Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Student Teacher: Asfour, Amanda Date of Experience: Spring Semester (February - May, 2017)
Cooperating Teacher: Brindle, Jill School: Mulick Park Elementary City: Grand Rapids, Michigan
College Supervisor: Phil Stegink
Age Range & Level of Impairment: 7-10 years
School Setting: The classroom is a level 3 resource room(self contained) with 12 students. All of the students qualify for free
breakfast and lunch. 10/12 students are african-american and 2/12 students are hispanic. The classroom serves children in 2nd/3rd
grade with moderate and mild cognitive impairments and severe speech and language impairments.
Please rate the extent to which the candidate has demonstrated competence by checking the appropriate box.
Include comments at the end of each section to explain your ratings.
Column Key: 4 Exemplary; 3 Satisfactory; 2 Needs Improvement; 1 Unacceptable; N Not Observed
I. PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS: The Teacher... Rating
A. Shows genuine interest in and empathy for others. 4
B. Demonstrates general intellectual curiosity; asks questions related to theory and practice. 4
C. Meets the expectations of school and community regarding personal appearance. 4
D. Gives evidence of good general health and vitality. 4
E. Demonstrates initiative and leadership. 4
F. Exhibits dependability and punctuality. 4
G. Demonstrates creativity and imagination. 4
H. Listens actively, with attention and comprehension. 4
I. Responds with appropriate judgment, humor, and common sense. 4
J. Adjusts voice projection for volume and clearness according to teaching situation. 4
K. Demonstrates the ability to write in a logical style with appropriate penmanship, grammar, and sentence 4
structure.
L. Demonstrates the ability to communicate information orally in a coherent and logical manner. 4
M. Demonstrates respect for the dignity and worth of diverse ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and economic groups. 4
Comments: In the 5 weeks that Amanda has been in the classroom full time, she has exhibited exceptional personal
characteristics.
Comments: Amanda did not waste anytime in taking on professional responsibilities. She has involved herself in many
aspects of our classroom and school. She does not shy away from challenges and/or responsibilities that are presented to her.
Comments: At this point in the internship, Amanda and I have not had a lot of opportunities to discuss her knowledge of
current trends in education. However, her lessons and interactions with students show that she has an understanding of the
children's learning styles and obstacles that she may come across.
Comments: Amanda is currently exploring different types of assessments to evaluate student learning. She has put together
informal assessments for both pre and post learning. The pre-assessments have helped her in planning instruction. There has
been no formal testing at this time such as Mi-Access or NWEA MAP. However, she has administered some testing of her
own such as parts of The Brigance.
Comments: Amanda has planned some short and long term goals for both reading and math. She has been exceptional at
explaining her expectations to students for teaching lessons, incorporating learning targets.
Comments: At this point in the semester, Amanda has already exhibited a strong ability to manage the learning
environment. She has made changes to groupings based on student's skills. She keeps a clear, attractive area where students
feel open to get assistance. She has established routines in place before she teaches lessons to the students. She has also
established routines for how children should walk in hallways, and other unstructured times.
Comments: Amanda has strong management skills. Children see her as a teacher and respect the rules put in place. One
strong indicator of her ability to manage behaviors in the class, are at times when I have to step out. During these times I
return back to the classroom, the room is still on task and in control. She has also been in charge of some individual behavior
plans with students that she has implemented and has been responsible for. She has tried to foster a classroom where there is
respect and is proactive instead of reactive to problems that arise int he classroom.
Comments: Based on the structure of the classroom, Amanda has not had a lot of opportunity to engage with the general
education staff in planning for integration of students in their classrooms. After Spring break she will be given more
opportunities to work with a general education teacher. She has had minimal involvement with parents, but the interactions
she has had with parents have been respectful and positive.
SUMMARY COMMENTS: Overall, Amanda has already made an impact on the classroom and school. She was not afraid
to get involved right away, and try some new things in the room. She has developed well thought out lessons and
incorporated new ideas. She has garnered the respect of the students, and it is evident that she cares for the students.In
return,the children care about their new teacher and miss her if she is gone. Amanda is organized and full of energy which
shows in her lessons and interactions. Two weeks into her placement I was getting comments from other teachers about how
capable she seemed. The teacher consultant that works in our classroom and oversees many of my IEP's commented on how
lucky Grand Rapids Public would be to have her in a special education setting. Not only has Amanda been an asset in the
classroom, but she has gotten involved in after school activities that involve students from other classrooms. It is obvious by
the interactions with these other students that she has developed a caring and nurturing relationship. She is a role model for
these students, and someone the students can relate to. I am already confident that Amanda has what it takes to be a great
classroom teacher, and I look forward to seeing the other things that she will put in place before the end of her internship.