Assessing Our Own Achievements
By Zarela Cruz
The culmination of the year is getting
closer and closer; students are being persistently evaluated; and last but not
least important, end-of- the-year exams are just around the corner. Perhaps a
question to ponder is: Is it the time to assess only our students’ achievements
or wouldn’t it be judicious to gauge our own ones as well?
How can we measure our own achievements?
As I pointed out
before (see post Sep, 29th), most of our time is devoted to reach the set
objectives, but, are we up to it? If we do not set our own goals, how can we
demand our students to reach theirs? I do not mean at all to blame ourselves,
what I do mean is to be consistent. At the beginning of the year, we should
also prepare a list of the goals to be reached and also figure how effective we
can be in doing it. We have to plan not only summative assessment, but also formative
one; we have to be aware of the techniques we will implement and the reasons
why we choose one or the other; we should be ready to make adjustments all
along the year. Our achievement is not measured by how much our students like
us, but how eager we are to expand their knowledge and to teach them not to be
satisfied; to challenge themselves to get the well-known Krashen’s I + 1. That
in itself will show us that we made our best effort.
Is being highly qualified opposed to
being highly effective?
Not at all. Being
highly qualified should be a starting point, but not the only one to be taken
into account. Flexibility is the key concept that should lead our practice. Students
highly rate a teacher who is able to inspire them by showing different
strategies, one who is not afraid of trying harder and harder and who is
capable of reflecting on their own performance. We do know that most teachers
are perfectly proficient, but we do prefer the ones whose techniques and styles can be perfected
every time, that are never satisfied with what they already know, that are
flexible enough as to allow themselves to find a more suitable way to educate.
These are the ones that deserve our gratitude.
Are you
satisfied with what you have already achieved? If so, why? What else are you
looking for? What strategies do you apply when you reflect on your own
teaching?
Let us know what
you think. Your expertise, your experience and your ideas are valuable to us!
References
Biodata
Zarela Cruz graduated from Ricardo Palma University as a translator. She
also finished her master’s studies in Linguistics
and took some specialization diplomas in English and Spanish. She has also
completed a number of online certificates: Teaching the Working Adult,
Online, Hybrid and Blended Education, among other self-study courses. She
has taught different courses, programs and levels and has been a teacher
trainer, a lecturer and online instructor. This article aims to
reflect on the self-evaluation all teachers are expected to do to assess their
own achievements.
