Stuck in the initial stages of teaching where you are jumping through mentor hoops at every turn? Use it to your advantage. Rather than just doing the basics and posting a static set of pictures and lessons, you can turn this short-term headache to your long-term benefit. I’ve developed a list of ten points to consider. Read on to find out what they are.
If your university or current first-year admins are requiring a portfolio, fine. However, I highly encourage you to already have one set up that suits your needs and simply incorporates theirs for the short term. Why? Whether you plan on globe trotting with your career, following a military or other internationally-employed spouse with it, or just want to be prepared for the unexpected, being ready in advance for a career switch is easier if it’s an ongoing project. Bonus? If you do it the way I’m suggesting you’ll have a career-long opportunity for self marketing, whether or not you leave your original job. (Although, chances are you will eventually.) Here’s what I recommend doing:
Register your name as a dot com.
Immediately. You can do this before you ever leave for college, even as a young adult. Develop your personal domain name as a professional space to document your favorite resources, thoughts, examples of your work, etc. It’s OK if you have interests other than teaching. There can eventually be a space for that. The key is to keep it professional enough that those hiring can view it at any time and be impressed. If you want a separate blog for fun, consider an unrelated title or pseudonym. You never know when your tastes will change or you may seek employment with a more conservative school district. Use this as a medium to document your professional development by posting reactions to texts, articles, conferences and workshops.
Consider book reviews and the reviewing of various classroom consumable products.
While your tastes will evolve over time, it’s actually a great way to document your career and justify any evolving philosophies.
Consider ad revenue and affiliate links for the books and products you recommend.
Even if you only bring in fifty dollars per month, it should cover the cost of basic web hosting. Bonus? Well-designed ad placements show you’re serious about what you have to say, and add an unmistakable professional element to your site.
To accommodate the initial career portfolio requirements, consider a section on “current projects” and allow a portion of that space to digitally document administratively-required portfolio elements.
However, and this is critically important, do NOT allow the team to drive you towards a site redesign. First, it isn’t necessary. Second, it’s not their place. If they can honestly not see that you are still meeting your responsibilities within a subcategory on your site, you may need to consider a different mentor team or quite possibly an alternative place of employment. Your life and career are too short to be held back by individuals who can’t get with the program. I apologize if it seems like I’m being negative here. I know there are loads of fabulous people in the field. I also know there are some individuals who are seriously behind the times. I don’t have anything against traditional methods. In fact, I now lean towards several of them more often than I ever would have predicted earlier in my career. I do have something against the practice of holding developing professionals back in the interest of pressing a personal agenda of not wanting to get yourself up to date.
Stay current.
Based on what I just wrote above, I think it’s also important to note that I don’t necessarily think this needs to be done in the form of unnecessary and costly coursework. When you must, or when you personally want to, great. However, most of the time you can do this on your own much faster than any classroom instructor could ever help you do so. If you are a self-motivated learner, reading journals, surfing the net and simply listening to kids will keep you way ahead of the curve. Document this on your web site in the form of a blog. Bonus? Regular updates will help you gain better search engine results. Oh yes, don’t forget a pdf file of your current resume.
Learn to take great digital pictures.
This is a super and affordable way to record fabulous bulletin boards, the tricky-to-write-about steps in a great art project, document examples of stellar student work and more.
Take credit for the curriculum you write.
Let’s face it. Rarely will you work for a school that will not expect you to work on lesson ideas on your own time. In exchange for this, why do so many of us feel the need to hand over the lessons for the school to use long after we leave? Post the lessons in a professional format on your own site. People will have to go there to get the information, generating more traffic and ad revenue for you. If you eventually develop enough of it, you may have the makings of your own book or subscription web site. (Case in point: TheLessonMachine.Com .)
Get some photos taken of yourself in action.
Enlist a parent, classroom volunteer, friend or teaching assistant on days when you are doing anything from the traditional to the super cool. Don’t forget to document anything multicultural. Pictures with captions are simple, to the point, and powerful.
Keep up with this throughout your career.
Once the base work is done, it really won’t be that much work. You’ll always be out there and ready to go. Bonus? Any toxic insecure boss will also know this and hopefully bear it mind before they start harassing you at a time of year it would be difficult to replace you. Yes, there are some awesome administrators out there. There are also some condescending people on power trips. Be ready.
No potential employer will be able to ignore a prolifically documented curriculum collection, boatloads of creative bulletin boards, and photos of you engrossed with your students in kick-butt educational activities. Need some more references from around the web? This link will help you get started on what to include and avoid with your online portfolio. Good luck, and great teaching!
Flickr Photo Credit: Liz Marie
