The "Chocolate
Frog" Mentality. General Comments
| This
information is posted for your support. It may, or may not, be up to date
and accurate. The only authoritative source is the DoE. I make no
apologies if some of this information is wrong. It's your
application. Check your facts. Don't rely on me.
It is my understanding the next Selection Round will be in 2004. Like I said ... check the facts! |
| Also
... The samples posted here are based on the 2000 documents. There have
been changes since then. Your own application must be based on the current
documents. Not my samples.
For the documents as at 1/3/2003 see: www.eddept.wa.edu.au/cpr/Level3bookletFinal.pdf |
WARNING The Level 3 Classroom Teacher Selection Process can be very stressful. In effect you will be baring your soul. By the time you have finished preparing your application you will be convinced you deserve the promotion and it can be shattering if you are unsuccessful. Unless you are prepared to take your first rejection (or maybe more) on the chin and learn from it, don't bother applying. You can finish up very bitter about the whole process if you don't approach it on a 'give it a go' basis. While you must retain a positive attitude and give it 100%, you must also be prepared to accept that your application may not be up to scratch. Make sure that lack of success the first time around does not devastate you. (A lot easier to say than to do.) |
Your application must address five "Competencies". As a general rule the picture you build must show yourself as someone who operates well inside the classroom AND across the wider school community. A number of speakers have used phrases like ... "You can be the best teacher in the world, but if all you do is teach you will not be successful." (Shame about the implications of that word "all".) You must show yourself to be active across your own school and also at District and perhaps State and National level (through professional organisations, etc.)
Within your School
Make sure you are up with current educational thinking and priorities.
Link all of your activities to System and School priorities.
Embrace current System initiatives.
Get on high profile school committees (School decision Making Group, Reporting Committee,
CIP Committee, etc).
Introduce "Reflective Review" and "Collegial Support" structures (linked to your Performance
Management process).
Establish collaborative projects.
Take on a Mentoring role (Young teachers, trainees, etc)
Operate across the curriculum.
Set up projects and "action research".
Maintain a personal "Journal".
The Wider School Community
Join relevant Professional Associations .
Contribute articles to Journals.
Attend Conferences.
Present at Conferences.
Attend district 'network' meetings.
Run District network meetings.
Organise and/or run Professional Development sessions.
Develop a Web Site.
Join and become active on an educational email 'list' (eg "echalk")
The "Chocolate
Frog" Mentality.
How often have you been thanked for your efforts by a colleague, or the school administration with a chocolate frog, or bottle of wine? Try attaching a chocolate frog to your application. This mentality has to be changed (and you will probably have to be the one to change it). Bring the requirements of the Level 3 Classroom Teacher application process to the attention of your school administration and staff. Suggest (strongly) to them that next time they wish to acknowledge your efforts, do it in writing in such a way that it would support your future application. (Set up a school PD programme to show them how to do it and then cite the programme as "evidence" on your application!)
To "Solicit", or Not
Page 31 of the 2000 "Preparing a Teaching Portfolio" booklet
refers to evidence based on "unsolicited feedback". The narrow definition of
'solicit' is "to ask". History should have demonstrated that ... "He/She
who does not ask, gets nothing." You will obviously need to "ask" people to
put feedback on paper in a form that you can use as evidence. You will probably also need
to show them how to write it. The wider definition of solicit is to "ask
importunately, or earnestly" - "importunate" means to apply pressure, or to
be persistent in your soliciting.
In other words ... YES you can "ask" for written feedback, but NO you can't apply pressure. Applying pressure could backfire, especially if the person you apply the pressure to is one of your "referees". Don't omit good supporting evidence just because you feel you shouldn't ask someone to put it in writing - instead of giving you a chocolate frog!
And ... You will hear people say the process is a waste of time. That they have no intention of 'jumping through hoops'. That there are better things they can think of to do with their time. They will cite examples of people who never should have succeeded. They will belittle the efforts of those who have been successful.
Well, the fact is that this is the way Classroom Teachers get to the top salary scale. The only other alternative is to go through the usual (administration-bound) promotion process.
Ignore the detractors. They either don't have the requirements to satisfy the selection criteria, or they are too darn lazy to put together an application. Nobody says they have to do anything about applying, but don't let them talk you out of it.
Your employer has determined that this process is the only way to get to the 'top' of the salary scale. Play the game.