Wisconsin Standard # 10, Professionalism

Rebecca Odden
Saint Marys University of Minnesota
Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs
Portfolio Entry for Wisconsin Teacher Standard 10
EDUW 696 Portfolio Production and Presentation

Selected Wisconsin Teacher Standard Descriptors

Wisconsin Teacher Standard (WTS) 10: Teachers are connected with other
teachers and the community.
The teacher fosters relationships with school colleagues, parents, and agencies in
the larger community to support pupil learning and well being and acts with integrity,
fairness and in an ethical manner.
Knowledge The teacher understands how factors in the students' environment
outside of school (e.g. family circumstances, community environments, health, and
economic conditions) may influence students lives and learning.
Dispositions: The teacher is concerned about all aspects of a childs well-being
(cognitive, emotional, social, and physical), and is alert to signs of difficulties.
Performances: The teacher acts as an advocate for students.

Individual Goal:
To be a teacher that provides a positive, safe, learning classroom environment.
To be a resource for my colleagues to help student be successful in the least resistive
environment.
To create an environment where my students and myself use respect and rapport.
Teach my students to be in their own advocate when appropriate.

Reflection
Student and Teacher
In my mind making relationships with a teacher, parent or a student is what makes
education successful. Often as a special education teacher you are on your own island,
but you must get out into the regular education classroom. I have learned a lot from
regular education classroom teachers and avante garde teachers. Being connected to other
teachers allows you to see it from a different perspective, as well as reflect on yourself as
an educator. It is during these conversations that positive relationships are built and also
a time when I am able to advocate for my students in a positive, professional way.
Teachers need to be connected to all teachers to continue to be learners.
It is the same thought that teachers should be connected to the community, which
is parents, students, guardians, volunteers, business owners, and all community members.
These people have a role with the children in our district. Many of them are involved and
volunteer their time. If we as teachers do not let them know what is going on or make a
connection our school, the community only hears one side. With social media so
prevalent, we as teachers must focus on creating positive interactions with the
community.
The knowledge descriptor states, The teacher understands how factors in the
students' environment outside of school (e.g. family circumstances, community
environments, health, and economic conditions) may influence students lives and
learning. Working in Special Education this is a huge part of my day and often the first
thought once I get to school. What will Sam be like today because he was a Dads this
weekend or did Jessica get breakfast today? These students will not make it through

the first hour and be in the office due to the environmental factors that affect them. There
are so many factors that influence a students day before he/she walks through the door.
To counteract this I always say, Good Morning, I am glad you are here today and I
have extra snacks in my classroom. If these two things can make a good day I will do it
to help a student have good day.
The Dispositions descriptor states, The teacher is concerned about all aspects of
a childs well-being (cognitive, emotional, social, and physical), and is alert to signs of
difficulties. Often on Monday and Friday in Language Arts during writing time I will
have my students complete the writing prompt, What I did this weekend or I will do/go
this weekend This allows me to determine to see if I start to see a pattern with
behavior on Monday and Fridays.
Also, at my past school I created FUN/Function Friday, which is a day that we
make food or a craft together. During this time we are working on skills that we wouldnt
usually work on. The class participates with a guest chef on a project, and to build
relationships, for example, the principal, guidance counselor, school psychologist, etc.
The teacher acts as an advocate for students, states the Performance descriptor.
When I was an Agriculture Teacher, I didnt know who had IEPs and who didnt. I didnt
provide accommodations or anything to my special education students. I felt horrible
about this. I think that is why I always make sure the staff in my building know who the
special education students are and what accommodations they receive. A Learning
Disability (LD) student in reading doesnt deserve not to have the test read to him. He/she
should have someone reading the test if it is not testing his/her reading comprehension

skills. As long as a teacher advocates in a professional, positive way, I think it needs to be

