Teaching Goals
My goals as a teacher involve interaction and collaboration with colleagues, students and families. Without the input of all of these groups, I believe the students will not reap the most benefit from my class. An important first step to the school year should be clear and cordial communication with parents, to establish a rapport with them before any occasion for “bad news” arises. Communicating with parents will allow me to both understand the students and their individual needs better, and build a relationship with families as an ally in education rather than someone who is judging their child.
Collaborating with fellow teachers and support staff provides teachers with a valuable perspective when deciding how to approach an individual student’s needs. As a student teacher, substitute, and paraprofessional, I have found the time spent collaborating with fellow teachers to be extremely valuable, and several students have seen a direct benefit from this collaboration. Many modifications or new approaches for specific students were integrated into the curriculum to offer an alternative to all students.
Ultimately, the students are the focus of all of my efforts as a teacher. Analyzing data and listening to their feedback on the material and assignments helps me assess and adjust for the future, to ensure that my teaching is as effective as it can be. Another aspect of this is using the students’ strengths and interests to help them succeed in connecting to the material. For example, I have offered an element of choice in many homework assignments which draw on different abilities. A student may choose to draw a political cartoon on the subject, write a letter as a specific character related to the topic, or use several vocabulary terms in sentences. These assignments allow students to find a relevant connection to the class while using their strengths, which gives students a feeling of success and results in more meaningful learning.
Following, you will find an annotated list of my academic and teaching experience thus far. This will demonstrate how my outlook on teaching has been manifested in real-life experiences. Collaboration, reflection/adjustment, and focusing on students' needs have allowed me to succeed as a student teacher, substitute teacher and paraprofessional, and will help me succeed as a professional educator.
Academic and Teaching Experience
2013-2015 Teaching Experience:
Classroom Teacher, Highville Charter School, October 2013-Present
In this position, I have taught English and history to ninth and tenth graders since October 2013. Aside from all of the ordinary demands of teaching, I have also contributed to the development of the high school curriculum for both Language Arts and social studies for Highville Change Academy, the new high school program at Highville Charter School. I met with curriculum development specialists from CREC throughout the 2013-2014 school year, and with their expert guidance and training, I designed more than a dozen UBD-style unit plans aligned with the Common Core State Standards.
2012-2013 Experience:
Building Substitute/In-School Suspension Monitor, East Hampton Middle School, September 2012-December 2013
As the building substitute, I provide coverage for all teaching staff as needed, which has included two long-term assignments. I served over a month as a seventh grade social studies teacher, during which I was responsible for all planning, preparation, and parent contact, including parent conferences. Another assignment consisted of five weeks as a one-to-one paraprofessional with a special needs student, which included constant collaboration with general education and special education teachers to ensure that the student was challenged to perform to the best of his ability.
As the in-school suspension monitor, I have contributed to the design and implementation of a plan for students assigned to in-school suspension, which includes providing instructional assistance and encouragement to students to complete their assignments while maintaining discipline. The main focus is on helping students to modify unacceptable behavior and emphasize positive skills.Keeping records and completing necessary reports are also components of the ISS program.
2011-2012 Experience:
Part-time Paraprofessional and daily substitute teacher, East Hampton Middle School, October 2011-September 2012
As a paraprofessional, I worked in two sections of an eighth grade Social Studies class and two seventh grade Language Arts classes. I collaborated with each teacher to reinforce previously introduced information and provide small group instruction as needed. I helped find primary and secondary sources to supplement the curriculum, and helped the eighth graders complete research for their interdisciplinary Historical Fiction project. I also oversaw a Multiple Intelligences project for my co-taught Language Arts class.
The project required students to complete a checklist of traits in order to determine the multiple intelligence category with which they most closely identify. After the students identified their category, we discussed the various learning activities and careers that would be associated with each category. Finally, I gave students a rubric and graphic organizer regarding the poster they were going to make to explain their multiple intelligence category. The results of this project were outstanding; the nine identified Special Education students in the class had some of the highest grades and put in a great amount of effort.
