I spent about an hour last night decluttering the room that serves as my home office. At the bottom of a large stack of materials were two orange milk crates full of souvenirs from my career as a classroom teacher. I've been hanging on to this collection of student work, lesson plans, professional development certificates, and awards for three years with the idea that someday I would arrange it all into a beautiful portfolio.
Now I'm wondering if that makes sense. How helpful is it to reflect about the (distant) past? What would the purpose be?--impressing future employers? I guess that I'll just hang on to my milk crates until I decide what the purpose and audience of my portfolio might be.
Comments (3)
I have lots of materials also. I collect things and just when I think I can get rid of something, I need it. I look at my old tests, student work, and teaching materials and see the way education has changed in Texas. I see the different initiatives at our school. My files reflect my growth as a teacher, changes in the educational landscape and of my work with our collaborative group.
Posted by Michaelann | May 26, 2005 12:12 PM
Posted on May 26, 2005 12:12
This is my first year to do a portfolio and I find myself collecting and saving everything and anything. This is very new to me because I am not a pack rat and I throw away everything that is not nailed down. As my research deepens, I find that you never know what you might need or what in the future will be important to your inquiry.
Posted by Ron | May 26, 2005 1:01 PM
Posted on May 26, 2005 13:01
Michaelann,
I think that the motivation to produce a final product depends on the audience. If I am sharing my work and my reflections, then I want the organization and layout to be easy for somebody else to navigate and understand. If it is just for me, then I don't care so much what it looks like--I've already reaped a benefit from reflecting.
Posted by Donna | August 8, 2005 12:48 PM
Posted on August 8, 2005 12:48