done along with teaching the students how to advocate for themselves.
Families and Community
Working in the community that I live in a blessing to me! I love that I am able to
work and live in the same community. While this is new position for me it is one that has
allowed me to make positive relationships outside my teaching position. The past two
years I have coached my sons soccer team. This has allowed me to get to make
connections with the families of Cumberland.
While I have never played soccer or coached 4-5 years old, this experience
allowed me to be very creative. Also, being a teacher I was able to break down the drills
to their level. I researched drills that would help them to achieve the next level. Overall, it
was a great time that allowed to me model good sportsmanship, how to follow rules and
most important how to have fun with my son and other kids.
The soccer season was a great way to reflect on student learning especially young
children. If they are fully engaged and if the drill/game is modeled for the child the
probability of the child completing the task is high. While their attention span is that a
new drill needs to be introduced every 5-8 minutes. The kids are like sponges always
wanting to learn more. This is similar to my students in my classroom. Everyday they are
ready to learn more about the book we are reading or the math game we are playing.
Students at this age are excited to learn! The best part from a teachers perspective is
watching the growth throughout the school year. How far the students have grown in
their reading or math skills. This is comparable to that of a soccer season from the first

practice to the last. All have gained confidence in their skills and are ready for the next
challenge.
The connection that I made with the group of kids is still evident today. When the
kids see me out in the community they will often run up to me and say hello. Working in
the community that you live is a great way to give back to the community! It also
prepares the children that you might see in the future for you in a positive way (Artifact
A).
This opportunity also allowed me to work with community members that I would
not have worked with before. I had to attend a soccer coach training and met new adults
in my community. These positive relationships are great to build upon. Whenever a
teacher takes on a leadership role in the community it allows the parents and kids to see
that teachers are parents, too.
Advocate
Being a teacher makes you an advocate for the children in your classroom or
caseload. When I begin working with a special education student, it is my responsibility
to advocate for that child. When the school year begins, an IEP at a glance is shared with
all teachers in the building in you come in contact with my students academically. This
tells you the basics about my student: what services he/she receives, goals, and
accommodations. As a teacher you know if that student should have a test read to or a
scribe provided for. This is one example of how I advocate for my students.
Another example of how I advocate for my students is when those
accommodations arent met and I have to meet with those teachers to have them put in

place. Most teachers are great to work with, but there are a few who think that the special
education students can complete the same task.
Advocacy is important part of being a teacher. It is teaching students that they
have a voice and when to use it correctly. For special education students it is when to use
it for academic reasons, so that you have equal testing opportunities.
Learner
When Rice Lake Middle School put the Response To Intervention (RTI) block
into their schedule I decided this was a committee that I wanted to serve on. I would
serve as the special education representative. I would make sure the special education
students were placed appropriately within grades 5-8. Also, I wanted to learn more about
Response to Intervention (RTI), know what interventions my school had, and how did we
choose interventions for students. I wanted to take on an active role.
Before attending the RTI scheduling meeting in the summer I looked over the
interventions that were e-mailed to us and researched the interventions I didnt know. It
was my job as the representative to place the students first by disability. Literacy was
how we placed all of our students, as do most schools, but there were only so many spots.
If the students were also LD in math and received services in reading they were put into a
math intervention.
While attending the meetings we discussed the different tiers and how to help the
students at each level. We discussed if Tier 1 students should be given enrichment
projects because they are at grade level. This was valid question that we all struggled
with. Is it fair to the other students who are three grade levels below? Will they ever catch

up? We decided that in the implementation year all students would complete
interventions no matter the tier.
The interventions that I learned the most from were the Tier 2 interventions that
assessed students for 12 weeks in small group focusing on specific skills. These were the
students that could either learn the skills or jump up two to three grade levels or it
became evident that they needed more help to be successful in the classroom. The
strategies that the interventionists used were very interesting to me and I often would
observe the interventionist, so that I apply the strategy in my classroom. For example, I
observed the Reading Interventionist multiple times to learn how she completed word
work to increase that skill with my students.
This committee gave me a lot of information about RTI and helped prepare me for
the future. I am more prepared for RTI and continue to read about it as it continues to be
a huge part of education today.
Leader/Collaborator
When I took on the role as WKCE coordinator I never knew the impact that it
would have on students, staff and myself. Being a testing coordinator you work with the
administrators in the district to set up the testing schedule. I would get feedback from the
staff of what worked best from the year previous and try to implement the changes if any
into the current schedule.
Also, I was in at this time I was in charge of training all the staff in the middle
school. I would meet with grade level groups to discuss the testing procedure and
documentation. I would meet with special education staff and work together to determine
small group placement and proctors to meet IEP accommodations.

