MEA Field Representative

• Aug 2019 - Present

8th Grade Educator

• 2013 - Jun 2019

•Designed & implemented standards-based grading system for the 8th grade, focusing on continual growth through student reviews and retakes. Redesigned student assessments, in-class work & teacher record-keeping for all core subjects to mitigate understanding & streamline communication. Revised system to align with current educational research & sustained system for 6 years. •Led creation, refinement & maintenance of the ELA Common Core curriculum. Developed & implemented detailed writing structure, adopted as a part of the chosen district-wide ELA curriculum. Collaborated with colleague to publish book entitled The Write Structure based on this curriculum. •Served as the school ELA representative on the district-wide ELA Vertical Alignment Team & acted as lead secretary for the team. Met with colleagues to refine common language, assessments & curriculum for grades K-12. •Transformed school atmosphere by developing intrinsic motivational climate for 8th grade students & staff. Encompassed one-on-one meetings, a growth mindset grading policy & mental health awareness. •Coordinated beneficial TED Talk-style program for students, allowing staff members to share narratives to empower students. Organized & managed weekly staff & community presentations on relevant life lessons for students beyond traditional curriculum. Successfully coordinated over 25 talks for 200 participants each year. •Built & maintained an 8th grade library comprised of over 2,500 books. Initiated & managed online library organization & systems. Established & facilitated a weekly after-school Book Club designed for 8th graders, attended by 20% of the 8th grade class. •Composed & received several Caledonia Education Foundation grants totaling $7K & managed fundraisers in the community to bolster engagement in literary studies. With these efforts, over 2,000 books became available for students. Maintained records & reported on program effectiveness & retention before the Caledonia School Board. Show less

Long Term Substitute Teacher

• 2012 - 2013

• Taught and constructed individualized daily lesson plans for various electives and core courses. Implemented program designed to leverage multiple literary strategies for all students, supporting individuals struggling to pass MEAP scores and foster improvements in literacy, reading fluency and word association. • Developed group and one-on-one writing workshops in collaboration with several departments. Created first-ever ELA Common Core curriculum, enhancing student writing proficiency in ELA and social studies. • Supported students outside classroom environments through sponsorships at extra-curricular academic clubs. Served as chaperone for numerous events, functions and fundraisers. Show less