Lindsay Rudebusch

Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota

Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs

Portfolio Entry for Wisconsin Teacher Standard Ten

EDUW 696 Documents of Accomplishment

Instructor: Catherine Anderson

December 23, 2018

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 Selected Wisconsin Teacher Standard Descriptors

Wisconsin Teaching Standard #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 students’ 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 willing to work with other professionals to improve the overall

learning environment for students.

Performances. The teacher makes links with the learners’ other environments on behalf of

students, by consulting with parents, counselors, teachers of other classes and activities within the

schools, and professionals in other community agencies.

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 Danielson Framework for Teaching

Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities: Accomplished teachers have high ethical

standards and a deep sense of professionalism, focused on improving their own teaching and

supporting the ongoing learning of colleagues. Their record-keeping systems are efficient and

effective, and they communicate with families clearly, frequently, and with cultural sensitivity.

Accomplished teachers assume leadership roles in both school and LEA projects, and they

engage in a wide range of professional development activities to strengthen their practice.

Reflection on their own teaching results in ideas for improvement that are shared across

professional learning communities and contribute to improving the practice of all.

Component: Participating in the professional community. Schools are, first of all,

environments to promote the learning of students. But in promoting student learning, teachers

must work with their colleagues to share strategies, plan joint efforts, and plan for the success of

individual students. Schools are, in other words, professional organizations for teachers, with their

full potential realized only when teachers regard themselves as members of a professional

community. This community is characterized by mutual support and respect, and recognition of

the responsibility of all teachers to be constantly seeking ways to improve their practice and to

contribute to the life of the school. Inevitably, teachers’ duties extend beyond the doors of their

classrooms and include activities related to the entire school and/or larger district. These activities

include such things as school and district curriculum committees, or engagement with the parent

teacher organization. With experience, teachers assume leadership roles in these activities.

Element: The teacher regularly contributes to and leads events that positively impact

school life.

National Board Core Proposition # 5: Teachers are members of learning communities.

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 Professionalism Introduction

To be a professional in the teaching profession, I believe I need to follow the code of ethics

for educators as that sets guidelines for being a professional with students, colleagues and the

educational profession. When teaching my students, I need to be able to challenge them, look out

for their well-being, and provide opportunities for growth while making real world connections in

the classroom. In the classroom, I am prepared with my lessons, units, and assessments. During

a lesson I adapt to meet my students’ needs and reflect on my teaching. I collaborate with

colleagues within my school and elementary music department to determine how to meet our

students where they are at. I participate within our staff meetings, the Positive Behavioral

Interventions System (PBIS) Team, and my department’s Professional Learning Community

(PLC). The educational profession allows me to contribute back to my community by building the

foundation of musical literacy and appreciation within my students. Education is continually

growing as am I within my learning through professional development.

As a professional, I have a strong work ethic dedicated to my profession, students and

myself. I believe it is important to have good communication skills, verbal and nonverbal, to

communicate with students, colleagues, and families. Communication skills are a life skill that will

help me transfer and learn information through listening, following directions, reflecting, and being

empathetic, respectful, and open-minded. Being flexible is a skill that allows me to adapt my

lessons to meet students’ needs, work together with my colleagues to support our community, and

grow with the profession as technology becomes more prominent in the classroom.

Working with students, families and colleagues, I believe it is important to be able to build

relationships with those I interact with. Relationships build trust, and trust builds safe learning

environments, allowing my students to take academic risk, me to gain family support, and to work

effectively with my staff. Being a professional in education is more than just content, it is being the

support team for students as they make connections between school and the real world.

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 Open communication with families is important because families are students’ support

system at home to succeed in school and life. Through developing relationships with families,

students have a higher success rate to earn good grades, stay in school and pursue higher levels

of education. In connecting with families, I learn how to help my students in the classroom, and

can share with families how they can support their student academically at home. When

relationships are built, families are more willing to work with me, concerning their student’s

academic, social and emotional needs at school.

Being involved at school supports my students, school community, and local community.

Involvement allows me to build relationships with my students and gives my students an

opportunity to share a connection of their life outside of school with me. Every year we honor our

veterans with a Veterans Day Program. As I teach each class about Veterans Day, I learn whose

life has been impacted with military service. I hear and see how proud students are to share about

the veteran in their life. The program gives us the opportunity to give back to our community by

honoring our veterans for their military service. Musical opportunities welcome the community into

our school to see what our students have learned, building relationships with those around us.

Learning never ceases. As an educator, I continually learn from my students, my

colleagues, and professional development. In the classroom I focus on whole body learning

because I believe to learn, students need to be physically, mentally and emotionally engaged with

the learning experience. Students remind me to be flexible in the classroom to teach social skills

as needed to cooperate, communicate and be respectful with each other. Learning through play

with others builds life long skills as students are required to plan, think and problem-solve.