At the end of the testing I would go through all test manuals to make sure that all
test questions had been answered. Then I would retest the students that were absent or
had missed any questions. The role of testing coordinator helped prepare me as a special
educator by collaborating with staff, obtaining feedback and applying it to the current
project and working with students in a testing situation.
Another role of being a leader within my school is when I served as the FFA
Middle School Advisor. During this time I worked with students in our school and out in
the community representing our chapter. Our chapter was very active in the community.
We worked with the high school to put all the cornhusks on the main street of Rice Lake
in September. Our chapter donated a Christmas tree to a family every December and in
February the students made the staff a Staff Appreciation Breakfast. The 7th and 8th
graders were students who strived to model students of Rice Lake Middle School. I was
very proud of our chapter!
Professional Growth Reflection
As I look back at what I have accomplished as an educator I can say that I am
amazed, but still need to learn more. As an educator I ask the students everyday, What
are you going to teach me today? They say, No, Mrs. Odden you are going to teach
us. This is the attitude that I take into my classroom daily to teach my students that even
teachers are constantly learning.
When I first graduated from college I was an okay teacher and students learned
from me, but now I feel that I am able to meet their needs on a different level. I am more
prepared to teach due to my experiences. I have become a more well rounded teacher that
assesses my student not only on the piece of paper in front of them, but on the whole

student. I have learned that everyday is a new day and it is my job to provide my students
with the best education at their level, so that they can gain confidence in their area of
disability and find success.
St. Marys Program Reflection
This program was the piece that I had been missing in my professional
development and skills. It provided me with the information that I needed. For example,
this fall I heard a keynote speaker at my fall in-service. He spoke to us about a behavior
student who couldnt write, so he had him create a book on- line. Well, it got me thinking
about my Technology class and the program, Storyjumper. I have a student like that, so
Ill give it a try. Now, this student was on modified days and didnt attend a grade level
class last year for reading in first grade, but he was with me for full days. Long story
short we created a book and it gave him the confidence that he needed to get him going.
There were some bumps along the road, but this lead into the 6Cs in Curriculum and
Design. Currently, this student is participating in a grade level reading group with me coteaching. St. Marys has provided me the key elements I needed to help me, so they are
successful.
While completing this program I have grown as a learner who is able to prepare
and teach a lesson aligned to the standards. Before, I just printed worksheets on the
Internet that dealt with verbs and addition, but that was the area of need. I had a sequence
to learning, but not tied to the standards. It also reviewed important areas like lesson
writing and ethics, which is of vital importance today.

This program has prepared me to become a better educator for the future. In the
future I would like to pursue my Special Education Director license. This program has
helped me be ready for this.

WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION

LICENSE
ENTITY NUMBER:

678710

VALID

07/01/2015

THROUGH

06/30/2020

Teacher - Professional Educator 5 Year

REBECCA ANNE ODDEN
1801 - Cross-categorical Special Education (MC-EA)
1811 - Learning Disabilities (MC-EA)

1801 - Cross-categorical Special Education (EA-A)

1811 - Learning Disabilities (EA-A)

The holder may renew this license by successfully completing a Professional Development Plan as verified by a PDP Team.

This is to verify that the person named herein has furnished the State Superintendent of Public
Instruction with satisfactory evidence of preparation and experience and is licensed for the
position, subject and/or grade herein listed.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I HAVE HEREUNTO AFFIXED MY SIGNATURE AND OFFICIAL SEAL.

STATE SUPERINTENDENT

WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION

LICENSE
ENTITY NUMBER:

678710

VALID

07/01/2015

THROUGH

Teacher - Professional Educator 5 Year

REBECCA ANNE ODDEN
1200 - Agriculture (EC-A)

The holder may renew this license by successfully completing a Professional Development Plan as verified by a PDP Team.

This is to verify that the person named herein has furnished the State Superintendent of Public
Instruction with satisfactory evidence of preparation and experience and is licensed for the
position, subject and/or grade herein listed.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I HAVE HEREUNTO AFFIXED MY SIGNATURE AND OFFICIAL SEAL.

STATE SUPERINTENDENT

06/30/2020

Artifact A
Here is a team photo of my son, Maxs soccer team in 2014.