Personal Learning Network--Sean Calabrese

GOALS: 1)   Become a certified teacher: at my current school, teachers have 3 years to attain their certification and other than the fact that I am at my 2.5 mark I also want to firmly plant myself in this profession. Being certified to me not only means credibility and “more” money but also gives me a chance to really solidify my own pedagogy. Through the TeachNow program I am seeing, hearing, thinking about, and experiencing new lessons that will greatly affect me as a teacher and the decisions I make on a daily basis. Finishing this program is also a way for me to prove to myself that this is my calling.

2)   Find and take math workshops that incorporate 21st learning strategies/technology: Even though I put certification first, this is my most important goal. As a tech coordinator and math teacher, I want to find teacher workshops and classes that can help me bring math into the 21stcentury. I have already included lots of movement in my classroom but I want to find new, unusual, and adaptive ways for each of my students to learn math best. I’m hoping that by researching and taking a variety of workshops I can start to unlock the key to math confidence and ability in my classroom.

3)   Work for a county public school: Not sure on the timing of this goal but I think it’s important for me to experience different types of schools outside the Catholic school network. I am curious how the public school system functions different and how I could apply myself as a math/tech teacher. I also have a deep passion for coaching and I think being able to teach and coach the same students would be an incredible opportunity that I currently don’t have in my smaller Catholic middle school.

4)   Decide my ultimate professional goal: I think it is really important for me to decide what my end goal in teaching is. Unlike other professions, we don’t really have a “ladder” to climb and many teachers find themselves choosing between administration and classroom teaching. I am still early on in my career and because of that need to really take time to decide what my purpose is. Do I want to be the one supervising or do I want to continue making efforts in an individual classroom.

5)   Try another subject area: even though I know math is my strength as a teacher, I do think trying another subject area even for a year or as an assistant teacher could help me be a stronger math teacher. I could see connections between different content areas and also have a grasp of what my students learn when they’re outside the math classroom.

Activities: 1) Working with other teachers on the same grade level within the Archdiocese of Washington at workshops based on technology.

2) Working with other teachers on same grade level but that are not a part of the Archdiocese of Washington at workshops based on technology.

The reason for splitting number 1 and 2 up is that we have the same set of standards and guidelines within the Archdiocese of Washington, so it would be nice to see how other teachers stay on pace and incorporate technology in their lesson plans.

3) Attend a workshop at Epson, see what math-based software they recommend and how it can be implemented on a daily basis. Being the IT Director at the school, this would allow me to come back and hold a professional development day for our teachers at Holy Redeemer.

4) Spend a day in the lower grades, K-4th, and see how to teach math on its most basic levels and challenge me to expand the way I try to reach kids. By teaching a lower grade you cannot operate under the pretenses of assumption. The only assumption that you should make is that they do not know what you are trying to explain.

Tools/Resources: 1) sheppardsoftware.com  2)  gynzy.com 3) StudyBlue- in app store 4) Flash Card Multiplication-in app store 5) TeachNow Program 6) To help me gain access into the public school system, I would reach out to a friend who has been a principal for 30+ years, Mrs. Jones. 7) Maria Bovich, my principal, I can ask her if I could have one day this upcoming year to teach a different subject matter. For instance if I had to leave math and go into a different subject it would be either a History class or a Writing class.