Women in Film Noir Teaching is in many ways a solitary profession: A teacher in his or her own classroom spends hours in contact with students but often relatively little time talking to other teachers and educators. Administrators are also in many ways isolated from the teachers. Perhaps because of this fact, the administrators interviewed for this project emphasized the personal importance of collaboration with other members of the professional and

49). That goes for leaders in the learning community as well. Thessin asserts that while it is important to teach students to solve problems, there is a lack of focus on another important, related goal: "the need for teachers to learn to do the same" (49). Teachers are leaders and they must be given the training to develop problem solving skills along with the other important skills mentioned in

Assessment of Existing Culture Just two years into its existence, the high school is doing remarkably well. The school welcomes 1100 students each day. Currently, the school only has the capacity for grades 9 to 11, but grade 12 programming is being developed now. The staff of 45 dedicated full-time teachers is eager to become a part of this new school, which has two assistant principals in addition to the principal

Plan for Shared Learning The goal of this shared learning plan is to create a culture of continual learning and sustainable, supportive professional development. A professional learning community “provides a context of collegiality, which supports teachers and administrators in improving their practice through learning new curriculum and instructional strategies,” (Morrissey, 2000, p. 3). This plan is aligned with the core mission and vision of the school: to create meaningful and lasting

Differentiated instruction offers the possibility for all students to meet their own personal and optimal potential in the learning environment of the classroom. BIBLIOGRAPHY Bellai, Mariann (2008) Professional Development Plan. Schenectady City Schools. Online available at: http://www.schenectady.k12.ny.us/ProfessionalDevelopment/ProfDevPlan08.pdf Corley, Mary Ann (2005) Differentiated Instruction: Adjusting to the Needs of All Learners. Focus on Basics Vol. 7 Issue C. March, 2005. National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy. Differentiated Instruction (2007) Council

Acting With Integrity and Fairness Reflecting on personal ethics encourages the educator to be self-aware and make improvements. Acting with integrity and fairness promotes a culture of accountability within the school because each teacher remains committed to taking responsibility and for collaborating with others to achieve common goals. Integrity is not just about conforming to “simplistic notions of right and wrong,” but making difficult decisions with multiple variables (Gorlewski, Gorlewski &