Sarah E. Murphy
ETEP Graduate
Land Acknowledgment
To live and work in the United States is to live and work on the unceded lands and waters of past, present, and future indigenous peoples. As an educator, it is my responsibility to teach accurately, respectfully, and critically of long held narratives that ignore the violence, genocide, and cultural erasure that have been perpetrated against indigenous peoples through colonization that exists to this day. I commit myself to seeking the knowledge and resources needed to contribute to the ongoing work of decolonization in the land we now call Maine and beyond. As an educator, I will teach in a way that respects the peoples of the Dawnland, the Maliseet, Micmac, Penobscot, and Passamaquoddy.
Journey to Now
As an undergraduate I earned my bachelor’s degree in community recreation at the University of Southern Maine (USM). I knew that I wanted to work to create programs for children to engage them in extracurricular activities that got them moving and thinking. As a recreation programmer for the city of Portland, Maine, I implemented a nature program, coached volleyball, and helped to run before and after school programming as well as summer camps for children K-5. Towards the end of my employment with the city, I began to substitute teach in the Portland school district, where I felt a strong pull to work with children in an academic capacity.
In 2020, I applied for the Extended Teacher Education Program (ETEP) at USM and was accepted. I spent my student teaching placements at East End Community School, Ocean Avenue Elementary, and most recently, at Harrison Lyseth Elementary. Throughout my experience in the ETEP program I was taught to teach in a student centered manner, to plan for each student, and to continually improve my practice through active reflection, collaboration, and professional development.
Now that I have completed the ETEP program, I find myself on a fresh page, waiting to be written. I am excited at all opportunities and I look forward to finding my classroom.
In 2020, I applied for the Extended Teacher Education Program (ETEP) at USM and was accepted. I spent my student teaching placements at East End Community School, Ocean Avenue Elementary, and most recently, at Harrison Lyseth Elementary. Throughout my experience in the ETEP program I was taught to teach in a student centered manner, to plan for each student, and to continually improve my practice through active reflection, collaboration, and professional development.
Now that I have completed the ETEP program, I find myself on a fresh page, waiting to be written. I am excited at all opportunities and I look forward to finding my classroom.
Commitment to Equity
Planning for the diverse population of students that I have worked with has reinforced my commitment to equity in the classroom. Ensuring that each student’s needs are being met and that they are offered opportunities to succeed and exceed has been a central focus of my student teaching experience.
Throughout my internship I have coordinated with building specialists to plan for ELL students, students with IEP’s, 504 plans, chapter 104 students, and students who receive social work services. Through conducting a student readiness profile, I collected data on students with exceptionalities to aid me in planning instruction with students at the center. Conducting this profile required me to work closely with specialists to gain valuable insights into student needs and plans.
Collaborating with ELL specialists to plan for language learners has afforded me opportunities to tailor content to specific language needs. I have experience planning appropriate content to challenge students learning English, translating to communicate directly with students in their L1, and providing materials in students’ L1 to encourage full participation and engagement.
Working with chapter 104 coordinators, special education specialists, and social workers has aided me in creating content that is appropriate for all learners, that offers extensions and modifications, and that takes student academic, developmental, social/emotional, and physical needs into account.
Committing to equity in the classroom means planning with all students in mind. To me this means ensuring that all content is appropriate and properly scaffolded, but it also means ensuring that all students feel safe to express themselves in my classroom and that I facilitate a community of acceptance and of support.
Throughout my internship I have coordinated with building specialists to plan for ELL students, students with IEP’s, 504 plans, chapter 104 students, and students who receive social work services. Through conducting a student readiness profile, I collected data on students with exceptionalities to aid me in planning instruction with students at the center. Conducting this profile required me to work closely with specialists to gain valuable insights into student needs and plans.
Collaborating with ELL specialists to plan for language learners has afforded me opportunities to tailor content to specific language needs. I have experience planning appropriate content to challenge students learning English, translating to communicate directly with students in their L1, and providing materials in students’ L1 to encourage full participation and engagement.
Working with chapter 104 coordinators, special education specialists, and social workers has aided me in creating content that is appropriate for all learners, that offers extensions and modifications, and that takes student academic, developmental, social/emotional, and physical needs into account.
Committing to equity in the classroom means planning with all students in mind. To me this means ensuring that all content is appropriate and properly scaffolded, but it also means ensuring that all students feel safe to express themselves in my classroom and that I facilitate a community of acceptance and of support.
Creating Community
In order for students to succeed in the classroom they need to feel safe, they need to know the expectations, and they need to have voice. Students should feel a sense of belonging to the community and they deserve to have a say in what that community looks like. This involves the creation of classroom norms, routines, and boundaries. Through my student teaching experience I have learned to be explicit with expectations, to remind students of norms often, and to encourage students to advocate for themselves and for the group. Students alone know how they want to be treated and what their learning environment preferences are and these are valuable tools for creating a classroom culture that serves students while providing the structure necessary for each student to flourish.
