Current Practice
The Community Membership and Support Category of the Relational Cultivation Domain is one of the stronger components of my current professional/teaching practice. I am a social person by nature and thrive on the positive energy exuded by students and other faculty and staff. I truly appreciate EPS’s program and people and am proud of my role at the school. I thoroughly enjoy (probably more than anything else) connecting with other community members and prospective community members. Given that I have only been at EPS for two years, I have participated in a large number and wide variety of community activities.
Below are brief descriptions of the indicators in this category with specific examples of how they are consistent elements of my teaching practice.
(1) acts as a strong and positive ambassador for EPS
Acting as a strong and positive ambassador for EPS is a consistent element of my current professional/teaching practice. Some of the ways I have done this include:
- Representing EPS on the 8th grade EBC trip to Colorado in 2019 (my first year at EPS). On this trip, I introduced EPS to many of my personal connections and brought EPS students to my former hometown (Artifact RC-1). One of my colleagues recognized this by stating: “…you were the face of EPS for the people and places we interacted with while on the trip. I think everyone was impressed with you being the ambassador for EPS for all these experiences” (Artifact RC-2).
- Teaching a mini-class for incoming 6th graders (Artifact RC-3). One of my colleagues recognized this by stating: “I have observed Krissy acting as a strong and positive ambassador for EPS when she was:
…-preparing for one of our Open House days, complete with mini classes and answers to families’ questions about our middle school science curriculum” (Artifact RC-2). - Participating in the development of a mock class for incoming sixth graders in 2019. One of my colleagues recognized this by stating: “I have observed Krissy acting as a strong and positive ambassador for EPS when she was:…-actively participating in the development of our new middle school mock class lesson with the admissions team (she researched and provided very useful materials for the lesson plan, and she provided very innovative and creative ideas on how we could run the 45 minute mock class)” (Artifact RC-2).
- Volunteering to give speeches at 8th Grade Continuation in 2019 (my first year at EPS).
- Volunteering to represent EPS faculty at 5th/6th parent coffees in 2019 and 2020.
- Attending Fall Harvest and speaking with various EPS parents in 2019 and 2020.
Ten of my colleagues recognized this indicator as a strong point for me in their feedback in Artifact RC-2. Some of the additional things they noted not already listed here include:
- “Krissy definitely cares about how the school/admin would like to run things. I would say she is a rule-follower (which is a great asset). For example, during safety/fire drills, she knows what is expected of her and ensures she follows the directions – she is always prepared. In this way, she is a great example to students and other faculty about how one should conduct themselves as a positive ambassador for EPS.”
- “I’ve seen Krissy act as a positive ambassador for EPS in several settings. One particular time was when we took 6th-grade students off campus for a service learning afternoon. Krissy worked next to the students in the nursery, getting her hands dirty while she transplanted trees and encouraging students to do the same. She also talked eagerly with the people from Mountains to Sound (the nonprofit with whom we were working), wanting to learn about the organization, the interests of the individuals, and what else she could do to help them. Her work served as a terrific model for students about how to positively engage in service.”
- “I have observed Krissy acting as a strong and positive ambassador for EPS when she was:
-speaking to a group of prospective parents about EPS with enthusiasm during an admissions tour
-talking very knowledgeably about EPS with some prospective students on their visit day.”
(2) attends school events and student performances
Attending school events and student performances (i.e., arts, athletics, social) is a consistent element of my current professional/teaching practice. I have been to all five school plays that have taken place since I have been at EPS (see Artifact RC-4) and one art and music show. I have also stayed after school to watch one game each of boys basketball and girls volleyball and two girls basketball games. I volunteered to chaperone the 8th grade retreat in spring 2019.
I’ve also attended a number of events during the school day. I have attended three or four plays put on by middle schoolers in Whitney Stange’s acting classes (see Artifact RC-1) including “The Game of Life” and “Peter Pan.” I also attended the Senior Independent Study Presentations in Fall 2019 as I was interviewed by one of the seniors for his project and I was also interested in another student presentation related to climate change.
During my first year at EPS, I chaperoned the Middle School fall hike and the Upper School homecoming dance which were required activities per my contract.
(3) participates in the daily life of the school
Participating in the daily life of the school is a consistent element of my professional/teaching practice.
A morning person, I typically arrive before 6:30 a.m. You can find me in a number of places before classes start: in FG-201 preparing for a lab, making copies, collaborating with faculty over breakfast, having conversations with the kitchen or maintenance staff, talking with early arrival students (and sometimes parents), or in my office grading or preparing for a class. I continue collaborations and prep work during my free periods, but also meet with students in their study halls, attend meetings with members of the SLT as needed, and work on other activities such as advisory and EBC. My office is just off the MS Commons so I’m easily accessible. I teach four sections and two different grades in Middle School, so I interact regularly with about half of the middle school. I also offered a seminar in the winter of 2020 where I interacted with Upper Schoolers. I eat breakfast most days and lunch every day in the LPC (see detailed statement of my lunch account in Artifact RC-5). I have substituted for a number of different teachers in both the Middle and Upper Schools (see summary of my substituting as of 1/31/2020 in Artifact RC-6). I dressed up as Beaker from the Muppets with colleagues on Halloween in 2019 (Artifact RC-1). I sponsored a Middle School Club five out of six trimesters during my first two years at EPS (Yellow Yarn club two times with Jamie Andrus, Forest Appreciation Club two times and Chill Out Club one time). During passing periods, I engage with as many students and adults as I can, making a point to say their names when I greet them. I am typically off campus as soon as possible in the afternoon unless there is an afterschool event.
