Professional Dispositions Self-Assessment
I really dislike assessing myself! How does one do that objectively, when the act itself is subjective? I find it difficult to straddle the line of being humble but also advocating for my good performance. Judging by how I’ve filled everything out, I seem to overall be proficient at student teaching. Like with anything, there are good days and bad, mistakes and reflection and correcting them as best I can.
Two areas I feel confident in are “Initiative and Dependability” and “Cultural Responsiveness.” My creativity is one of my strengths as I try to incorporate opportunities for students to exhibit their own creative inclinations, along with finding new and interesting ways to build lessons with student interests in mind. I’ve also been prepared for each class that I’ve led since I’ve taken over my classes, which shows that I am responsible enough to plan ahead and make sure I have everything I need before I begin class. I’ve made efforts to tailor my instruction with specific things in mind, like the identities of my students or facets of identity that our lessons touch on. Instead of addressing class as “boys and girls,” I use “y’all” because I’m cognizant of the nonbinary-identifying students in my classes. When I use hypotheticals to get my point across, I make deliberate points to say “she, he, or they” or “her, him, or they” so students think outside of the gender binary and are aware that I’m not one to disregard facets of identity that have become politicized.
Even though I tried my hardest to be professional, a lot of the time I fell short. It’s a learning curve that has been incredibly difficult for me. Most of the areas where I didn’t award myself a point had something to do with professionalism: whether it’s the language that I’m using, the relationships I’m maintaining with all parties, or professional growth. In the future, my goals are to make the effort to be the work-appropriate employee I know that I can be by adhering closely to the policies and guidelines set forth by my employer.
All of these dispositions are easily transferable to whatever career path or next job I’ll find; my strengths in “Effective Communication,” “Initiative and Dependability,” and “Cultural Responsiveness” are sure to aid in my job search and hopefully my future profession. Because of my commitment to student teaching and my aim to be well-versed in all of these dispositions, I am set up for success even as I decide not to pursue teaching.