9691 WEst Coco Cir. #208 • littleton, CO, USA 80128

PHONE 303-748-8524 • E-MAIL [email protected]

I am interested in filling an English position at an international school.  I taught at an international school in Honduras for two-and-a-half years, designing a 9^th and 10^th grade pre-IB curriculum using IB rubrics.  Currently I am teaching 11^th grade IB A1 and have developed a thorough understanding of the IB program and its mission.  However, I enjoy teaching kids of all ability levels and I look forward to the challenges of working at a new school in a new cultural setting.  I love teenagers— their angst and frustration, their innocence and awe, their sometimes searing insight— and I believe all students, regardless of ability level, can achieve high levels of success.  To read my philosophy, please see my webpage at www.geocities.com/justinithegr8 and click on about instructor, then click philosophy.

M.A. Curriculum and Instruction, University of Colorado at Denver

          May, 2002

BA, English / English Writing, Minor in Philosophy, University of

          Colorado at Denver, May, 1999

Certification in International Baccalaureate A1 English, 2005

C.D.E. Professional License, June, 2003

Presenter:  Performance-Based Assessment In-service, Cooperative Learning, 2002

Professional Development Certificate, Classroom Management, Adam’s

           County District Twelve Schools, March, 2001

                                8/20/05 – Current: 9^th Pre-IB, 11^th IB A1, 12^th Expository

                                Writing, Cherokee Trail High School

During the ’05-‘06 school year I taught Expository writing, a college preparatory class focusing on rhetoric and composition.  I also taught Pre-IB 9^th grade English, a class focused on preparing kids for the IB program.  Currently I am still teaching this 9^th grade class, but I’m also teaching 11^th grade IB A1.  In this class I’m responsible for teaching three world literature texts and helping students complete their world literature paper 1, and will also help students complete a workable rough draft of paper 2 to be further revised during their senior year.  I will be teaching the school’s choice portion during the second semester and we will be completing the IB individual oral presentation.  I will also be helping the 12^th grade teacher with the 12^th grade recorded orals.

                                1/17/05 – 6/27/05: 9^th, 10^th, Honors 10^th, and Drama,

                                Clear Creek High School

I was a long-term substitute (full time position) at Clear Creek High School.  I taught two sections of 9^th, two sections of regular 10^th, and one section of 10^th grade Honors English.  This rural school has small class sizes so I focused on using group dynamics to create accountability for reading and participation.  Some of the kids were apathetic and frustrated by school, but by building relationships many changed their attitude in my class.  I taught great texts to 9^th, including Lord Of The Flies, Romeo and Juliet, and To Kill a Mockingbird; while 10^th read Siddhartha, Frankenstein and Much Ado About Nothing.

                                 8/16/02 – 12/17/04: Pre-IB 9^th and 10^th grade English,

                                 The American School in Tegucigalpa, Honduras

I taught 9^th and 10^th grade, preparing students for the rigors of the IB program.  Focusing on literary analysis, composition, and rhetoric, I used IB rubrics and developed assignments that utilized cooperative learning techniques that held individual students accountable. Beyond the classroom, I also did intensive curriculum mapping and helped develop English standards for 6^th through 12^th grade.  I enjoyed my time at the school, participated in many extracurricular activities, and learned a lot about Honduran culture and teaching.

                                8/22/01 – 6/12/02:  English Teacher, Smoky Hill High

                                School

I taught three sections of American Literature and two sections of Reading Workshop.  The reading classes consisted of freshmen who were below grade level in their reading skills.  We focused on the strategies employed by proficient readers while reading difficult texts.  The American Literature classes consisted of sophomores and the focus was on surveying the classics in American Literature.  I taught this class by genre, focusing on the elements of each while developing a deeper understanding of the major themes.  The writing in this class consisted of literary analyses, persuasive essays, and a documented research paper on a theme in American Literature.

                              4/16/01 - 5/6/01:  Long Term Substitute

I taught four sections of reading at Niver Creek Middle School.  These classes were part of an intervention program funded by Title I grant money and were designed to quickly bring students up to grade level using reciprocal teaching strategies and engaged reading techniques.  This experience led to a deeper understanding of the reading process and how readers construct meaning as they read.

                              1/2/01 - 4/13/01:  Final Internship (UCD Masters)

During this internship at Niver Creek Middle School I designed and taught two complete units, including a one week unit on figurative language and vivid imagery in poetry.  In preparation for the CSAP, we read and studied exemplar poems and also wrote poems of our own.  The second unit was a six week literature-circle unit using historical fiction set during the time of the American Revolution.

2005 – Present:  Colorado Language Arts Society

2000 - Present:  National Council of Teachers of English

1997 - Present:  Sigma Tau Delta, Honors English Society, University of

           Colorado at Denver chapter.

August, 2005 – Present:  Assistant boys and girls golf coach, Cherokee Trail High

            School

December, 2005 – Present:  Environmental Club Sponsor, Cherokee Trail High

            School

August, 2004 – December, 2005:  Model United Nations, American School

           of Tegucigalpa

August, 2002 – June, 2003:  Rotary Club, Smokey Hill High School