Cassadie Ross

Staying calm and active listening. I don't have to have the answers for a person in crisis, but I can support them by being present and by listening. Calling upon experts to support the person further is the next step in my response to the crisis. 

Sending a thank you or message of gratitude is a great way to maintain perspective and keep a positive mindset. When I was in the classroom I made it a point to send three positive emails to parents each week and that practice did help me reflect on what had gone well that week. In my current role, I have not adopted a similar practice, but after taking the module I am considering how I can build expressions of gratitude into my weekly routine.

Eliminating or reducing stressors is a great idea, in theory. But those of us in education know that often our stressors are things that cannot simply be eliminated, so we must look for ways to reduce the stress. Teachers often report feeling overwhelmed by the day to day responsibilities of preparing for instruction, instruction, and evaluation/providing feedback to students. While these are all responsibilities that cannot be eliminated, teachers can find ways to streamline their processes such as grading less. 

I tend to think about stress as being work related, but after working through this module, I realize that the stress in my personal life bleeds over into my worktime in more ways than I had realized. I like the idea of writing down my stressors and being more transparent about them, however that is a fine line. We all know people who complain endlessly about their stress and that doesn't seem productive. 

Prioritizing to do list tasks and setting aside regular time to read and respond to emails are great suggestions for me to try. I disagree with the idea that instructors should use more multiple choice assessments in order to streamline their courses. We know that instructor feedback is a crucial part of the learning process, so providing students more opportuntites to practice and then evaluating one bigger assignment or project seems like a more effective approach to time management. 

I am definitely an "immediacy" type of instructor and I do see that this can impede my productivity. I have never seen this named before and I appreciate the opportunity to reflect on why I feel this sense of urgency and how I can improve my time management skills in ways that will allow me to be more efficient. 

Now more than ever it is crucial that we address the staggering numbers of new teachers who leave the profession. A focus on teacher retention through mentorship, targeted support, and community building must be at the center of our work with CTE teachers. 

It is crucial to honor the content expertise that new CTE teachers bring to the classroom. So often we are focused on their lack of pedagogical skills (or perceived lack) instead of acknowledging the skills and experience (and possibly the leadership) that they bring from industry. Framing the coaching and the observations around the areas of strength will allow the teachers to feel more supported in the process. 

I also really appreciated the video on how to give and receive feedback. It is important to practice this skill because the feedback we give new teachers is crucial to not only their improvement, but also their retention and joy in the profession. 

The part of the module that resonated with me most was the tendency for new CTE teachers to focus on the product rather than student learning. I had never thought about it this way, and yet I have seen this play out with teachers many times. Now that I can name it, I think I can explicitly address this with teachers in a way that provides "preventative feedback" (is that a thing?) to help them see a common pitfall for new CTE teachers.