MWSU DISPOSITION SOCIAL AWARENESS VIRGINIA PERKINS Organizational Awareness Within a school system, there are social structures

es among students and staff that when recognized, can aid in running things smoothly. Having an effective working relationship with ones colleagues will help open doors to an abundance of resources. Networking will enable a teacher to fit into the school power structure in a way that enhances their social and political awareness, making management in general run more smoothly. Since I only work with a single class for my junior experience and for only a semester, my need to network is less important than it would be if I was teaching full-time. Even so, I have met with my cooperating teacher, many of the math staff, other staff on the floor that I teach, and with the assistant librarian. I have taken the initiative to acquaint myself with these staff members, and it has proven to be beneficial. They have been most helpful for me with technology issues, and Ive come to develop a sense of which teachers to go to for selected types of issues. For example, I dont have a school login or a school issued computer, so it is difficult for me to access internet resources at school, so other staff members, specifically the assistant librarian and a very helpful Spanish teacher, have assisted in getting the materials I need. Other times, Ive had experienced teachers offer me advice and support for the furthering of my education. Especially at this stage in my education career, this advice has been invaluable. I am always open to hearing what an experienced teacher has to say, and I typically take their advice to heart, in matters ranging from ways to dress and behave to command the respect of students, to things to do to further my education focused on teaching. For example, I spoke with a retired Texas history teacher who suggested how to dress and behave in front of students to command their respect. My cooperating teacher often shares advice on how to be more effective

as an educator. Some examples include: showing me how to use the copiers and other resources in the building, introducing me to others teachers, providing me with an abundance of subject content resources, and giving me general advise on the more organizational aspects of being a teacher, like grading, administration, and helping students outside of class. In conclusion, I am organizationally aware, as evidenced by my collaboration with other teachers and my knowledge of school resources. During my student teaching and professional teaching, I intend to become even more socially aware, taking time to appear at school events that occur outside of regular school hours, and collaborating heavily with not only other regular teachers, but also with para-professionals, librarians, custodians, administration, and of course, parents. There will be many other types of school staff whose professional relationships will also be symbiotically advantageous.