My substitute experience this year has included a long term position for another paraprofessional, in sixth grade science, seventh grade Language Arts and eighth grade Language Arts. I have also substituted for various teachers at East Hampton High School, in subjects such as Science and Calculus. When teaching subjects in which my background knowledge is scarce, I always ask a student to explain their current topic, especially if some students claim that they won't be able to complete their assignment. This helps me get an idea of what they are studying, as well as reinforcing their learning by having them share it with me and/or their peers.
2010-2011 Substitute Teaching Experience:
Long-term Substitute Social Studies Teacher, East Hampton Middle School, January-May, 2011
In this position, I taught seventh grade social studies, which consisted of units on introductory geography and Latin America. I have included a small research project on culture and a major project on Latin America. Other responsibilities of this position have included report cards, updating assignments to an online site, attending regular team meetings, and parent conferences. In this position, I have also collaborated extensively with colleagues such as other social studies teachers, Spanish teachers, the library media specialist and support staff to provide students with a fun and rigorous curriculum.
Daily Substitute Teacher, CREC Two Rivers Magnet Middle School, East Hartford, Sept. 2010-Jan 2011
At Two Rivers, I have subbed for teachers, support staff, and paraprofessionals, and have worked with students in grades 6 through 8. I have become familiar with the reward system in place to encourage positive behavior and responsibility: "high five" stamps are given to students who exhibit desired behaviors, and are taken away from students who misbehave or fail to meet their responsibilities. Knowing this detail has set me apart from other subs the students see: when I offer to give a high five, or to take some away, the students suddenly pay much closer attention to my directions.
B.A., Sociology, Central CT State University, New Britain, CT, May 1997:
While pursuing my Bachelor’s degree in Sociology, I learned about the social aspects of the issues surrounding inequality and the treatment of minorities, juvenile delinquency, deviance, death & dying, the family unit, different cultures, and several aspects of Anthropology as well. This area of focus has taught me to wonder how people end up the way they are, as a group and as individuals, and has informed my interactions with others since graduation. Learning about different cultures has helped me relate to others with great respect for the differences and similarities we all have, according to our individual and group identities. This thoughtful approach to social interaction has helped me assess the best way to communicate with students, parents and colleagues, in order to establish a good rapport and achieve positive results for the students.
Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Certification Program, Central CT State University, May 2010:
Returning to school after ten years of being an at-home mother was both exhilarating and demanding. I enjoyed learning about economics, history and educational psychology as I began to envision what my personal approach to teaching would be. Learning about the history of the world and of our country in depth allowed me to think about what is most important to present to students so they can understand the “big picture” of history. After my first semester, I passed the Praxis II Social Studies content knowledge test as a prerequisite to acceptance into CCSU’s professional program for teacher certification. Learning about effective teaching strategies helped me identify the things I was doing as a mom and a Girl Scout leader that included elements of teaching, which bolstered my confidence that I would be able to succeed as a teacher. My observation placements in Bloomfield, Hartford and New Britain all helped me see the educational theories I had learned about in action, used by experienced teachers who provided me with a great example of how to reach students of different abilities. Finally, I was inducted into Kappa Delta Pi, the National Honor Society for Education, in May 2009, thanks to my graduate GPA of 3.96.
Student Teaching Experience: Cromwell High School, January-May, 2010
Differentiation:
As a student teacher, I incorporated many methods of differentiation into the curriculum, such as student choice homework/test questions including creative writing, drawing and expository writing. During instruction time, I used methods such as the inclusion of visual sources like graphic organizers, political cartoons and maps throughout the curriculum, both for civics and World History. Collaboration with support staff and special education staff allowed me to determine which modifications some students needed on an individual and ongoing basis. This collaboration extended to include attendance at two PPT meetings for two students involved in the special education department. To enrich the curriculum, I used many primary sources such as speeches, photographs, letters, articles, etc. I also used various audio and video clips to provide alternatives for students with different learning styles. The primary sources and audio/visual materials exposed students to many different points of view on the topics we covered.
