Personal Learning Plan (PLP)
The Personal Learning Plan (PLP) is an evolving touchstone document used to develop your learning goals and reflect on your growth as an educator and leader throughout the program. PLP reflections may be shared with your program director, advisor and critical friends and be used to guide reflective conversations throughout the year.
1. What are your hopes and dreams for your learning through this program? How do you hope to grow as an educator and leader?
I hope to gain a better conceptual and theoretical understanding of how our design principles came to be and which educational philosophies guided the HTH founders. I want to be exposed to enough educational theory that I can broaden my own understanding of what it takes to provide equitable, authentic, progressive education. On the other hand, I want to learn more practical strategies on how to be an effective leader for my classroom and for my school. I want to learn what it takes to manage a school and maintain school culture. I hope to learn as much as I can from some of the existing school leaders.
2. In regards to developing your craft as an educator,
a. What can you celebrate?
I have developed my own very effective strategies on how to develop classroom culture, especially one that inspires grit, risk-taking, and safety for all students. I have learned how to foster relationships with my students as well as my colleagues that have resulted in some incredible teaching and learning opportunities. I have developed my own teaching style that incorporates positive energy, passion, and experiences to make learning more engaging and meaningful for students.
b. How would you like to grow?
I would like to learn more of the formulaic strategies to foster deep thinking and learning and learn how to push my own teaching to the next level. Now that I understand what it takes to be an effective PBL teacher, I want to push myself to create even richer learning opportunities.
3. After looking at the “Effective Leader” document, reflect on the following aspects of your development as a leader (from within or outside the classroom):
a. What can you celebrate?
I feel that I have greatly strengthened my “building community” skills and have used those skills to help strengthened the culture of our school. With my many years of experience in after school program management, I feel that I have developed great strategies for relating to students and building deep relationships with them based on respect. I feel that I have contributed greatly to our staff’s collegiality and have fostered strong relationships across grade level that collaborate often.
b. How would you like to grow?
All of the areas in which I would like to grow fall into the “Share Leadership” category. The phrase the strikes me the most is “balance confidence with humility when guiding change.” I want to grow more confident as a leader amongst my peers, but also remain humble, self-reflective and growth mindset oriented. I also want to be someone who “guides mindfully courageous conversations with respect.” I want to have the courage to have difficult conversations for the benefit of students and teachers, while still respecting the person with which I am conversing.
4. As you think about your Masters Project…
a. What inquiry questions are emerging about your practice?
-How do you cultivate and maintain school/staff culture?
-How do you facilitate group decision making that reflects ubiquitous teacher voice?
b. How might any of these evolve into a masters project?
While school culture is something that I am interested in pursuing, I am also very intrigued by the idea of developing and researching strategies to help facilitate teacher leadership in making big decisions. For the past 4 years, I have seen some great strategies from my Directors, but am interested in researching some different methods. I am intrigued by the balance between allowing for teacher autonomy in decision making with providing effective guidance and leadership.
5. What are your professional goals and how can we support you in realizing them?
I am very interested in pursuing leadership opportunities within and outside the organization. I’m thrilled that I get to teach for a few more years at least because I don’t feel that I have learned enough about being a teacher that I am ready to leave the classroom, but I am definitely interested in pursuing leadership opportunities in the future. I feel that my strengths lie in working directly with students, so I am looking for opportunities to become a leader while not losing those direct connections with students.
The Personal Learning Plan (PLP) is an evolving touchstone document used to develop your learning goals and reflect on your growth as an educator and leader throughout the program. PLP reflections may be shared with your program director, advisor and critical friends and be used to guide reflective conversations throughout the year.
1. What are your hopes and dreams for your learning through this program? How do you hope to grow as an educator and leader?
I hope to gain a better conceptual and theoretical understanding of how our design principles came to be and which educational philosophies guided the HTH founders. I want to be exposed to enough educational theory that I can broaden my own understanding of what it takes to provide equitable, authentic, progressive education. On the other hand, I want to learn more practical strategies on how to be an effective leader for my classroom and for my school. I want to learn what it takes to manage a school and maintain school culture. I hope to learn as much as I can from some of the existing school leaders.
2. In regards to developing your craft as an educator,
a. What can you celebrate?
I have developed my own very effective strategies on how to develop classroom culture, especially one that inspires grit, risk-taking, and safety for all students. I have learned how to foster relationships with my students as well as my colleagues that have resulted in some incredible teaching and learning opportunities. I have developed my own teaching style that incorporates positive energy, passion, and experiences to make learning more engaging and meaningful for students.
b. How would you like to grow?
I would like to learn more of the formulaic strategies to foster deep thinking and learning and learn how to push my own teaching to the next level. Now that I understand what it takes to be an effective PBL teacher, I want to push myself to create even richer learning opportunities.
3. After looking at the “Effective Leader” document, reflect on the following aspects of your development as a leader (from within or outside the classroom):
a. What can you celebrate?
I feel that I have greatly strengthened my “building community” skills and have used those skills to help strengthened the culture of our school. With my many years of experience in after school program management, I feel that I have developed great strategies for relating to students and building deep relationships with them based on respect. I feel that I have contributed greatly to our staff’s collegiality and have fostered strong relationships across grade level that collaborate often.
b. How would you like to grow?
All of the areas in which I would like to grow fall into the “Share Leadership” category. The phrase the strikes me the most is “balance confidence with humility when guiding change.” I want to grow more confident as a leader amongst my peers, but also remain humble, self-reflective and growth mindset oriented. I also want to be someone who “guides mindfully courageous conversations with respect.” I want to have the courage to have difficult conversations for the benefit of students and teachers, while still respecting the person with which I am conversing.
4. As you think about your Masters Project…
a. What inquiry questions are emerging about your practice?
-How do you cultivate and maintain school/staff culture?
-How do you facilitate group decision making that reflects ubiquitous teacher voice?
b. How might any of these evolve into a masters project?
While school culture is something that I am interested in pursuing, I am also very intrigued by the idea of developing and researching strategies to help facilitate teacher leadership in making big decisions. For the past 4 years, I have seen some great strategies from my Directors, but am interested in researching some different methods. I am intrigued by the balance between allowing for teacher autonomy in decision making with providing effective guidance and leadership.
5. What are your professional goals and how can we support you in realizing them?
I am very interested in pursuing leadership opportunities within and outside the organization. I’m thrilled that I get to teach for a few more years at least because I don’t feel that I have learned enough about being a teacher that I am ready to leave the classroom, but I am definitely interested in pursuing leadership opportunities in the future. I feel that my strengths lie in working directly with students, so I am looking for opportunities to become a leader while not losing those direct connections with students.