Colleagues are rich sources of information that I can learn from through observing how they teach,

listening to their life experiences, and asking for personal feedback. Professional development

helps me to gain new knowledge, strategies, and skills to help me use the best pedagogy in my

classroom. I will continue to adapt and evolve my craft of teaching, so I can provide the best I can

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be for my students.

I seek out leadership and collaboration opportunities to grow as an individual. Leadership

allows me to demonstrate the skills I have learned and share those with colleagues and students.

Leadership also builds my confidence and communication skills as I focus on what I would like to

share, how to best share that information, and to engage my audience. My confidence grows as I

broaden my knowledge and content base knowing the how and why behind what I teach. In

collaborating with others, I gain insight from different viewpoints. I am forced to clearly

communicate my thoughts, recognizing my strengths and weaknesses. In leading and

collaborating, I sharpen my knowledge, pedagogy, and social skills.

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 Portfolio Pages

Families and Community Page

At the beginning of the year, I send home a parent letter with important music dates to

remember throughout the school year. These dates include our programs, showcases, and

“informances,” which are informal performances in the music classroom. In the spring, I send

home another parent letter explaining more about the upcoming music showcases for 1st, 3rd and

5th grade and “Informances” for Kindergarten, 2nd and 4th grade. Families of students are invited

into school to attend these music events. Classroom teachers attend their class’s “informance” to

support my work and their students. For our Showcase rehearsal, the grades that were not

performing attend our dress rehearsal to support those students.

Last year in 4th grade, I had a male student with the exceptionality of Emotional Behavior

Disturbance (EBD). He started to withdraw from music class because he knew the Informance

was coming up in March. I talked with his Special Education (SPED) teacher and emailed his

mother to find out how best to support him in music class. After music class, I talked with him one

on one to recognize what he participated in and learned. I emailed his SPED teacher, mother, and

general education teacher about his progress in music, so they could also support and encourage

him throughout his day. In communicating with his mom, I learned that he did not want to be in the

front row. I switched his spot during rehearsal, so he was in the back row standing behind

someone who was taller than he was. He participated in rehearsal, transitioned from singing, to

barred instruments, to recorder, to watching the folk dance. He participated in one of the two

“Informances.” I reinforced his efforts and passed those along to his teachers and mom.

This was significant because he participated in music. The first year I was here, two years

ago, he would not participate if he felt uncomfortable and would leave my room without

explanation. Since working with his SPED teacher and mom, he asks to sit out or asks to have a

break in the SPED room. This year he is more willing to try an activity before asking to sit out. I

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communicated with his teachers and mom this year about his continued success in music as he’s

participated in ukuleles and absolute pitch activities. I continue to work with him one on one at the

end of class, reinforcing what he has done in music.

Working with this student relates to my teaching and student learning because I have

developed relationships with my student, his parents, and my school colleagues to support his

learning and well-being. In emailing with his mom, I understood how his support system at home

benefitted his engagement at school. His mom shared his concerns with me and how to support

him in class. His SPED teacher helped me to understand what is too much to ask of him, makes

him uncomfortable, and what will cause him to withdraw. This experience encouraged me to work

with other colleagues to improve the learning environment for him, which helped all students in

that class. Understanding and knowing my student allowed me to teach instead of focusing on

misbehaviors. My student was engaged in his learning because he felt safe in his environment.

This experience was extremely valuable to me because something that brought me out of

my comfort zone was beneficial for everyone involved. My relationship positively grew with my

student, colleagues, and his family. His learning increased as his engagement increased in my

classroom. I adapted to meet his needs, sought and applied advice, and created a safe

environment for him to learn in. I learned how to interact with him, my colleagues are willing to

support me when I ask for help, and how important family support is for a student. When I meet

my students’ needs, I provide an environment in which they can learn, increasing engagement

while decreasing misbehaviors. I will continue working on building relationships with students’

families.

Learner Page

Last year for professional development, I worked on and submitted all four components for

National Board Certification. To begin my National Board training, I attended Wisconsin Education

Association Council’s (WEAC) Jump Start Training, where I spent three days beginning to

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understand the certification process. In the fall 2017, I joined my district’s National Board cohort

twice a month to collaborate with national board mentors and applicants from September 2017

until May 2018. In winter and spring, I attended two weekend writing retreats for National Boards

to focus on my writing for Components two, three and four. In May 2018, I took the Component

one exam and submitted my writing and artifacts for components two, three and four. The National

Board process had me dig deep in understanding my content, my students, my pedagogy, data

and assessments, and self-reflection.

