Graduate Seminar Signature PowerPoint

1. Kristine Sojourner
Part 1 – Signature Assignment

2. Belief Statement
 There are beacons of light within in the darkness.
 Today’s educators do more with less, battle the instant
gratification expectation of today’s youth, and uphold
values and tradition.
 Every student everywhere can learn and will learn.
 I believe there are people, like me, who work hard to
ensure kids are learning content, showing students that
someone DOES care, and will continue the battle
against government interference.

3. Why I believe what I do
 Instructors who have taught in classrooms for decades
and still love what they do.
 Kids are still kids regardless of race, socioeconomic
background, religion, and gender.
 We ALL want to feel valued, needed, and loved.

4. Knowledge Bases
 Professional knowledge bases –
 Why my students behave the way they do
 How my students learn
 Strategies how to use assessment data to guide planning and
instruction
 Tools that help struggling readers overcome their fears and
lack of knowledge
 Using positive and genuine guidance to empower my students

5. Reflection
 Using reflection as a method to improve
 What went great and what didn’t within a lesson
 Other ways of looking at a situation, problem, or learning
challenge
 Guiding other educators through the reflection process
 Being open to changes and feedback

6. Judgment
 Learning to make better judgments and decisions
 Understanding there is ALWAYS another side
 Some key information will not be obvious
 It is ok to admit you made a mistake
 Saying I’m sorry when your judgment was way off base
 Showing kindness, compassion, and empathy allows for better
judgment making abilities
 Don’t make an assumption based on a student’s inability to
learn, who their parents and/or siblings are, or how a student
behaves – There are often reasons for the why…..

7. Conclusion
I have learned more than I can ever write about. The
lessons have often led me to reflect on different
occassions when I should have made a better decision.
With that said, I have also learned that I can’t change
what has happened; I can only change what hasn’t
happened yet. I became a better teacher because of my
time at NAU. I also became a better person because of the
people who taught me, learned with me, and were above
board professionals.