Ciani Harper
Ivy Tech Community College
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Name of Artifact: Teacher Interview Project
Date: February 22, 2015
Course: EDUC 101
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Description: This assignment begins with me as a student and allows me to
interview two teachers. I ask a series of questions relating to their careers as
teachers in 1st grade. I sat down with each teacher for approximately 15 minutes. A
highlight of this unit was that they gave advice, shared their personal experiences
and hardships in the field of education.
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Rationale: To document my understanding of InTASC Standard 10, Leadership and
Collaboration, I chose this assignment. It was chosen because it shows that I had to
talk to other school professionals to get their insight on what it like to be a teacher.
The main point of this assignment was to grow mentally and eventually start
thinking and learning from a teacher.
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I interviewed two teachers for this assignment. The first
teacher was Mrs. Sue Gaudreau which is the teacher I
volunteer for. The other teacher is Debbie Kulustian,
who is also a 1st grade teacher. I sat down with each
teacher for about 15 minutes each, asking about their
experiences as teachers.
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Flexibility
Willing to adapt
Compassion
Genuine love for students learning and them as a person
Handworker
Put in long hours even after the school day is over
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Willing to put in a lot of time,
Willing to make effective lessons plans
To be driven
To be assertive
Put in the effort
Being aware this is a 24/7 hour job
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“I think over the years since I had my own children, I realized that being more of a
parent during the day is more beneficial. I want that for my own kids. Someone
who is going to listen to them, care for them. Also organization, make sure that you
have materials out and ready. Make sure that you have plans made because those
are the days that go the best. That has made me a better teacher over the years
because as much as I wanted to say I was ready for everyday, I think it has been
easier over the years to make sure I was prepared.”
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“I try not to listen to other teachers perspectives on a student. For
example if a kid is coming to me from kindergarten I try not to listen to
what their previous teacher said about how they were last year. I like to
make my own judgments because they are a new kid when they come to
me”
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“Patience. You have to understand that these kids are coming with many
different things and you have to realize that what you were thinking was
the most important thing you are bringing to the day is not necessarily
what they need. So it great to understand that the most important quality
would be patience.”
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“Care for the students. If you care for the students you
are going to be willing to put in that extra work and
time it takes to really be an effective teacher”
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To be loving
Being a facilitator in their learning process
To be a leader that helps students reach their goals and full capacity and
that they get to grow and learn as much as they can in a year.
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“This is my fourth year teaching and I have only been a first grade
teacher. But in this profession, it is wise that you should be realistic
with how much time and energy it is going to take to be a good
teacher.”
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One piece of information that Mrs. Gaudreau said she
wish she had starting out as a new teacher was to not
get wrapped up in all of the little stuff and to keep the
big picture in mind. If you put in the work, you have
detailed organized lesson plans, and you work hard,
they will get it. So don’t get frustrated or discouraged.
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Mrs. Kulustian said “I wish that I had a little bit more
education on how to handle kids in special education
and how to handle difficult behaviors as a first year
teacher.”
“If kids come to us from strong, healthy functioning
families, it makes our job easier. If they do not come to
us from strong, healthy, functioning families, it makes our
job more important.”(Colorose, 2015) I like this quote
because it shows what a positive impact a teacher can
have on a students’ whose life isn’t ideal.
Another quote I enjoy is, “I remind myself every
morning: Nothing I say this day will teach me anything.
So if I'm going to learn, I must do it by listening.” (King,
2001) I like this quote because it shows that the teacher
truly learns by listening to what the students have to say
because they can be people to learn from as well.
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Colorose, Barbara. (2015) . Powerful Quotes for
Teachers.
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King, Larry. (2001) Teach Quotes
Brainy Quote