Administration/Data Collection:
Over the course of my student teaching experience, I developed a proficiency in the Power Teacher grading and attendance system, including the generation of progress reports, comments, quarterly grades and student reports. I was also involved in the three-tier Early Intervention Program with two students who were failing because of missing work. These students were referred to various programs offered at Cromwell High, such as the credit recovery program, in which students are pulled out of study halls and other free time and monitored by a special staff member until they complete the required assignments. The EIP program included a process of filling out specific forms and communicating with my department's EIP liaison, parents and guidance counselors. In a more general way, I collected and used data to determine what adjustments needed to be made to the curriculum. For example, when many of my 9th grade students were having difficulty completing homework, I adjusted by providing them with a choice of homework questions that might align more closely with their interests and talents, such as drawing or creative writing. Many students responded well to this element of choice, and turned it in on time. Finally, I was involved in the administration and grading of a practice CAPT test to tenth grade Civics students in February 2010, and I designed and facilitated a CAPT-style research essay assignment for ninth graders in World History. This assignment allowed the ninth graders to master the five-paragraph format while developing their research skills.
Technology:
While student teaching at Cromwell High School, I developed proficiency in Star Board software and Exam View test generation software. I used the star board nearly every day, to write lists of student ideas on the board, display and interact with PowerPoint presentations, and view Internet pages and video clips. The Exam View program allowed me to quickly generate several tests and quizzes, and I loved being able to modify existing questions or add my own. Throughout my experience as a student (undergraduate and graduate), and through personal use, I have developed mastery of common Microsoft programs such as Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Internet Explorer, and Excel. I have also used the Apple i-movie and Windows movie maker programs, and have developed a web quest studying Presidential inaugural addresses, which can be accessed at www.inaugurationday.weebly.com
Assessments:
I created and administered five unit tests and many quizzes, which included DBQs, short answers, and essay questions. I also created several alternative assessments including a Legislative Branch board game and a political cartoon assignment, as well as a CAPT-style take-home essay test and a political party poster project. Finally, I designed many homework assignments, some of which included student choice questions allowing students to use their strengths to succeed with the material. Many others involved students’ own opinion on the topic, such as my “political compass” assignment, which directed students to test their political views on a website that has devised an elaborate test and a four-point “compass” rather than a two-dimensional axis to define people’s views as conservative or liberal. These kinds of assignments motivate students to find out more about themselves while connecting class material to their own lives.
Professional Development/Collaboration:
During regularly scheduled Professional Development, I participated in four PD sessions, including the Positive Behavioral Support program, 21st century learning skills, and vertical teaming with Middle School teachers to synchronize the social studies curriculum in response to the new State Social Studies standards. These meetings showed me how faculty members work together to benefit every child in the school district. On a smaller scale, I also participated in weekly PLC meetings with the Social Studies department of Cromwell High School, in which we planned uniform assessments and shaped department policy regarding research paper standards. These meetings were very helpful, and as a department we were able to brainstorm ideas and approaches to difficult problems we were facing. For example, my cooperating teacher had given me a CAPT fill-in-the-blank essay worksheet to modify for my ninth grade research essay assignment, and I was able to share the format with another social studies teacher who was encountering difficulty getting his lower-level students to understand the required format of their research papers.
Additional Experience:
As the mother of three girls, I began volunteering for Girl Scouts in 2001. Since then, I have been acting as a troop leader for my oldest daughter’s troop, and have recently started leading my youngest daughter’s troop as well. This experience showed me how valuable it is to help a child live up to her potential; there is truly no other feeling like it. Seeing these children grow up into responsible young ladies has been so gratifying, and I look forward to helping them develop into young adults as their mentor and advisor.
