Individualized Professional Development Plan

Name: Sarina Graff| Major: Middle/Secondary Education; Mathematics

Why are you pursuing this degree?
I’m pursuing this degree because I love learning, enjoy teaching others in an educational environment, and truly appreciate the
process of helping others grasp new ideas. Furthermore, I want to be an educator so that I can make a meaningful difference in
the lives of children by providing them the tools and knowledge they need to create their own ideas, contribute, and influence
society in the future. I’m also interested by how other people learn and how their personalities influence their education. I
know that a teacher’s dedication and passion influence how effectively students learn. Additionally, I believe that mathematics
is an important subject for children to learn since it helps in problem-solving skills and provides us with the critical ability to
learn and think logically in any field of endeavor. Therefore, I want to show why mathematics is so important to future
generations of students, as well as develop innovative ways to keep them engaged in the classroom.

What do you want the outcome to be? Is this outcome directly related to your “why?”
After graduation, I plan to teach math in a middle or high school. Through my experiences, I want to gain a better
understanding of how to be a caring and prepared educator, how to build relationships with students, how to help them enjoy
their education more fully, and how to help them reach their fullest potential. I want to create an environment in which
students feel accepted, welcomed, and loved by someone who genuinely cares about their future and inspires them to discover
something they enjoy about school. I believe that by doing so, I will be able to provide a stable and supportive environment for
my students, allowing us all to grow together. Additionally, I want to help students in discovering their interests, motivate
them, inspire them to do great things and become the best versions of themselves. By doing so, I will not only become a well-
remembered teacher, but also a great role model. Furthermore, the skills taught in math classrooms can extend far beyond the
classroom. Math teaches people how to think logically, problem-solve, and push past initial barriers to look at things in new
ways. I hope to create a classroom environment where the content is relevant, and students can be involved in their own
learning.

How are you going to work toward making that outcome possible?
Butler provides such a strong foundation for an educator to grow. Through all the classes, real-life experiences, and the
yearlong student teaching program, I see no way that I will not gain the strong skills needed to be a successful teacher. Not
only that, but I also know that after I leave here, I will be a part of something bigger, and I will always have my professors and
classmates to help me develop and lean on in the future. Similarly, I plan to work outside of my education at Butler to gain
skills that will shape me become the educator I want to be. To grow as an educator and mathematician, I will continue to
discover who I am as a person in order to be as open as possible with my students. Furthermore, I am going to work toward
learning and understanding as much as I can about the world and getting to know what lives of students and children in other
countries may look like in comparison to the life that I have known for the past twenty-one years. Also working to better myself
so that I may be a light to the students I may impact someday.

Goals
Timeframe Personal Professional

• Be more outgoing & confident in pursuing • Take ED 433 & ED 498

opportunities • Take advantage of volunteer opportunities in education
• Apply to as many scholarships/grants available • Bring FUN to fundamentals
to me • Communicate with more educators, both current and
• Maintain a high GPA former, about their perspectives on education and
• Stick to my commitments strengthen relationships with them
• Learn something new • Make individual visits to schools
Next • Spend at least five minutes a day reflecting in • Find middle/secondary majors who I communicate with
Semester silence and develop with
• Attend an educational conference
• Pass my licensure exams
• Stay organized
 • Reflect on myself and mold my professional • Look for on-campus or off-campus tutoring options for
identity mathematics to get experience
• Get more involved on campus • Look into substitute teaching opportunities at local
• Branch out and dig deep into my relationships schools to gain first-hand experience and build on my
Next year with friends at Butler confidence
• Begin proving and practicing the importance of • Attend NCTM conferences
mathematics to friends • Learn how to be able to differentiate in the math
• Successful student teaching experience classroom for different learners
• Make it a priority to spend time with my friends • Develop a strong relationship with my mentor teachers
before we graduate and students in the classroom
• Mentally prepare to start my life in the real world • Start interviewing for a job after graduation
• Pass/finish edTPA on time
Individual Professional Development Plan
Assets and Provocations

Planned Activities Objective of Development Alignment to Vision, How activity impacts

Activity Mission, Core Values, student learning
Major, or Minor
• Attend CEC • Understand how to • The Integrated I need to understand
Required meetings best support Practice and students who feel lost or
knowledge/skills students who aren't Collaboration out of place in the culture
• Continue at the top of their with which I am
researching for class/always easy to • Building Global accustomed. I need to
websites and teach (exceptional Educators learn how to relate to
reading learners) those who are different
books/articles • The Appreciation of than me. Additionally,
about education • Learn more about Diversity and improving basic
and my area of how other educators Similarity characteristics like
focus in order to run things both patience not only
expand my within and outside enhances the classroom
knowledge the classroom to help environment, but it also
me prepare to do shows a sense of
• Attend that soon. I will be friendship between a
university able to stay student and their
sponsored knowledgeable in a teacher. By having a
events to learn variety of different clear focus in education,
about different areas as well as find it will make it easier for
groups of people what few parts of me to communicate with
and to promote education I want to students and get multiple
diversity and focus on the most for ideas across to them.
inclusion later in the future

