*Harmony Early Childhood Center

*Early Childhood Specialist

*Special Educator

*2020 National Teacher of The Year

*12 years teaching

Definition of Assessment: "Gives me an accurate picture of where my students are both academically but also in the social-emotional realms to."

Go-to's:

*My igdies

*dial 4

*APES Assessment

Greatest Advice: Lean on the support in your community. People want to help you. You don't have to do it all yourself.

What is a hot topic work(Book) that supports you: Easy to Love Difficult to Discipline by Dr. Becky Bailey.

What is your story and how you became an educator: Always wanted to. Was taking a dual-credit Spanish class. Through a school experience got to observe a classroom. She saw the difference that teacher was making in her students lives.

Why teach: There are other jobs you could be making more or working less but there is no job out there that you are going to get the joy purpose and fulfillment you get out of being an educator.

*10 years teaching

*Math coordinator, Olathe public Schools

*Kansas MTSS and Alignment

Definition of Assessment: Dolan Williams "Assessment is simply a procedure for making inferences." "There is no valid assessment there are only valid and invalid interpretations"

Go-to's:

*processing time

*Reteach/scaffolding

Greatest Advice: Teach to the test. We should always be starting with our assessment and design instruction to be able to perform the proficiencies we are testing.

What is your story and how you became an educator: He became an educator so he could coach football. He became a high school math teacher. Saw his head coach and the coach said being a good coach is being a good teacher. Realized the meaning of teaching is guiding students.

Why teach: You won't know until you meet your kids, and then you will. We get into teaching for whatever reason and then you meet those kids and you won't ask again. You have an opportunity to pour life into kids every day.

*3rd Grade Teacher

*Washington

*6th year teaching

Definition of Assessment: "getting to know what the kids know and how I am going to use that information." Sort of a show what you know.

Go-to's:

*Exit Tickets on everything

*Oral summary of learning that day

Greatest Advice: Relationships are the core of teaching. Reach out to parents and get to know families if you can. Make the effort to build a relationship or a little something which each student. Procedures and rules help with that and you can never have to many procedures. It provides structure to their day and smooths things out.

What is your story and how you became an educator: got an offer to teach in China. Through teaching English and interacting with the children she loved it. When she came back she decided to become a teacher.

Why Teach: Every year there is a student who says thank you for teaching things I hadn't thought about. They need you and they are the future. When you see a student get it, or improve, it makes it all worth it.

*21 years Teaching

* K-State Grad and Legacy student

Definition of Assessment:

Measuring growth from the beginning to the end. Seeing what they are learning. It's not all about the content but about the student.

Go-to's:

Learning Continuum within MAP Provides a snapshot of what students need help where and works off of data.

Small groups.

Greatest Advice:

Collaborate - it's not about you it's about your team. Collaborating always allow you to get more done.

Don't walk alone. Go into other peoples classrooms. Learn from each other.

What is your story and how you became an educator:

Wanted to be a teacher from when she was 3. She has always wanted to be a teacher. She loves being around kids, they are amazing. She never wanted to be anything else and this makes her happy. Three generations of teachers.

Why Teach: I can't imagine a single other job where you go home with the stories that I go home with. To have a senior in high school come back and tell you you were their favorite teacher is impactful. No other career has this impact. You are doing it for the kids. Youg et to change students lives.

*14 years teaching

*elementary resource teacher

*K-12 certified

*SPEd Degree University of Central Missouri

*Masters in Autism at Kansas University

*Admin license from Emporia state University

Definition of Assessment:

I look at assessment a little differently from a classroom teacher. I have assessments that are informal and they can go up all the way to standardized assessment. Depends on what we are looking at. It is your world. Uses Anecdotal and Driven all the time.

Go-to's:

For reading - running records and or Benchmark Assessments. Reading Comprehension is more clearly defined.

Greatest Advice:

Planning is essential. Using the resources around you such as other people or information. Be very careful who you surround yourself and focus on the positive.

What is your story and how you became an educator:

Originally she was a nursing major. Didn't feel right so she did an intro to SPED and it stole her heart. She loves small groups and that feels more connected. Intro to SPED really got her into teaching.

Why Teach:

The kids who need you and you need them. In her situation, if they walk into her area they are already frustrated and not doing well. Once she gets them to believe in themselves they grow. She gets to help get them in the game. Seeing them being successful and knowing you made an impact is worth it all. They need someone who believes in them.

*Taught since 1992. 7 years ELA.

*Instructional coaching coordinator

*Coordinator of instructional coaching. supports Instructional Coaches who mentor new teachers

I see assessment in any time of your life as when you have a goal or objective you want to meet and you have to assess where you are or whether you have completed it whether that is formative or summative.

Go-to's:

Typically working off of an educator rubric. Rubrics are more objective and standard-focused to her. You have to create them and individualize them.

Greatest Advice:

Rubrics help. There are no guessing games. We don't have to have massive amounts of homework or in-class work. We can use formative assessment to adjust and we don't have to put everything in the grade book. Rituals and Routines Do not wing-it.

What is your story and how you became an educator:

Wanted to be a teacher since she was 5 years old. Spent her whole life watching the teachers that she had in class. With practicum experience, she started to realize what age range she was geared for.

Why Teach: I teach for kids. I love my content area, but I care deeply about kids and that they have a connection with adults, that they have an opportunity to develop into independent, strong-thinking, and brave students. Being their Champion.

