I am a certified K-12 music teacher in New York State. In 2004, New York State changed the certification process for new teachers. The major difference is that fact that new teachers (certified after 2004) are no longer permanently certified. I currently hold an Initial certification which will lead to a Professional certification after I earn my masters degree and gain some teaching experience. In order to remain professionally certified, I have to take part in at least 175 hours of professional development every five years. Although I am not required by the State of New York to accumulate professional development hours until I am professionally certified, I feel that it is important to take advantage of all development opportunities that are presented to me.
Here is a comprehensive list of the professional development opportunities that I have taken part in starting with the most recent.
Date | Title / Type of Program | Location of Program | Length of Program |
11/8/2005 | Balanced Mind X Conference | Long Island Marriott Conference Center, Uniondale, NY | 7 Hours |
10/20/2005 | Reauthorization of IDEA, The Legal and the Practical | Central Islip High School, Central Islip, NY | 6 Hours |
9/6/2005 | Superintendent Conference Day, Music Department Meeting | Central Islip High School, Central Islip, NY | 6 Hours |
4/5/2005 | Eastern Suffolk BOCES Arts in Education - Theater | Huntington High School, Huntington, NY | 3 Hours |
3/30/2005 | Central Islip Teachers Association Conference | NYSUT Regional Office, Long Island, NY | 6.5 Hours |
12/1/2004 | Music Department Meeting | Central Islip High School, Central Islip, NY | 3.5 Hours |
11/4/2004 | CITA New Teacher Meeting | NYSUT Regional Office, Long Island, NY | 7 Hours |
11/2/2004 | Balanced Mind IX Conference | Long Island Marriott Conference Center, Uniondale, NY | 6.5 Hours |
10/28/2004 | Professional Development Meeting: The New Report Cards | Morrow Elementary School, Central Islip, NY | .5 Hour |
10/14/2004 | Professional Development Meeting: Bilingual Education - Rosa Garcia | Morrow Elementary School, Central Islip, NY | .5 Hour |
9/1/2004 | Superintendent Conference Day | Central Islip High School, Central Islip, NY | 5 Hours |
Another requirement of the new teacher certification in New York is that the first year of teaching must be a mentored experience. In the 2004-2005 school year, I was mentored by Mr. Philip Voigt. Below is a list of the types of activities that we were able to do throughout the school year.
Date | Activity | Comments |
6/17/2005 | Final review of mentoring program | |
6/6/2005 | Inventory | |
5/11/2005 | Ducks Game | |
5/4/2005 | SOP at Mulligan - Arts in Education | Attended the SOP choral workshop at Mulligan. |
4/13/2005 | Bay Way Arts - Schoolhouse Rock | Field trip to Bay Way with the fourth graders that are involved with the play. Discussed different ideas with Phil and the Director about the play. Began to work on the program for the Spring concert. |
4/5/2005 | Boces Arts in Education Theater Workshop at Hauppauge High School | Conference run by Carol Brown from BOCES Arts in Education. Speakers discussed what it takes to develop and maintain a district-wide theater program. Discussed benefits of the theater program for the students of the district and the community. Cross-curricular implications of theater program. Demonstration lessons from experienced theater teachers. |
3/31/2005 | Field Trips | Discussed planning of field trips from the very beginning. How to order busses, collection of money from the parents, discussion with the school nurse relating to students that need medicine. |
3/18/2005 | Fund Raising | Collection of fund raising materials and money from entire school. Process of tabulating and ordering all of the materials for a fundraising project. |
2/17/2005 | Met with building representative | Learn about all of the benefits and advantages of the contract and building culture. Learned how to use the building committee to resolve building issues. Follow-up meeting with Mr. Lubrano. |
2/7/2005 | BOCES Arts in Education programs | Discussions on the procedure for BOCES AIE programs and contracts. Reviewed 2005 AIE Catalog. Met with Carol Brown of BOCES to review O’Neill’s contracts/programs. |
1/26/2005 | Distribute Fund Raising Materials | Went to each class to discuss and distributed the fundraiser. Follow-up discussion with Mr. Lubrano. |
1/13/2005 | Observations and Evaluations | We discussed and did a mock observation and evaluation using the official Central Islip form. Discussed results with Mr. Lubrano for input. |
12/20/2004 | Concert Planning Follow-up | Ensured all of the above was prepared for the winter concert. Lunch with Mr. Lubrano to discuss the concert arrangements. |
12/17/2004 | Concert Planning | Designed Concert Program for the O’Neill Winter Concert. Went over the back page of program with the members of the board of education. Discussed the layout of the program and the logistics of planning for the concert. Also filled out Building Use Form. |
11/24/2004 | Paperwork, District Forms, Postings, Main Office procedures | Discussions dealing with course approval paperwork and procedures, conference forms, various medical forms, bussing procedures for field trips. |
11/4/2004 | Introduction to our mentoring plan | Set up schedule for the first half of the year. Discussed our philosophies on music education. Lunch with Mr. Lubrano to discuss his expectations for my first year. |