Creating my ideal job

One of our tasks this semester in Action Research is to create a job prospectus of our ideal job. Being in the midst of planning a wedding, school finishing up, my own kids school finishing up, and grad school still under full swing, it was nice to take some time to think about what my ideal job would entail. So far this is what I can imagine for myself:

Seeking a well-qualified, veteran teacher who is engaged in 21st century teaching and learning to create a model classroom where other teachers/educators can learn from the teacher and his/her students. Prospect must be willing to connect his/her classroom to 21st century practices (see ISTE standards [teachers and students] and NCTE standards) and willingness to dialogue before and after with observers in order to provide the opportunity for reflective growth. Additionally, to fund such a classroom that is a 1-1 professional learning environment, the teacher must be willing to travel around the country and world to spread the message of 21st century teaching and learning practices as well as examples of exemplary work the classroom is doing. Travel could include presenting at conferences, schools and universities. Finally, the teacher must be a participant in various on-line communities ( blogging, Twitter, etc…), be willing to model continuous learning through attending various educational technology conferences and pursuing further educational learning opportunities. The teacher must be a constant example of a reflective practioner who is continuing to learn and grow.

As I reflect on where I want to go with my job I have now, I realize I don’t want to go anywhere. I love where I teach, whom I work with and the students never cease to amaze me with their willingness to try new things. So why would I want to go anywhere else? My thoughts were that if I didn’t want to go anywhere, how am I going to grow and be challenged with where I am at? Over the past few years of having a 1-1 classroom, I have had a number of visitors come in to watch me teach as well as observe and talk with my kids about their learning. This is an aspect that I would like to grow. Our district is moving forward into all 9th grade Language Arts classrooms being 1-1 learning environments with the ASUS EEE PC’s. I can see myself leading some of this change because I have had the experience of transforming a traditional classroom into a 1-1 classroom. My classroom could then be a model for other classrooms. And I wouldn’t want to limit visitations to just my school but we could bring in other teachers and educators as well. I think it is important to not only see what is going on in these observations, but have the opportunity to dialogue before and after with the teacher and students. My final area of growth that I would like to see in my ideal job is more speaking opportunities. I already travel some now with The Karl Fisch (whom I love and adore), but I know this is an area where I haven’t achieved my full potential. I want other teachers to see the power in constructivist learning environments where students and teachers are all learning together. I want to spread the message about the power of technology in learning.

This is a start to crafting my ideal job; if anyone has any additional feedback and suggestions, I would appreciate it.