Prentice J. Sargeant
Social Studies: Licensure 6-12
Professionalism
The heart of professionalism comes from an educator’s desire to maximize the effectiveness of his or her teaching methods, to form a positive relationship with the entire school community, and to communicate and collaborate effectively with parents, other teachers, and everyone else active in the learning development of a student. Teachers can grow professionally by continuing to be lifelong learners and pursuing new knowledge and skills to enhance their teaching methods. Teachers must also foster a relationship with local and national professional associations to stay up to date on new pedagogical studies. Finally, educators have to communicate and collaborate with everyone involved in the educational process, promising yet again that every student receives access to the education they deserve.
Lifelong Learner:
I always pride myself on wanting to consistently stay on top of recent developments in both the educational and historical communities. To reinforce my commitment to the social sciences, I try to remain up to date on new trends and developments in the field. I make it a habit to read and reinforce my own knowledge of major figures and events in history. Currently, my focus has been on U.S. history, as exhibited by my ever-growing library.
Professional Associations:
By joining the NEA and the SVEA, I have been able to keep tabs on new developments in the national and local teaching communities. I also receive special bulletins, newsletters, and coupons from these organizations to better equip me for a career in teaching. I am also a member of the National Council for the Social Studies, an organization that sponsors professional development seminars and conferences for social studies teachers at all levels. I plan to continue to utilize the NEA and other professional organizations so I can continue to develop my teaching skills.
Collaboration:
I found that the reason why my time at Cave Spring was such a success was because my supervising teacher and I were so willing to collaborate with one another to make the classroom a more engaging place. Ms. Price shared all of her lesson plans with me so that if I needed to, I could adapt some of her successful strategies to my methods. At the same time, I designed many of my own lessons and shared them with her so that she could provide me with constructive criticism before I began teaching them. When I have my own classroom, I will continue to collaborate with my colleagues to make my classroom the most engaging environment it can be.
Contact Information:
Prentice J. Sargeant
prentice.sargeant@gmail.com
540-797-8373