While focusing on the ten national teaching standards, I also learned and aligned my

thinking and understanding with the five core propositions. To better understand my students and

their learning styles, I collaborated with their general classroom teacher, parents, special

education teachers, English Learner teacher, and speech and language teacher. In class I gave

my students a learning style quiz to learn if they are auditory, visual or kinesthetic learners. I was

organized in keeping track of data accurately by class, name, and content. I planned unit lessons,

reflecting and adjusting every lesson. To grow pedagogically, I video recorded myself so I could

watch back and see my strengths and weaknesses. Each standard and core proposition are

interconnected to each other.

With National Boards component four focusing on being an effective and reflective

practitioner, I focused on my professional learning need of ukulele proficiency. Not knowing

anything about the ukulele, I attended the Chippewa Valley music gathering in Chippewa Falls

and learned the ukulele basics, resources, and where and whom to begin ukulele with our

students. I have also read ukulele articles and blogs to gain more knowledge. On a district

professional development day in the spring, I attended a department meeting where I learned

chord order for teaching ukulele, ukulele strumming patterns, and played beginner songs on the

ukulele reading chords. In attending sessions, meetings, reading, and practicing, I have learned

the ukulele basics.

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 My personal professional development was significant because National Boards has

helped me to grow individually as a student and educator while benefitting my students’ social and

academic learning needs. I gained confidence in my content and pedagogical knowledge,

discovering that I know the how and why behind what I teach, how I teach, and why I teach. In

studying for component one’s selected response and constructed response exercises, I studied

my music content and students’ age range and abilities with resources, practice exercises, and

colleagues. I identified specific ways to meet the academic and social needs of my students in

component two as I evaluated my students’ strengths and needs. Through analyzing my teaching

in a recorded video, I modified my instructional strategies with ongoing assessments and planned

and implemented appropriate differentiated instruction for my students based upon my data.

In developing a safe learning environment, I focused on getting to know my students

through their interests, hopes and dreams, communication with their families, and collaborating

with colleagues for component three. The knowledge I gained I used to connect student interest to

learning, increasing active student engagement. National Boards encouraged me to talk with

colleagues that I normally would not have conversed with. In talking with the English Learner (EL)

teacher, I understood my EL students’ homelife, where their focus is, and the instruction I need to

provide for them to be successful in music. While working with a fifth-grade teacher, I saw my

students in a different academic and social setting than music, allowing me to see my students

more as whole than the brief time I spend with them. After teaching a lesson in a grade level

section, I reflected upon what worked/did not work and noted adjustments for the second and third

section. Throughout the National Board process and component four, I became a reflective

practitioner, analyzed strategies that worked, developed instructional strategies meeting student

academic and social needs, and applied what I know, benefitting student growth in my classroom.

I recommend the national board certification process because I grew professionally,

allowing me to use that knowledge to impact my students through understanding how they grow

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academically and developmentally. This process impacted my students’ learning because I take

the time to know my students, build a relationship with them, and gain their trust. Creating a safe

environment for my students allows them to take academic risks in music, such as singing solos,

playing solos, volunteering for parts, improvising, and composing. I value how this process

encouraged me to seek out and collaborate with colleagues and families. I learned there is a

wealth of knowledge and support in others who work with my students at school and home.

Improving my craft of teaching improved academic learning in my classroom.

Leader / Collaborator Page

Last year I collaborated with another elementary music colleague to create recorder karate

level I worksheets. We both noticed that our students were learning the corresponding songs for

each belt but did not have a base knowledge of note recognition and musical elements

vocabulary. Our goal in creating these worksheets was to increase note recognition and build a

music vocabulary with our students.

My colleague and I met once in the fall to collaborate about what each worksheet should

assess. We created a rubric for students to follow when practicing, outlining practice strategies to

achieve their recorder karate belt. Each worksheet had content specific to the belt it corresponded

to, focusing on rhythm values, reading absolute pitches, writing absolute pitches, recorder

fingerings, and music vocabulary. After outlining our worksheets, we divided the worksheets

between ourselves to create, she took even, and I took odd. I had a motivated student who

passed white belt and yellow belt. Before she moved onto orange, I wanted her to complete the

corresponding worksheet. In the end, I created all nine worksheets to encourage my student to

continue passing her recorder karate belts.

A colleague inquired how each one in the department runs their recorder karate and what

they do to decrease noise level. I responded that I have students work in groups and on a

worksheet after they have passed their recorder karate belt. I shared the nine worksheets I

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created with my department to help with noise level and increase academic growth in note

recognition and music vocabulary. This fall, I met with a small group of colleagues as we are

interested in creating worksheets for recorder karate two and recorder quizzes on canvas.

Creating these worksheets helped my elementary music department and student learning.