• Understand and
accept people from
 different
cultures/backgrounds

• Start doing a • This will teach me • The Excitement of • When students

Assets/Strengths random act of that even the Teaching, Learning, are taught how to
kindness smallest gesture and Mentoring be kind to one
everyday may brighten another, it can
someone's day. It is • The Strength of rapidly change
• Attend math important to fill Integrity and the environment
events such as other people with Responsibility/ The of a classroom.
colloquiums and positive thoughts Excitement of Showing that you
seminars to add since this will make Teaching, Learning, care about the
assets to my your day better as and Mentoring students can even
belt well! boost their
• The Appreciation of abilities since
• Identify my • Gain a stronger Diversity and sometimes all a
strengths and mathematical Similarity student needs is
weaknesses in foundation someone to
both my content believe in them
area and other • Capitalize on those
curriculum strengths and • It will be easier
areas weaknesses so that I to help students
can improve in those beyond the
• Plan time in my areas and apply curriculum if you
day to focus on them to shape my are more versed
education teaching style in math.
(reading, asking (become more well- Furthermore, as
questions, rounded) a future math
observing teacher, my
what’s around • Study and practice ultimate goal is
me) repeatedly because to use my gained
knowledge to
 practice makes express
perfect mathematics to
my students as
more than
equations

• By better
recognizing my
strengths, I will
have a better
understanding of
myself and be
more honest and
vulnerable with
my students,
allowing for
stronger
connections and
relationships.
• Get a job • I want to find a • The Excitement of • By working with
Provocations/Growth working with summer job working Teaching, Learning, children more, I
high school with children so that and Mentoring will learn how to
students during I can continue to interact with
the summer improve my • The Integration of them more
relationship building Technology effectively than I
• Work on skills with younger do currently,
improving my children and learn • The Strength of allowing me to
skills with how to engage with Integrity and continue to
technology them in a productive Responsibility develop as a
manner person and
• Work on other educator
areas outside of
 education and • Be able to better • The Appreciation of • Being more
math to make understand how to Diversity and inclined to
myself more use the technology Similarity technology will
well-rounded that I have and open help me become a
new outlets to • The Excitement of more well-
• Study abroad enhance the lessons Teaching, Learning, rounded teacher
that I create for my and Mentoring in the future. The
• Advocate for future students world is changing
teaching when so fast, and
others are • I know what there's a large
unable to see mathematics is to possibility that I
the value and me, but what are might have to
importance other’s view on my adapt to E-
concentration? Learning. In order
to create solid
• By studying abroad, lessons for future
I will hopefully gain students, I want
a new perspective to set myself up
that I haven’t for the most
thought about and success possible
be able to engage
with new cultures • Wondering how
different people
• Remind myself of the view math
lives I am going to provides me new
change and the ideas for how I
reason behind can teach and
studying education demonstrate
concepts in the
classroom

• By studying
abroad, I will be
 able to have a
new outlook.
Furthermore,
thorough my
experiences with
new cultures, I
hope to become
more aware of
those around me
and the
differences we
share

• Going into work

every day with
the
understanding
that what I am
doing is
important will
give me more
confidence in the
classroom to
better help my
students
Individual Professional Development Plan Activity Log

Description of professional development

activity completed Timeframe Connection to your stated objective

1. After-School Supervisor @The Orchard School September 2021 – Work to find mentors/explore areas in which I have a
Assisting the Kids Connect Coordinator in preparing December 2022 strong interest (explore what my educational
materials for programming, including supervising for philosophy might be by observing teachers, students,
safety (both indoor/outdoor) and reading/homework 3:00PM – 6:00PM and schools I admire). → Capacity to inspire others &
time. Engaging with students during indoor/outdoor
Willingness to learn and improve professionally.
programming. Assisting with clean-up of areas during
and at the end of the day.
2. Time in the Classroom at Zionsville West January 23rd, 2023 – April Help me expand my understanding of what it looks
Middle School 20th, 2023 like to run a classroom and to work with 5th graders in
a math and science classroom. Gain more experience
1:20-2:55pm M/W
working with middle school students and creating
relevant lesson plans.
3. Journaling At least 35 minutes a day Learn more about my strengths and weaknesses so I
Reflect on the big ideas in my COE classes, and my can better express myself and build on them.
experiences as an after-school supervisor.
→ Reflecting on my past experiences and establishing
this into my professional identity
4. Mathematics Colloquium Friday, February 24th To help me grow better as a mathematician. Help me
1-2pm expand my understanding of math and math topics I
might not have known before.
Friday, March 17th
2-3pm

Friday, April 7th

2-3pm

Friday, April 21st

 2-3pm

5. Pickleball Class (PWB131) January 9th, 2023 – April Give myself a breather from my daily hectic life in
20th, 2023 college.

1-1:50pm T/Th

Total PD Hours 100 Hours (many of the

activities are weekly)