I have been a teacher for over 27 tears and love to teach.I have a BS degree in Education and a minor in Art.My certifications are in elementary education, middle school education and gifted education. My student teaching period involved two separate grades, kindergarten and first grade. I earned honors in student teaching. I have taught in Connecticut, California, Zurich, Switzerland, Birmingham, Alabama and Columbia, Missouri.Most of my teaching has been in private schools where I helped developed the curriculum to be used on my team.I always enriched the curriculum at every level I taught...from preschool to high school. I especially like teaching Mensa Math for gifted students, creative writing and poetry.
My experiences are varied at all levels: Kindergarten in a public elementary school in Rowland Heights, CA in 1969-72: I enriched every subject as well as taught the new SWRL Reading Program with 52 consumable books. My students were so successful that during my second year of teaching,I had as many as fifteen administrators and teachers observing my teaching for multiple times during the school year.I always made games to be used for the students to learn reading and math. And, mothers(3-6 daily) volunteered to work in my class to make the reading and math programs successful.
Third grade in a private school in Zurich, Switzerland 1972-1975: Although there were many applications for teaching jobs, I was lucky enough to obtain one for almost three years.This was a job of a lifetime! I worked with international students and teachers and taught third grade, first/second combo, and preschool. I actually taught third grade for almost three years and then returned from the states when the headmaster needed me to teach the other levels for a few months at a time.The teachers were very creative and put a big emphasis on drama, art, self expression and independence.My students wrote and performed their own plays as well as acted out poetry for the entire school. The level of academic achievement was very high there.I also taught an after school art class to preschool students through seventh grade.I loved working at that unique international school!
Montessori teaching, ages 2.5-5 in Birmingham Alabama 1975-1980: Here I was trained to use a different approach to learning...especially at such a young age. Our team used the Golden Beads to teach reading and met to develop the curriculum to make it challenging and interesting. The pay was minimal, but the students were bright and anxious to learn. I also taught the upper level students in history.
Public school in Columbia, Missouri, 1980-1896 involved working as a substitute teacher for a couple of years in all the elementary, and some of the junior high and high school grades. My first job gave me temporary certification to teach high school special ed. So again, I developed the curriculum under the guidance of a team leader and taught five classes at two different high schools to students with 30-50 IQ in one school and students with 51-80 IQ in the other school.The emphasis here was on learning very basic survival skills. These classes of 12-15 students were a challenge to teach without an aide or support teacher.The students liked me, and often asked me to adopt them.I felt the progress with such a large group was slow, but steady.I have since worked with special ed students very successfully in a smaller group and on a one-to-one basis.
Then, I worked at an elementary school in Columbia and taught first, third, and sixth grades. I developed the enrichment curriculum for all subjects because I had so many bright students who needed more to keep them involved with each subject. I also spent my lunch period, before and after school tutoring students who needed extra time to absorb the material. I made games for any student who needed reinforcement in a subject according to his/her learning style. It's been very rewarding because a number of students have kept in touch with me throughout the years.I was on several committees: technology, math, literature, cultural development,and grant writing.
Eventually I taught gifted students in middle school sixth and seventh grades in Columbia. I developed the curriculum for more advanced math(Mensa math, difficult word problems, math puzzles)and science as well as the programs available to me: History Day, Future Problem Solving,etc. I brainstormed with the students to discover what they were interested in learning about and eventually taught: Egypt, Middle Eastern Culture, Experimental Cooking (we developed a cookbook), Engineering Projects,Genealogy- back 3-5 generations, calligraphy Writing, etc. I also worked individually with students who wanted extra help in an area or who wanted to spent the entire day in my classroom. Two brothers wrote a book and asked me to edit and advise as they progressed. I assisted the drama teacher during our free period at school and helped the students learn their lines, apply make-up, design or obtain costumes. One of my jobs was to listen to the problems of the gifted students and help in any way I could. I was recognized at one of the high schools as an outstanding teacher in the district by the students.
I have attended nine colleges and universities for courses I was interested in taking in addition to courses required for teaching: anthropology, statistics, psychology, and in various areas in art.
I feel I would be a very energetic and enthusiastic teacher for almost any level of instruction. I have worked after school as a tutor in Switzerland and California.
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