached the pinnacle of my teaching
ability and know everything there is to know. Rather, my expertise has
come from teaching students of all backgrounds and ability levels over
the past six years, and my drive to adapt, grow and improve.
Prior to pursuing my career as a teacher, I spent my summers
working as a camp counselor and permanency facilitator at Family
Pathways, an affiliate agency of Children and Youth Services in Butler,
PA. The days at camp were not made up of capture the flag and color
wars, but instead provided structure for students who would otherwise
fall out of their daily routine and undo all of the progress made

throughout the regular school year. My campers had been diagnosed

with everything from ADHD to Fragile X syndrome, and had a host of
other stressors weighing on them like abuse and poverty. This was a
tough job, working with tough, aggressive kids, and I loved it. My
father pointed out that a career in teaching would offer me the same
experience. This was not what I wanted to hear, as I had come to think
of teaching as a job for people with no real skills and an affinity for
denim, embroidered jumpers. I wanted to become a lawyer and help
protect these kids and others like them from their abusive families.
Working at Family Pathways made me see that the people who
consistently had the most positive influence on these young people
were their teachers. As usual, my father knew best. If I really wanted to
spend time with kids and provide them with a safe environment,
teaching would be the best fit for me.
By the time I figured out what I wanted to study in college, I was
graduating. I discovered the MAT program at the University of
Pittsburgh and quickly started preparing to enroll. At the internship fair
I felt an immediate kinship with the people representing the Falk
Laboratory School, none of whom wore apple earrings. I was drawn to
the non-traditional teaching styles used, and determined not to read a
script from a teachers manual. Soon after I was chosen to be an intern
in a multi-age 4th/5th grade classroom. Though my aim was to work with
students from low socio-economic backgrounds, I was happy to find

myself in a school filled with diverse kids, and learning from

progressive educators.
In the first semester as a teaching intern I spent 35 hours per
week teaching on site and then went to class at night Monday through
Thursday. Falk was run differently than most sites, as the interns began
teaching the first week of school, wrote most of their own curriculum,
and had only one half-day per week, as opposed to two. This was
incredibly overwhelming and became a sink or swim situation.
Somehow I found a way to plan, teach, and do all the work for a full
course load. My advisor and mentor would regularly observe and give
me feedback, and I adapted and grew quickly. The second semester
was more intense and more rewarding. The director of the school had
observed me teach and interact with students and was very
complimentary of my abilities and content knowledge. At the end of
the school year I was offered a full time position as the in-house sub
and After School Assistant Director. It was during that time that I
proved my flexibility and versatility as a teacher.
Serving as the After School Assistant Director at Falk provided me
with so many new experiences. In addition to filling in for teachers in
all K-8 classrooms, I used my free time to push into classes and pull out
small groups of students in need of extra support. I also brought in new
options, like Chinese language classes and acting classes, for kids
attending After School. I got to know every student in the school rather

than just one grade level, and I was able to pick up methods from
every teacher. I even coached the middle school soccer and tennis
teams, played my trumpet in the school band, and helped choreograph
the school musical. It was the perfect position for a recent graduate
with boundless fervor. My hard work and sacrifice paid off because I
was then offered a position for the following year in a third grade class
with a teacher going on maternity leave.
My transition into the intermediate team felt effortless. I already
knew all of the teachers well from my year as an intern, and from
pushing into their classes to support students with special needs. As a
third grade teacher, I had the opportunity to co-teach for three months
(maternity leave at Falk is 6 months) and teach on my own for the rest
of the year. The most significant part of that year was having a student
with Downs Syndrome in my class. There was an entire team of people
who I collaborated with daily in order to provide him with a supportive,
inclusive educational experience. I was nervous, but excited about
learning new techniques for differentiation. In the years before that he
had been pulled out of the classroom daily for math instruction, which
he hated and resisted. In order to improve his experience and
participation, a special education instructor and I developed a
curriculum for him so that he could remain in the classroom for math.
Everyone was thrilled because his percentage of time spent in the
class went way up, as did his cooperation. Thinking back on that year

makes my heart feel full and light like a helium-filled red balloon. It was
so intense and so gratifying. I had been scared of having an inclusive
classroom; so learning to make adaptations in order to truly improve a
boys life was huge. His parents still remark that the year he spent in
my class was the best year hed ever had before or since.
Following my stint as a long-term substitute, I was offered to stay
on as the intermediate resource teacher. Not having my own classroom
gave me extra time to collaborate with all intermediate and humanities
teachers to create cross-curricular units of study. My enthusiasm for
science instruction was recognized and I was asked to be on the
science curriculum committee. With the other committee members I
prepared the schools science curriculum document for accreditation.
Additionally, I formed a relationship with the University of Pittsburghs
Department of Instruction and Learning to develop and integrate grade
level appropriate science progressions. Like any coming of age story,
eventually I had to decide to stay at the only home Id ever known or
take my chances in the real world.
Leaving Falk was a difficult choice that I regretted making at first.
There had been a shift in roles in the intermediate grades, leaving me
with the option to return to the After School position or leave. I chose
the latter, feeling like I would be taking a step back, rather than
continuing with my trajectory. I had prospects at other schools but
none of them panned out, leaving me to substitute teach and waitress.

Like a chrysalis my career appeared to be lifeless. My esteem was low

and I felt like my world had come to an end. I did my best to adapt and
continued tutoring, trying to maintain a connection with education.
This time in my life was overwhelmingly sad. Feelings of failure filled
me, but like writer Richard Bach said, What the caterpillar calls the
end of the world, the master calls a butterfly. I couldnt see the big
picture yet, but my career was not dead just merely dormant. I kept
moving forward and eventually got the break I needed at ECS.
Being hired to teach Environmental Literacy could not have been
a more perfect match for my skill set. I have been able to tap into my
experience writing curriculum and creating integrated units of study.
Having my own classroom and being departmentalized has allowed me
to develop and fine-tune my content expertise. I am able improve my
instruction throughout the day by tweaking aspects of the lessons for
different blocks, and throughout the year through specialized
professional development opportunities. The content area was a
perfect match, and so was the grade level team. I feared that I would
never find a group of people that I would bond with as much as the
teachers at Falk, but that worry was squashed after only a few months.
Everyday I learn from four people with different teaching styles and
strengths. Working alongside this group of bright, passionate educators
has fueled my enthusiasm for teaching and learning.

Becoming an expert educator has been enlightening and tough.

The only way to grow was to be in the classroom, making mistakes,
and then learning from them. I didnt realize how much I really knew
until I was helping a friend who was finishing her pre-service teaching.
She had a lot of questions and I had really great, thoughtful answers
right at my fingertips. Coaching her was effortless. She left the
conversation with the advice she needed and I left with a boost in my
confidence. I look forward to many more years of teaching, learning,
and improving at ECS.