Professional Development Reflection and Planning

Think about your career in the field of early care and education. Reflect on your current professional
satisfaction and create a plan for next steps in continuing your professional growth.

What excites you MOST about your job? What are you passionate about? How does your passion
contribute to the field of early care and education?

What excites me most about my job is simply being with the children and knowing I’m the one who is
shaping their future. Also seeing that glow in their face when what there are learning clicks in their
brains. I’m passionate about creating fun and creative activities that revolve around what they are
learning. This contributes to the field of early care and education by having fun activities for the children
to do that they enjoy and keep them wanting to come back.
What challenges are you currently facing in your work in the field of early care and education?

Challenges that I am currently facing is dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. A lot of children are
confused as to why their schedule as so suddenly and so abruptly changed. It is hard to maintain a
schedule and to continue to educate children on new things.

What new insights did you gain from discussions and activities during the credential course work?
Identify ways you can use these new ideas and processes in your teaching practices.

Some new insights that I gained were that all children handle different situations in their own way and
that its okay to not know how to work with the child right away because it may take a while till you
learn what works best for them. I can use these new ideas by understanding children better and being
more calm in situations knowing that its okay if a child needs more time with something than another
child does.
What other ideas do you want to consider, think about more, or explore that will benefit you as a
professional?

Other ideas that I want to consider more that will benefit me as a professional are when I have my own
classroom and can decorate it how I want to I want to consider putting up and using many different
cultured materials that the children may not be used to seeing everyday to help broaden their learning
skills.

Identify a professional organization you want to consider joining (i.e. NAEYC, WECA, WFCCA,
WCCAA, etc.). What are the benefits to you in joining this organization? Are there any barriers to your
participation?

Right now, I think it is too early for me to decide what organization will best benefit me. I have a lot to
learn about myself yet and who I want to be as a teacher. All these organizations are beneficial and great
organizations but its too early in my career to know which one would be best for me to consider joining.

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 The Registry Preschool Credential Portfolio Companion Guide
Professional Development
Goals
Create one S.M.A.R.T. goal in
each column.
 Is your goal Specific? A general
goal is, “Get in shape.” A
specific goal is, “Join a gym
and work out 3 days a week.”
 Is it Measurable? Ask yourself,
how will I know if I have
accomplished it?
 Is it Attainable? Begin to see
ways you can attain your goal
and recognize opportunities that
bring you closer to reaching
your goal.
 Is it Realistic? Do you truly
believe you can accomplish
it?
 Is it Timely? Your goal should
be time-bound; otherwise,
there is no urgency to complete
Decide on a plan for each goal.
Determine strategies/activities
to help you accomplish your
goal. (i.e. find a mentor to work
with you, do professional
reading, keep a journal or log of
your activities, get involved with
a professional organization,
learn to use new technology,
etc.)
Evaluate each plan.
Does your goal and plan
reflect your needs? Does your
plan involve new learning &
growth, not just time & effort?
Is your goal clear? Does your
plan include time for reflection
followed by appropriate
adjustments?
Identify next steps.
What will you do to meet your
goal? What should you prioritize
first? Are your next steps
achievable? Have you
addressed any potential
barriers?
The Registry | 2018
Goal for the Goal for my Goal for my
children’s learning. own teaching practice.
Be able to effectively Becomelearning.
comfortable in When behaviors occur,
cut with scissors. a faster way with the be able to encourage
people and the and educate children to
environment around use words and to
me. express themselves
through
communication.
Create activities where Create conversation Create activities
the child needs to cut with others and ask requiring children to
things out for example, questions. Introduce talk and express
puzzles, pictures, play myself and keep themselves. Record the
crowns. reminding myself that progress each day.
everyone else is fine
and so am I.
This plan allows children This allows new learning This allows learning and
to become proficient in and growth to get to growth by teaching better
cutting and to learn skills know people better as communication skills that
such as cutting on lines well as the environment. will be effective both now
and properly holding a The goal is clear and and when older. The goal
scissors. Eventually the achievable. I could reflect is clear that they need to
child won’t be frustrated on this after each day. talk instead of using
when it comes to cutting actions. I can reflect on
things out. This plan this by observing the class
allows for reflection on and reviewing
how the child did cutting observations at the end
out the object. of each day.
I will create fun activities What I will do to meat my I will create activities that
that include cutting to goal is introduce myself require the children to
meet the goal. I should right away, create communicate to each other.
conversation and ask I should prioritize showing
demonstrate how to hold
questions. I should prioritize effective ways and things to
a scissors first as well as
myself fist reminding myself say when communicating.
explaining the safety of
everyone else is fine and so Physical behavior as been
scissors. am I. addressed and
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 The Registry Preschool Credential Portfolio Companion Guide
A realistic target time A realistic target time A realistic target time
Determine a timeline.
What is a realistic target frame to reach the goal frame to reach the goal frame to reach this goal
date(s) to reach your goal? is a few weeks to a is a few weeks or is a few months to a
month. months. year.

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