Martha Liverman EDU 650 Teaching Learning and Leading in the 21 st Century Professor: Wendell LaTouche The Big Interview

Lead Teacher Good Morning, My name is Martha Liverman and I am applying for the Lead Teacher position. I believe I am qualified for this position because I have had fifteen years classroom experience working with children ages four and five. I have knowledge of the community in which we serve and I am well known by the parents whose children attend and have attended this school. I have an Associate degree in Early Childhood Education. I have Bachelors degree in Early Childhood Education with a Birth thru Kindergarten Certification. I am currently enrolled in the Master’s degree program at Ashford University. I will make a positive asset to this school and this community as a Lead Teacher of high quality and expert knowledge of the North Carolina Common Core Standards for education and content area of Birth thru Kindergarten.

My Philosophy of Education My philosophy is to make a difference in the lives of young children through positive guidance and interactions with them and their families. I will treat each child and his or her family as individuals instead of looking at all of them as one. Each and every member of the child’s ecological environment will be treated with dignity and respect according to their cultural, social, and economical diversity with regards of their family importance being met first and not to what my expectations and thoughts are. I will teach the children I serve and make it a meaningful and exciting experience for each and every child individually as well as collectively. I believe that you control objects and gadgets not children or people. I desire to make a positive difference in their lives and to promote a safe place where they feel loved and respected for who they are and they will become one day within our society.

Classroom Management Plan: Goal of the Classroom Management Plan: The goal of this management plan is to insure that the children have the opportunity to be educated in a supportive and creative learning environment. This plan will address the needs of Preschool children age’s four to five. According to Standard 1. Of the International Society for Technology in Education, The environment should promote, support, and model creativity and innovative thinking as well as inventiveness. This will be done according to the curriculum that our school uses known as the Creative Curriculum for Preschool Aged Children. The activities and learning opportunities the children will participate in encourage them to explore real world scenarios and problem solving techniques while using digital tools and resources that will be exposed to them. Each child will have access to use the classroom computer for an opportunity to engage with various child friendly and age appropriate teaching tools.

Different School Models From my visits to the two schools I learned that although we are housed in different locations the Pre-K rules and regulations are required for all of North Carolina Pre-K schools receiving Pre-K funds. The Head Start cite is housed on the same grounds as the Currituck cite. The only difference is that Currituck Pre-K is in the public school and Head Start cite is in a separate building with a separate playground. We all eat in the same cafeteria and we are all overseen by the same N.C. Pre-K coordinator. The teachers concerns are somewhat similar as far as needing funding. Currituck needs funding to make sure that they meet child staff ratio according to Pre-K requirements and Head start needs funding so they can compete by supplying transportation for the children to school. My chosen school model is Currituck County Elementary School because it contains enough space to house a large number of Pre-K classrooms.

Different School Models School ASchool B Differences/Similarities identified between schools. Points to consider. Type of SchoolPublic School Pre-K Head Start Pre-K Federally funded State funded Total Population/Demographics Black 40% White 30% Hispanic 20% Other 10% Black 55% White 10% Hispanic 25% Other 10% Both schools are Tier 2 Both schools are in low income areas Both are income based except Currituck County Pre-K takes low income first but does allow other income brackets to fill at least 10% of their enrollment

Different School Models Continued: Student to Teacher Ratio18 to 2 16 to 2 Each classroom is supposed to have two teachers per classroom 1/9 and 1/8 Key Issues Facing Teaching Staff Ratio Because of the State Budget Meeting full Pre-K children ratio due to lack of children Funding is important for both schools to remain open School ASchool B Differences/Similarities identified between schools. Points to consider. Role of TechnologyChild friendly software and tools Although they use different teaching technology it’s all child friendly 21st Century SkillsMaking sure no child is left behind Preparing children for the 21 st Century is their goal Both schools rely on the New Creative Curriculum tool

Effective Lesson Planning Doing our research to gain knowledge on where the child needs to be and how to get them there. Thinking and setting the goals for the child to learn is very important if you want to avoid a pitfall. Use the Formative Approach to find out if your strategies are working. Observe and gather data to find out if the goals you have made for the children are being met by giving them activities and by allowing them to interact with each other through discussion. The children's role in the classroom is to learn through creative play and interactions with their peers. Through this creativity and play the children will learn to master the skills set forth by the objectives the teacher implements within their learning environment.

Assessment Matters: The role of assessment and evaluation in school improvement is that it can be a positive tool for teachers as well as students. For teachers it gives them a chance to see whether or not their teaching strategies are proficient. If they are not the teacher can go back and try to reach the students who did not seem to be catching on while the others who met the goal move on to more challenges. For the student they get to understand that they are learners and they become more aware of their purpose within the classroom while there. No matter what type of school environment you’re familiar with, you are aware that they have some kind of assessment tool they use. There is no way a school can grow into the twenty first century without assessing its students, faculty, and administrators.

PLC (Professional Learning Community) A professional learning community is made up of a collection of educators that meets together on a regular basis to share their knowledge, and to work collaboratively with their colleagues to share teaching skills and techniques that will promote improved student skills and to help improve the academic performance of their students. It consists of teachers coming together for the benefit of ensuring that students receive the best of a quality education regardless of their race, national origin or financial status. Some of the organizations teachers belong to are: the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), American Education Research Association (AERA), or The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) just to name a few. All of these are great outside organizations that provide expert educational advice to teachers about todays students and educational global changes.

References: Lopez, D. (2013). No excuses university: How six exceptional systems are revolutionizing our schools (2nd ed.).Turnaround Schools Publications. Newman, R. (2013). Teaching and learning in the 21st century: Connecting the dots. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. International Society for Technology in Education. ISTE Standards Teachers. Retrieved from 14_ISTE_Standards-T_PDF.pdfhttp:// 14_ISTE_Standards-T_PDF.pdf TED. (2012, May 31). Play, passion, purpose: Tony TEDxNYED [Video file]. Retrieved from