(4) recognizes and supports diversity in all its forms
Acknowledging that the best practices for recognizing and supporting diversity are evolving both at EPS and in American culture, I believe that I implement them to the best of my ability in my current professional/teaching practice. I am committed to staying on the cutting edge of this topic as best practices evolve.
Some of the ways I have recognized and supported diversity include:
- Committing to supporting diversity in an email I sent to Bess McKinney in response to her request in June 2019 for a commitment for the school year related to equity, inclusion and compassionate leadership (Artifact RC-7). In the email, I committed to trying to replace my use of the words “you guys” in the classroom with words such as “everyone” and “scientists.” My inclusion of my preferred pronouns is also shown in this email. I have slipped up and said “you guys” a number of times in class, but I always correct myself out loud, serving as an example for students.
- Organizing an EBC trip to Colorado that exposed students to various types of religions. One of my colleagues recognized this by stating, “Again, on EBC, she took us to Tibetan and Zen Buddhist temples, a Catholic based church/retreat center, etc. which exposed the students to a variety of faith traditions. This helped the students learn about what others are doing to enhance the spirituality and mindfulness in their lives.” (Artifact RC-2)
- Recognizing neurodiversity by frequently (i.e., more than once per week) meeting with students for extra help (e.g., students for whom science is not their preferred subject), extra reassurance (e.g., students who have anxiety over their grades, even if their grades are high), or additional work outside of class (e.g., providing guidance to a student doing a science fair project outside of EPS). I primarily do this during student study halls and before or after school. One of my colleagues recognized this by stating, “Krissy is very aware of neurodiversity and is always seen helping students who need extra support or repetition. She meets one on one with these students to really reinforce concepts.” Another colleague stated, “Krissy is very thoughtful when it comes to diversities of learning styles. On numerous occasions, I know that she has modified projects/assignments/expectations for students based on their unique needs. She is flexible, calm, and responsive to each one of her students.” Yet another stated, “One of the ways Krissy demonstrates her commitment to diversity is through her support of all types of learners in her classroom. She is quick to reach out to me or other members of learning support to make sure that students are getting what they need to be successful. She is very open to coaching about working with students with particular needs in the classroom, and often checks in following situations that occur with learning support students to get advice and feedback for the future.”
- Frequently seeking feedback from other faculty and staff prior to making decisions related to students. Examples of situations where I’ve asked for feedback include when a student had an emotional breakdown during a quiz, when I suspected students copied from one other, or for repeated behavioral issues. One of my colleagues recognized this by stating, “One commendable part of her work recognizing and supporting diversity is how she seeks out guidance (from me and others) as to the best course of action to take; she doesn’t try to take it on everything on her own, but rather knows to use the resources around her to best serve our diverse student learners.”
Eight of my colleagues recognized this indicator as a strong point for me in their feedback in Artifact RC-2. Some of the additional things they noted not already listed here include:
- “You maintain a very welcoming stance, and I mean that in more sense than just one :-)! “
- “She is very aware of students who come from different financial backgrounds and is extremely respectful of students’ pronouns and gender identity.”
- “Krissy embraces all different paths of thinking. I have only observed her supporting students and fellow faculty members. She is thoughtful and fair in her assessment of situations helping to maintain both a high level of trust and growth within our community.”
- “I can say that you are very inclusive and take the time to get to know the person for who they are, whether it be colleague, friend, or student. I do appreciate that you take to heart, positive intent. Also, I appreciate your approach to green initiatives as an exposure to a type of diversity and problem solving rather than doom and gloom and/or shaming.”
- “-Krissy is always eager to discuss differentiation in her classroom and reaching all students
-She is very engaged in our EICL work during our professional development time, as well as in her daily endeavors here at EPS
-Krissy is helping plan, and researching and collecting materials for, our 5th/6th grade Martin Luther King, Jr. day here at school
-In her everyday life here at EPS, she is meeting with students who need extra help and she is assisting students in finishing their labs when they need extra time or instruction
-In my observations, she treats all students and colleagues with respect and kindness.”
Future Practice
In the coming years, I plan to continue to be an eager supporter of EPS, both inside and outside of the community. This is clearly an area that comes naturally to me. I would like to improve in two areas:
- Reorient my energies to spend less time on community membership and support (a preferred activity) so that I can spend more time working on other indicators where I have room for improvement.
- As part of my commitment to staying on the cutting edge of recognizing and supporting diversity, I would like to investigate my unconscious biases. While I am clearly trying hard to recognize and support diversity in all its forms, I probably have some blind spots, and I’d like to know what they are. In the coming months, I will contact Bess McKinney, our Equity and Inclusion and Compassionate Leadership Coordinator, about how best to do this.