Iowa City Community School District
Portrait of a educator
The vision for the teachers in our classrooms
At the core of all of our work, the foundation of an Iowa City Community School District professional is to be a Relationship Builder. In addition, the following four core competencies have been determined as the aspirations for the teachers in our classrooms.
Reflective
An Iowa City Educator is a lifelong learner and continually hones their craft in support of student outcomes. This is done by embracing curiosity about new experiences and ideas, being willing to learn, unlearn and relearn, and finding ways to maximize opportunities to listen and elicit perspectives. The professional finds ways to incorporate learning in new situations for students.
Empathetic
An Iowa City Educator demonstrates and models awareness, sensitivity, concern, and respect for students and other staff. This is done by considering others’ feelings, opinions, experiences, and culture. The professional creates a culture of understanding and respect while providing students a space to make mistakes on the educational journey to ultimate success.
Collaborative
An Iowa City Educator honors and leverages strengths to build collective commitment toward continuous improvement. This is done by enriching the learning of self and others and working to continuously improve outcomes with all stakeholders on behalf of students. The professional contributes and responds to feedback to achieve collective outcomes for each student.
Culturally Responsive
An Iowa City Educator promotes equity of educational opportunity, access, and culturally responsive practices to support all students’ academic, social, emotional, and behavioral well-being. This is done by checking personal bias to set and communicate high expectations for all students, modeling equity, access, and respect. This is done through multi-directional partnerships with parents and students to maintain healthy cross-racial relationships and work together to bridge cultural gaps. The professional addresses systems of inequity.