As the edTPA journey was coming to a close, I was eager to just get it done with. Unfortunately, that is the biggest mistake you can make with it. It is a stressful and time consuming task; however, it is so important so the only way to get through it and pass is to power through with your best efforts.
While I like to think I am an organized person, I tend to fall short of that title at times. edTPA was no exception. I planned my lessons early, taught them right away, yet when it came to the work that followed the actual teaching, I began to slack. There are so many steps involved in edTPA that I let my anxiety take over and run the show. This meant that the dead line date that I was aiming for came at me like a train.
I decided not to run and go full speed ahead with the work. This resulted in three ten hour days of nonstop work. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS METHOD. I was tired, overwhelmed, and frankly, really mad at myself. While I was able to get it all done in this time, I just felt overworked and unsatisfied with my efforts.
The waiting game comes next. You are given about three weeks of stress, waiting on your results, rethinking everything you did, and your overall abilities as a teacher. Now a passing grade for me is 35/75. That is less than a 50%. You can essentially fail and still pass. This being said, I let the stress control me following my submission for about a week. Then I decided to think a little more logically. I only had to get 35 points and I would pass. It couldn’t be too difficult to do, right? Right. My fateful three weeks came and went with a passing grade landing in my inbox. The state of Illinois actually decided that I could become a teacher.
With edTPA now under my belt, the countdown to graduation and the feat of actually becoming a licensed teacher was upon me.