These worksheets benefited the department as everyone uses recorder karate. The worksheets

are belt specific but not song specific, allowing a teacher to still use the worksheets even if he/she

does not use the Music K8 Recorder Karate program but a different recorder karate program. With

level one worksheets being useful for the whole department, the worksheets sparked interest in

our department to develop worksheets for level two as well as creating Canvas recorder quizzes.

The worksheets focus on music literacy, which is a district goal. Students practice reading

and writing absolute pitch, which is a third trimester assessment. Last year 84% of my 4th graders

were proficient in writing absolute pitches and 90% were proficient in reading absolute pitches. I

strongly believe that the recorder worksheets that I used as independent homework for my

students required my fourth graders to learn note recognition to pass a belt and move onto the

next. As students increased their music literacy and vocabulary, students developed a tool set to

help them learn a new belt. Students became self-sufficient, independently teaching themselves a

new song on the recorder by breaking down the rhythm, identifying absolute pitches, defining

vocabulary, and knowing fingerings while reflecting if they had met rubric standards for practicing.

I am pleased that my colleague and I collaborated on these worksheets because they have

helped our department and students with recorder technique and music literacy. The worksheets

inspired my department to continue with professional development of recorder karate worksheets

and quizzes. Students are proficient in music literacy and have developed a skill set for

independent practicing. With pitch identification and understand rhythm and musical elements,

students decode the next belt song, practice, and move forward with their learning. I have seen an

increase in belt achievement with the implementation of these worksheets. Their recorder

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proficiency has improved 19% from the year where I did not use worksheets. Creating materials

for student academic growth benefitted my students, myself, and my department.

Reflective Summary:

A pattern that I see emerging from my examples is that I am becoming more focused on

building relationships with my students, colleagues, and community to find ways to best meet the

strengths and needs of my students. I build relationships with my students by greeting them by

name, finding out their interests, and listening to their news, concerns, and connections. By

inviting families and community into our school for programs, sending home letters and

information, and having opening communication through phone and email, I build relationships

with those that our students outside of school. Building relationships allow us to work together to

support our students at school and home. Collaborating with colleagues gives insight in what is

and is not working, learning new strategies, and creating tools for our students. Relationships are

vital to building a community and safe environment where students can take academic risks.

The most effective thing that I have done to improve student learning has been to listen to

my students. When students walk into my room, there is usually someone who is excited to tell me

that it is someone’s birthday, what they’re doing for the weekend, or something that has happened

outside of school. Students also share when their feelings are hurt, do not understand a concept,

are frustrated, and/or would like a turn. I have learned that when I let students share, I build my

relationship with them. They appreciate being called by name and having their voice heard. When

students trust me and know that I am here for them emotionally as well as academically, together

we fix social concerns, allowing students to focus on academic growth.

To become a better teacher, I would like to continue to be involved in musical professional

development. I have earned my Orff Level I and II certification. I would like to complete Orff Level

III and become Orff certified. Other certifications I would like to complete would be Kodaly

Certification and World Music Drumming. I just started learning ukulele basics and would like to

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become proficient in ukulele and/or guitar. Learning never stops. I believe to be an exceptional

educator, I must continue to learn and grow to help my students learn and grow.

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 Evidence

Artifact A: Informance letter sent home to families. Evidence for families and communities.

Dear Kindergarten Families,

It’s spring, and that means our “Informance” is just around the corner. We hope that you can make
it to our first “Informance.” An “Informance” is an informal program held in the music room during
your child(ren)’s music class. You will see a glimpse of what a music lesson looks like.
Kindergarten will share what they have been working on in music with you: singing, moving,
dancing and playing instruments. A benefit to an “Informance” is that every child in class will have
the opportunity to shine if they would like to. We will have “Informances” on two dates per class.
Please come to one “Informance” on the date that works best for you.

Mrs. Lynch’s “Informances” are on March 6th & 9th, 2018 at 1:30pm – 2:15pm
Mr. Leonard’s “Informances” are on March 7th & 12th, 2018 at 1:30pm – 2:15pm
Mrs. Shelton’s “Informances” are on March 8th & 13th, 2018 at 1:30pm – 2:15pm

Quietly wait in the lobby until 1:25pm as I am teaching 1st grade music. At 1:25pm, please walk
down to the music room. We will have chairs and a program for you.

Kindergarten is still learning after music class. If you choose to take your child home after the
“Informance,” please fill out the form below and return to your child(ren)’s teacher. Any questions
about our “Informance,” please feel free to give me a call or send an email.

Blessings,
Mrs. R (Rudebusch)

lrudebusch@ecasd.us
(715) 852 – 4052

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Artifact B: Emails between teachers and mom of student. Evidence for families and communities.

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