Endings and Beginnings

Beginning an ePortfolio is a daunting task for me. Much of this feels like it will be a new territory and will require me to create and display my work in a way that I have not done before. Therefore, I am thankful for the opportunity to circle back to consider my "why." This will help put the upcoming workload in perspective. My "why" is two-fold:

1. Prepare students, both academically and beyond academics, for life beyond the classroom

2. Help teachers maximize their teaching ability and continuously nurture their passion for education

The thought of reaching these goals energizes my spirit and creates a sense of urgency to work hard every day.

Furthermore, the COVA model will be important in my approach to curating my ePortfolio. My choices, how I take ownership and my voice must be evident in each assignment in order for the program to be meaningful. I plan to apply each project we do specifically to my role as an instructional coach. This is a big initiative in my school district and is the focal point of much of our professional development. I know that this personal application by using COVA will make this program more meaningful to me and have the potential to have an organizational impact.

The most valuable lesson for me in EDLD 5302 has been the depths to which we explored the growth mindset. Again, I had been familiar with the concept and yet it was so refreshing to take the time to reflect on how I need and want to change my approach to learning. I realized that I am way more of a fixed mindset than I initially thought and it will take time to retrain my brain to think differently about how I respond to setbacks. I also appreciate that there has been a practical discussion about this concept. The most powerful piece for me was hearing that just saying the word "yet" does not accomplish any sort of mindset change. I love that in her follow up writings, Dr. Dweck seemed to emphasize the importance of diversifying strategies and trying multiple approaches to find solutions. This practical "next step" exploration gave me some handlebars that will help apply this growth mindset concept in my own life.