Running head: LOOKING FORWARD

Looking Forward
George Vega
TED 690
June 14, 2015
Professor Clifton Johnson

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Abstract

The following paper is a description of my goals for the next five years as a new teacher. I
explain what I plan to do to continue to develop professionally to become a more effective
teacher. I use two different online articles to justify my thinking process about the benefits of
continuing to seek out ways to grow as a teacher.

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Looking Forward

As a first year educator, I have realized that becoming a teacher is one thing, but becoming
an effective teacher is quite another. I remember when I was aspiring to become a teacher I
imagined myself as the kind of teacher that would know how to reach students, keep them
engaged throughout my lessons, and find ways to motivate and inspire them. Now that I have
completed year one, I have an idea of what changes and adjustments I need to make in order to
build on what I learned. One of many lessons that I took from my first year was that teaching is a
profession that continues to evolve and we must continue to seek ways to further our professional
development as educators. The following is a five-year plan that I believe will keep me on the
right path to becoming the type of teacher that I originally set out to become.

5 Year Timeline
Year 1

Professional Development Goal

Successfully complete my first year of teaching with a positive evaluation

Year 2

from my school site Principal

Successfully complete my second year of BTSA and obtain my clear

Year 3

credential. Become more involved in teacher-led school activities

Attend workshops or seminars designed for teachers to progress in their

Year 4

professional development
Teach a class during summer that will help Dual Language students

Year 5

continue on their path to becoming fluent bilingual

Attend additional Dual Language and ELD Training meetings offered to
Team Leads in my district

The first step on my five-year plan was to successfully complete my first year teaching and
receiving positive feedback on my observation evaluations from my site Principal. This was an
important step for me because it meant that after all my hard work, I had met achieved my goal of
actually becoming a teacher. The positive evaluation I received from my Principal was proof that

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what I had learned and applied was implemented in an effective manner. My next step, which will
take place this coming year, my second year teaching, will be to successfully complete my BTSA
program. Also this next year, I want to be more involved in school activities, such as helping to
organize our school Olympics sports event, a canned food drive, or help with a talent show event.
The following steps in my five-year plan will require me to invest additional time and
effort for the good of my professional development. Susie Arnott, a contributor to The Guardian,
an online educational news journal, says, Take charge of your own training. Don't just wait for
your school to provide you with CPD (Continued Professional Development), go out looking for
it. I've also been to excellent sessions organized by my union. Once you've been to a session,
follow up with reading, trying things out in your classroom and joining subject groups.
Professional development will be the most engaging when you follow your interests (Arnott,
2013. Para. 12).
By year three in my five-year plan, I will attend events outside of my contract requirements,
such as this online workshop on Differentiated Instruction in the Classroom, offered by ed2go.
This will be an opportunity for me to continue my professional development by learning from
experienced teachers who are willing to pass along their knowledge gained from their experiences
in the classroom.
By the end of my fourth year I will apply to teach a summer school class where I can
continue to work with students who are in the Dual Language program at my school. This will
allow me gain valuable experience in this area and help students of all academic levels improve
their second language acquisition, whether it be an English expert learning Spanish, or a Spanish
expert learning English.
By my fifth year I will make arrangements to attend the Dual Language and ELD seminar
courses that are normally only attended by our grade level leads. I will talk to my Principal about

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making an exception to allow me to attend these events so I can help pass along the knowledge
that is shared during these meetings. Ross Morrison McGill, an award winning teacher and
member of the Guardian Teacher network advisor panel states, Teachers, young and old, new
and established should be given the time to develop; to share and to train in order to meet the
needs of an evolving audience. This should not be left to those joining the profession, nor those
'on a course' or on some sort of 'leadership pathway'. Training and good quality development
should be available to all (McGill, 2013, para. 5). Inaddition,mydistrictalsoofferstechnology
basedtrainingmeetings.Iwillattendasmanyofthesemeetingsaspossiblestartingthisnext
year.
Bytheendofmy5yearplan,hopefullymuchsooner,Iwanttobeconsideredasthetype
ofteacherwhogoestheextramileforhisstudents,whoisconsiderateandhelpfultootherstaff
members,andwhoisknowledgeableenoughtocontributeinanywayforthegoodofour
learningcommunity.

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References

Arnott, S. (2013, October). 10 Professional development ideas for teachers. The Guardian,
Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacherblog/2013/oct/22/teacher-professional-development-school-advice

ed2go. (2015). Differentiated Instruction in the Classroom. Retrieved from

http://www.ed2go.com/online-courses/differentiated-instruction-in-the-

classroom?

origin=google&site=classes&tab=detail

McGill, R. M. (2013, January). Professional development for teachers: How can we take it to the
next level? The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/teachernetwork/teacher-blog/2013/jan/29/professional-development-teacher-training-needs