Storey Gillingham

ELM-490A

January 28, 2024

Tony Elmer

Professional Dispositions Statement

I am a person who is dedicated to student growth and my continual self-improvement

both as a member of the classroom community and as an educator. I want all aspects of my

teaching, from how I interact with others to how I structure lessons and activities, to

communicate to my students that I believe they can achieve everything I set before them and

more. I am committed to guiding them to independence through conscientious, complete

instruction that is research-based and presented with empathy and consideration for who they are

and what they bring to the classroom. Each learner has strengths to build on and areas for

improvement, and I intend to use my practice to get them there. I seek feedback from my

professional peers, strive to adapt my lessons to suit learners’ needs, and set daily and weekly

goals to motivate myself to do better so that I can strive to be the best educator I can for my

students.

When I began my program of study, I was passionate but lacked the core knowledge that

makes teachers advocates and resources for their students. As I have progressed in my course, I

have not only grown in skill and knowledge, I have also gained confidence that makes me better

at presenting lesson material and more flexible when encountering obstacles. When approaching

something unexpected in the classroom, I have developed a toolkit—through experience, study,

and the brilliant mentorship of my supervising teachers—that allows me to respond and remain

the level force that students need their teachers to be. For example, when scheduled student
groups do not go as planned, I have set aside time to teach and reteach the lesson, ensuring that

students have been exposed to, guided through, and had a chance to practice their lesson and unit

objectives before moving on. I am still learning every day but the difference between who I am

now and who I was at the start is the fruit of years of hard work and dedication. I have been

extremely fortunate to receive comprehensive feedback which allows me to self-reflect and

acknowledge how I can do better.

The Model Code of Ethics for Educators (MCEE) and the Professional Dispositions of

Learners statement provided by Grand Canyon University share many core ideas. The MCEE

emphasizes the importance of appropriate relationships in and out of the workplace, the duty to

mentor and provide for others, and the responsibilities that educators have to the profession, the

law, and their students (NASDTEC, 2023). The Professional Dispositions of Learners include

ideas such as the responsibility to respect and care for students, to maintain high expectations,

and to conduct oneself professionally when interacting with students, families, and staff (Grand

Canyon University, 2018). Both act as a framework for helping teachers engage with passion and

compassion when approaching their profession.

Teaching is a vocation and requires comprehensive dedication to multiple disciplines. As

I continue to learn and grow, I intend to take each experience as an opportunity to improve. I

recognize that I am not a natural leader. I can both improve on this deficit and leverage my

weakness in this area to emphasize student-led research, projects, and presentations. I can learn

and improve my strategies for maintaining instructional control while also giving students the

chance to become leaders of their own education. I will also continue to work on the skills

necessary to create and maintain positive, productive, and professional interactions in the
workplace so that both my students and my colleagues feel safe coming to me for help and feel

that they can rely on me to put in my absolute best effort as I work alongside them.

References

Grand Canyon University. (2018). Professional dispositions of learners.

https://students.gcu.edu/sites/students/files/2018-12/15GCU0264-COEProDisposition-

120115_v1.pdf

NASDTEC. (2023). Model code of ethics for educators (MCEE).

https://www.nasdtec.net/page/MCEE_Doc