Dear beginning Alverno Education student,

The first thing that I feel I need to tell you is, take a breath! I can remember so clearly
my first day in ED 201. I was brand new to Alverno and the School of Education, as I had just
transferred. The day I walked into class I found out that I would need to teach lessons, be
observed by my professor, understand the Alverno Education Abilities, as well as the Wisconsin
Teaching Standards, among many other things. Needless to say, it was a lot to take in. I know
exactly how you are feeling at this moment. It was hard for me to picture myself being the one to
write this letter to you, only two short years ago. However, having this ability now, I want to tell
you that you have chosen a path that will be difficult, at sometimes challenging and frustrating,
but so rewarding and fulfilling that you will not regret your choice. You have also chosen to
begin your path at Alverno College where you will be among some of the most dedicated and
compassionate faculty, staff, and students who have no other desire than to lead you to become a
successful educator. As I mentioned earlier, two of the most important items you will focus on
while in your education program will be the Alverno Education Abilities and the Wisconsin
Teaching Standards. Both of these may seem unfamiliar and intimidating, but they will prove to
be a staple in your learning at Alverno College and your experiences outside of Alverno in the
classroom.
As students at Alverno we have an ability based design of teaching, learning, and
assessment, in which we work to meet the eight abilities that have been created for us by our
faculty. The Alverno faculty has also created specific abilities within the varying disciplines at
the school in an effort to help us gain a sense of what we are setting out to learn, to have specific
standards to meet, and also a way of seeing what we have learned. In our program we have the
five Alverno Education Abilities. They include Conceptualization, Diagnosis, Coordination,

Communication, and Integrative Interaction. Each of these abilities have been designed to allow
us to reflect on our thinking, judgements, decisions, discoveries, and interactions, when we learn
and when we teach. These abilities are the guidelines to our futures as effective educators.
When I began my education at Alverno I had a hard time understanding Alvernos eight
abilities, while also having to consider Alvernos Education Abilities. I quickly learned that these
Education Abilities would help me to understand some of the key principles of my career as an
educator. Being in my fourth year of the education program, and preparing to student teach, I
now look at these abilities for support to find the best and most appropriate ways to help my
students learn. I believe that Diagnosis is one of the most important Education Abilities.
Currently, you are using this diagnosis ability in each self-assessment that you complete. This
helps you to evaluate yourself, including your strengths, weaknesses, and where you can stretch
your learning. Similar to this, as a teacher you are continually diagnosing your students learning
needs. Each child that walks into your classroom will have a different learning style, different set
of strengths or difficulties, and will be at a different level of learning than their peers. As a
teacher, it is your job to decide how to analyze and solve these varying degrees of problems or
situations in your classroom. You will need to assess a student to figure out why he has difficulty
reading and then further decide from those assessments where to bring his learning next. You
will need to question a student to find out why she is withdrawn and decide how you can
improve her social interaction skills. The base of the ability of Diagnosis is knowing your
students and being able to respond to them in effective ways. It is a difficult task, but I have had
plenty of opportunities to practice this ability, as will you!
Just like I was uneasy about the Alverno Education Abilities, I was also overwhelmed
with the Wisconsin Teaching Standards. There are ten Wisconsin Teaching Standards which

come together to create a framework for a teachers instruction. Each standard is broken into
three segments; knowledge, dispositions, and performances. Each of these pieces helps an
educator to see how to reflect on and implement the standard in her classroom. One Wisconsin
Teaching Standard that I have used in my own teaching and that I believe I have shown growth
in since I began my undergraduate degree, is Standard Three. This standard acknowledges that
the teacher understands that her students approach learning in different styles and that she creates
opportunities that allow these diverse learners to flourish in her classroom. In my own field
placements I have had the opportunity to create and adapt my lesson plans to students whose
strength is learning visually through the use of an anchor chart, or students who learn better
kinesthetically by playing a game which still resulted in obtaining the learning objective. This
standard is what has taught me to be flexible with my lesson plans and to be ready to change or
add a component that will better meet the needs of all of the learners in my classroom.
I am hoping that through this letter I have given you a glimpse of the importance of both
the Alverno Education Abilities as well as the Wisconsin Teaching Standards in your future as an
educator. Throughout my time as a preservice teacher at Alverno, I have learned to make
connections among the Alverno Education Abilities and the Wisconsin Teaching Standards.
Making these connections also helps to solidify the idea that these documents essentially want
you to understand the same principles that will create a framework for your instruction. For
example, the Alverno Education Ability of Diagnosis and Wisconsin Teaching Standard Three,
have a direct link. In both the ability and the standard, the teacher is being given the
responsibility to know her students, accommodate to their needs, and persist in helping all
children achieve success. The further you study and learn about both the Education Abilities and

the Wisconsin Teaching Standards, the more you will reference them as they are an important
guide to your success as a future educator.
Once again, I would like to tell you to take a breath. Do not be afraid of these abilities
and standards. One day, you will be thankful for them and the knowledge that they provide for
you. The path that you are on today, in this very moment, will be quite the journey, but I assure
you, you have a wonderful group of collaborators who will lead you to success. Enjoy this
experience and I wish you the best of luck!

Sincerely,

Haley Williams