InTASC Standard number 10, leadership and collaboration, ensures that teachers work together with students, families, colleagues, and community members to advance student learning. Effective teachers participate in school and community-wide events and take on leadership roles to ensure learner growth and advance the profession of education.
#1 Books and breakfast
During my time at Hollins University, my classmates and I regularly volunteered at Turn the Page‘s bimonthly books and breakfast event. During these events, I helped set up breakfast, help families pick out books, and read to students of all ages. This community-wide event provides local students and their families breakfast every other Saturday, and every member of the family left each week with a new book! This community event promotes a love of reading in the whole family and encourages families to read together!
#2 PTA programs
During my field experience, I attended several PTA programs. Attending and participating in these afterschool programs is a great way to collaborate with families and colleagues across grade-levels and content areas. During my field experience, I helped plan and execute a special PTA program for first-grade students called “e-i e-i-oops!” During this program, I met many of my students’ families that I had yet to connect with face-to-face! This photo shows some of my first-grade students playing the role of the farmers in the grade-wide production.
#3 Collaboration with colleagues
During my field experience, I had the opportunity to collaborate with my coordinating teacher, the first-grade team, and specialists. Each week we held grade-level meetings to share ideas, encouragement, and plan fun and engaging activities for the students. On valentine’s day, I worked together with my coordinating teacher and the school librarian to facilitate a virtual escape room for students! Using Breakout EDU we created an activity where students had to work together to solve multiple puzzles to “unlock” a box in the library that held the ending of their valentine’s day story. The students loved the activity, and it was a great way for my colleagues and me to work together to facilitate student learning!