Pictures:
1. Notes recorded from a discussion around what community is
2. A poster illustrating a classroom routine around lining up
3. An anchor chart about boundaries and privacy created with student input
Pictures:
1. Notes recorded from a discussion around what community is
2. A poster illustrating a classroom routine around lining up
3. An anchor chart about boundaries and privacy created with student input
Getting to Know Students
Getting to know my students is central to teaching them. Throughout my professional career and education I have learned that getting to know students is the best way to engage them, to ensure that they feel seen, and to tailor instruction to generate student engagement and buy-in. Students learn best when they are interested in the content, when they see themselves reflected in the learning.
In my student teaching experience I have worked to get to know students by:
1. A project I completed with students where they mapped their heritage
2. A picture of a survey I created to collect personal and demographic data
3. An infographic I created using information about where my students’ families are from
In my student teaching experience I have worked to get to know students by:
- Conducting surveys that ask about their interests, home lives, and preferences
- Communicating daily with students through journal prompts
- Conversing with each student about non-academic topics as much as possible
- Remembering and recalling details that students share with me during conversations
- Presenting myself as a trusted adult for students to use as a resource
1. A project I completed with students where they mapped their heritage
2. A picture of a survey I created to collect personal and demographic data
3. An infographic I created using information about where my students’ families are from
Planning and Instruction
While planning for my students I consider:
Varying my teaching strategy according to the content is a skill I will always seek to hone. Utilizing new technologies, such as Jamboard, online pen pals, Google slides and forms, Prezi, and Spotify in the classroom have helped me to engage students in new ways that make my lessons dynamic. I have found that teaching students new technologies and setting clear expectations for their use is one of the most powerful tools I have used.
Above all, students need to view one another as their best resource. This has been a staple of my teaching practice throughout my internship. In this way, I aim to bolster the value that students see in one another and strengthen the academic community in the classroom. For example, during a reading unit where students were completing comprehension questions, I would refer students to one another to discuss ideas first, before stepping in to clarify or aid.
Pictures:
1. A picture of the planbook I generated for the lead teaching portion of my internship. This plan book includes daily and long term learning targets.
2. A Prezi that I created to teach students about figurative language.
3. A slide from a presentation I created to accompany a lesson on decimal forms.
- Is the learning connected to/building on prior knowledge?
- Is the learning aligned with curriculum standards?
- Is the content engaging?
- Is the content appropriate for all students?
Varying my teaching strategy according to the content is a skill I will always seek to hone. Utilizing new technologies, such as Jamboard, online pen pals, Google slides and forms, Prezi, and Spotify in the classroom have helped me to engage students in new ways that make my lessons dynamic. I have found that teaching students new technologies and setting clear expectations for their use is one of the most powerful tools I have used.
Above all, students need to view one another as their best resource. This has been a staple of my teaching practice throughout my internship. In this way, I aim to bolster the value that students see in one another and strengthen the academic community in the classroom. For example, during a reading unit where students were completing comprehension questions, I would refer students to one another to discuss ideas first, before stepping in to clarify or aid.
Pictures:
1. A picture of the planbook I generated for the lead teaching portion of my internship. This plan book includes daily and long term learning targets.
2. A Prezi that I created to teach students about figurative language.
3. A slide from a presentation I created to accompany a lesson on decimal forms.
Approach to Assessment
Equitable. Clear expectations. Chances to exceed. Student choice.
When I plan for assessments, I ensure that each student is being assessed in accordance with their learning needs and individual plans. For example, a newcomer ELL student that I taught required written materials to be either simplified or translated, another student required modified writing assessments with sentence starters and the ability to type instead of write by hand.
Prior to assigning or beginning summative assessments, I ensure that all students understand the expectations and that all questions have been answered. In teaching my unit this spring, I taught students the rubric (pictured) prior to assigning the project. Giving students access to the grading system ensured that they knew how to meet and exceed expectations to earn the grade they wanted.
Pictures:
1. A rubric I created to grade a group research project
2. A completed project from the same unit
3. A ”missing poster” created by a student as part of a choice assessment aimed at gauging reading comprehension
When I plan for assessments, I ensure that each student is being assessed in accordance with their learning needs and individual plans. For example, a newcomer ELL student that I taught required written materials to be either simplified or translated, another student required modified writing assessments with sentence starters and the ability to type instead of write by hand.
Prior to assigning or beginning summative assessments, I ensure that all students understand the expectations and that all questions have been answered. In teaching my unit this spring, I taught students the rubric (pictured) prior to assigning the project. Giving students access to the grading system ensured that they knew how to meet and exceed expectations to earn the grade they wanted.
Pictures:
1. A rubric I created to grade a group research project
2. A completed project from the same unit
3. A ”missing poster” created by a student as part of a choice assessment aimed at gauging reading comprehension
Professional Development
As I move on from USM and into the job market, I will continue to seek out best practices through conversations with my peers, the pursuit of reading materials, and through attending events geared towards educators.
As a new educator, I recognize that I have infinitely more to learn and that my students, and my practice, will benefit greatly from my continued education and professional development.
For my summer reading I have ordered Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? to continue my edification about issues of race in public schools and Visible Learning and the Science of How We Learn to continue to examine the body of knowledge on what works to engage students and ensure that they are learning.
To continue to interact with students and their stories, I plan to attend the Telling Room event showcasing the Young Writers & Leaders book launch at the Portland Museum of Art and events like it.
