As human beings and more specifically as educators, we need to constantly be reflecting on our personal growth.

I have grown so much since I first step foot on Ball States campus. It is important for me as an educator, to step back and assess how Im doing. INTASC standard 1 addresses the teachers knowledge of learner development. I have come a long way on this topic since I arrived at Ball State. The two main things in this area that MUSE 258 has taught me are about the adolescent voice and how the brain processes musical information. MUSE 353 has taught me about adolescent behavior and why they do the things they do, act the way they act. EDPSY 250 taught me about human growth and development beginning with infants and going all the way into the late teens. I look forward to learning more about how best to teach elementary students in MUSE 351. INTASC standard 2 addresses the teachers knowledge of learning differencescultural as well as individual. I grew a lot in this area when I took EDMU 205. We had many discussions in our class as to how to bridge those cultural gaps in your classroom and how to find common ground with your students. Volunteering at the Boys & Girls Club of Muncie definitely taught me that patience and flexibility is key to overcoming cultural differences. INTASC standard 3 is all about creating a positive learning environment for your students. I want to be encouraging my students with positive feedback and encouraging constructive criticism. This is an area where experience will be my best asset. Sometimes when doing a peer teaching, I would give feedback, but it was kind of vague. Im beginning to get Dr. Esters infamous, But what was good about it? running through my head whenever I say, Good job! The more experienced I get, the more comfortable I will be with giving more specific feedback. INTASC standard 4 addresses content knowledge. All of the music courses I have taken at Ball State so far have helped me in this area. Music Theory, Intro to Conducting, Diction, and Music Education classes have all helped me become a wellrounded musician and I look forward to the rest of my music classes at Ball State. INTASC standard 5 addresses the innovative application of content. All of my education classes have helped me in this area. It is important to be able to teach concepts from many different angles so that all varieties of learners can benefit. This is one area where I believe experience will be one of my best assets. Every classroom is different, so I will need to be flexible and creative in my lesson plans. INTASC standard 6 deals with assessment in the classroom. My music education classes have given me the tools to assess my students whether it is informal or formal. Informal assessment has become a lot more natural for me. The situations were I have been teaching have allowed for tons of informal assessmentformal, not so much. Formal assessment is generally more of a long-term assessment and I have not had the

privilege of teaching one group of students for a long period of time. I look forward to the learning opportunities it will bring. INTASC standard 7 is all about planning for instruction. I feel like I have a better grasp as to how much really goes into planning for a lesson. Actually being out in the field for MUSE 353 really helped me to see how much detail in planning is important. This is another situation where experience will be one of the best methods of learning experience as well as dedication to putting a great amount of time and effort into planning. INTASC 8 discusses instructional strategies to help different kinds of learners. MUSE 353 has helped me greatly with thinking outside the box when it comes to lesson planning. There are so many different ways to approach musical concepts you just have to find one that is tailored to your specific group of students. The more experience I have working with actual students, the better I will become in this area. I can try several different lesson approaches and figure out which lessons are successful and which are not. INTASC 9 discusses reflection and continuous growth. A good teacher will always take a step back from what they are doing and assess the situation. Is this the most effective way to teach this concept? Are my students engaged in class? I definitely understand the importance of reflection and continuous growth, but I believe I have a ways to go. Reflections are, in a sense, bittersweet. Remembering the strengths is great, but its reflecting on the weaknesses that will make me a better educator. I am not perfect, and I cannot pretend that I have it all togetherI am only in my second year of my undergrad! In the future, I will set aside more time for reflecting upon my teachings. INTASC 10 discusses collaboration with students, coworkers, families, and the community. I know I already work well with students. I have a fun personality and good energy that students enjoy. In general, I tend to get along with everyone I come across. In the next couple years, I hope to become more involved with ACDA and NAfME. I always enjoy going to the professional development meetings and I hope to make it to a couple conferences next year. It is important to get to know other people in the field, share experiences, and learn from them.