*Kindergarten Teacher at Millbrook

*27 years as a Teacher

*Olathe School District 14 yrs

Definition of Assessment:

It is necessary. It is a tool to determine what students know and what they are going to learn next. It doesn't judge how smart a student is it just helps guide me as their teacher what they are ready to learn.

Go-To's:

Hands-on and interactive engagement.

Toolkits that students can easily access.

Rituals and routines.

Greatest Advice:

Keep a good work/life balance. Set boundaries but do your job. Work ahead and save yourself some time.

Work with your team.

Be extra nice to the secretary and the custodian.

Listen to your team and coworkers.

What is your story and how you became an educator:

Try new things but don't reinvent the wheel every day.

Stay off of your phone.

Don't take yourself so seriously.

Leave your home problems at the door.

What is your story and how you became an educator:

education was not my plan. In my family, you are either a banker or a teacher. I decided I would be an accountant. For 2 1/2 years I went to college to be an accountant. At Christmas one year she told her parents she did not want to do it. Her credits were not going to transfer though. Emporia State took her credits though and she graduated with 5 years of college instead of 4. Education was right for her. Bonus points: (She met her husband in her education classes)

Why Teach:

Teaching is not for everyone but for me, it is a fun job where I can come and be funny. I can be funny, and silly, I laugh, and at the same time, I am impacting the future. Teaching for me means making a difference every day. Teaching is not for everyone but everyone needs a great teacher.

*23rd year teaching

*Started as a 5th grade teacher in Elementary.

*Taught AVID (highly recommends this)

*4 years as an assistant principal

*Orchestrated online learning for over 8K students

*Also teaches at a different university.

*Coaches

Definition of Assessment:

Can students apply the knowledge? I don't care about how they show me, can they show me what that standard is asking for. Making sure that students in the learning process apply their knowledge in some form is more important than structure in a way. Show what you know. Assessment is never final, it is a process.

Go-to's:

*Keep assessment open.

*Give students a choice.

Greatest Advice:

Do things in pieces and build up. Think of the smallest thing you can do that can make the biggest impact.

Look at things as a compass instead of a map. Everyone needs to be moving in the same direction. Everyone needs to work towards the same thing.

Build relationships with your students. Even those students with behaviors. Get to know them and try to understand. Figure out their combination.

What is your story and how you became an educator:

Growing up his father was a teacher and taught at a high school in the area. He still has connections today. The amount of respect he commanded and how well-connected he was was big. His dad had a good friend who started something called Student Naturalist. He was the first person he called when he became a science teacher. Had an amazing family of role models.

Why Teach:

This is the time we need education the most. With life right now people are scared. Having folks in people's lives who are stable, caring, and loving is what is needed. We need to show that life is crazy but we've got this. You get to have an impact. Just knowing that there is a little piece that you gave them that helped them on their way. It's amazing. It is a hard job and it doesn't pay well but getting to look at an adult and realize you helped get them there is worth it. You get to change people's stories.

*K-State Alumni

*3rd Grade Teacher

Definition of Assessment:

Make observations. When you are in the classroom day to day you need to look at what you are noticing in students abilities.

Go-to's:

Small groups - provides connection and relationship. Allows you to assess and adjust based on capabilities. Also helps you really learn your students so you can pick up on students' body language and personalities.

Greatest Advice:

Be a team. Divide and conquer. You have strengths and other people have strengths, everybody should be playing to their own to get the goal accomplished. You need to make relationships with your students, parents, and staff. Taking the time in the beginning to forge those relationships sets you up for a good year. Every kid has something they love. Find out what it is and support it. Don't send emails, speak with parents either in person or on the phone. You don't have to love everybody on staff but you have to love something about them.

What is your story and how you became an educator:

Started off in interior design and didn't feel fulfilled. Realized she wasn't that good at it and didn't know what to do. Moved to community college and finished that degree. During her education degree, she always had a story and felt fulfilled. It gave her joy. Looking into maybe teaching in Middle School.

Why teach:

Impact, this job is important. You are responsible for helping every student in your classroom figure out what they will do with their life. You have the ability to make an impact with hundreds of kids. Teaching matters. We need teachers who will make a difference, who will love kids, support them, and challenge them. You get the privilege to be a part of their stories.

*Special Services Coordinator

*10 years as a school psychologist prior

*5 years in current position

Definition of Assessment:

An estimation of the quality, nature, ability of something. It is a snapshot of a student on that day in that particular state. Assessment is a piece of the pie not encompassing. Good Quote: "There are no valid assessments only valid interpretations." - Dillan William

COOL SWEATER WHERE CAN I BUY IT!

Go-to's:

MTSS or RTI Assessments. Good screener, good diagnostics, and good monitors of progress. Formative Assessments like exit tickets. Just good snapshots of information for what they are taking in.

Cognitive assessments like the WISC or WJ. COOL ANTIQUE WISC!

Greatest Advice:

Respect your impact. Students are going to look to you to form relationships and your impact goes a long way.

Remember assessment does have its place but all roads lead back to intervention. It's what you do with it that is the big thing. Intervention is always more important than assessment.

Kids are people and they deserve respect.

What is your story and how you became and educator:

Growing up enjoyed working with kids. Thought he was going to be an optometrist. Got his psych degree undergrad. Melded the two together and found the field of school psychology. Loved it. Worked with 3 and 4-year-olds. Works with 11 buildings now.

Why Teach:

Kids need you. This is lasting work. You are investing in humanity and investing in our future. Personally, I think its pretty awesome to get to shape our future. Bragging rights. Kids are the people of today and the people of tomorrow. You get to be that positive impact for them. Impact is power.