Amy A. Peterman
ADMS 675
September 6, 2014
Personal Reflection #10
Date: September 3, 2014
Attendees): fourth grade team
Summary:
Following the second day of school, I met with my team to discuss how things were going and to plan for the following week. We discussed our discipline routines, procedures, curriculum and the schedule for the following week. The teacher that was having some difficulty seemed overwhelmed. She was concerned about the routines and discipline procedures in her room. As a school, it was decided that grades 3-5 would use a behavior management system called Classroom Dojo. This is a computer and phone application that allows teachers to set up positive and negative points for specific behaviors. The kids earn points and the computer keeps track as well as providing charts, parent messenging and a variety of other things. This is the second year my school has used the program and we have had great success with it. My colleague had not introduced the behavior plan to her students and had not started to use it. We had already completed our second day and I was clear on what she was utilizing in her classroom. She was concerned about behaviors already popping up in her class. I stressed the importance of continuity and that she needed to implement the system immediately so the students knew what was expected of them.
Take Aways:
Dealing with this teacher has proven to be stressful already. She is not compliant and is not showing that she wants to be part of a team. It is hard for me to understand where she is coming from. When I came to Harvie 4 years ago, I too was a veteran teacher that had taught in several states. But when I started at Harvie, I wanted to be a part of the team and show that I was flexible and reliable. My challenge as grade level chair this year is going to be patience and understanding. This colleague is very opinionated and seems determined to do things her way. I have assured her that I am available to her and that if she needs help, I am here to assist her. It is difficult to connect with her because she has remained in her room and does not have a lot of interaction with the team. It is my goal to try to find a personal connection with her so maybe we can get to know one another and build a relationship of professionalism and trust.