Experience Summary
My resume:
Objective:
To dedicate my passion, organizational and time management skills as a professional educator and child advocate in order to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the goals consistent with the student's needs and abilities.
Experience:
2008-2011- Abby Kelley Foster Public Charter School-Worcester, MA
Special Education Teacher
General Duties:
• Develop Individualized Education Programs (IEP) for each student receiving Special Education. Setting personalized goals for the student and is tailored to that student's individual needs and abilities, including transitions plans
• Responsible for providing specialized services for a caseload of 24 students, grades ranging from fifth through eighth with a variety of disabilities
• Chair and facilitate IEP meetings, parent conferences and lead grade level Team meetings for the middle school
• Collaborate and plan instruction with general educators to adapt curriculum materials, teaching techniques, accommodations and differentiation strategies to meet the various needs of students with disabilities both within and out of the general education classrooms
• Collaborate with the interdisciplinary Team, including the Psychologists, Occupational Therapists, Nurse practitioners, grade level and Special Education teachers, and families to discuss the child’s progress and plan future goals
• Assisted the Spanish speaking community by translating information during IEP meetings, parent/teacher conferences and telephone conversations
• Developed and implemented district wide social skills program, related to the Autism Spectrum
• Fifth grade special education liaison for 14 students (2009-2010)
2010-1011
• Sixth grade liaison for a caseload 12 students receiving specialized services
• Assistive technology point person
• Administered testing such as, Woodcock Johnson, Dibbles, The Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA)
Developed and implemented an MCAS intervention program to assist student
learning strategies, strengthen test taking skills and to improve student scores
• Training staff in the knowledge of students with disabilities
• Consult on a daily basis with the adjustment counselor to establish coping mechanisms and de-escalation strategies to be implemented for special education students that also require support in the area of mental health
2006-2008 Seven Hills Charter Public School-Worcester, MA
Speech/language Therapy Assistant
• Provide Speech/language therapy services for twenty-seven students with a variety of articulation and language disorders. Age ranges from kindergarten through the eighth grade
• Conduct speech and language kindergarten screenings (DIAL-3)
• Other duties include attending Team meetings, parent conferences, writing progress reports, assisting the SLP with writing goals and objectives for student’s Individual Education Plans
• Administer the MEPA, MELA-O and MCAS tests for children with and without specialized accommodations
• Document child’s progress toward meeting established objectives as stated in their treatment plans
• Assist the Speech/language Pathologist and collaborate with interdisciplinary Team, including the Psychologists, Occupational Therapists, Nurse Practitioners, grade level and special education teachers, and families to discuss the child’s progress and plan future goals
• Conduct small group social skills intervention for children both on and off the speech and language caseload
• Develop, provide and instruct a social skills, pragmatics and life skills program at the Worcester Public Library for students within our school setting in need of further services (Summer of 2007) which resulted in helping achieving a grant for Seven Hills Charter Public School
ELL Instructional Assistant
• Provide ELL students with strategies and techniques that assist in developing the English language
• Give lessons on a weekly basis that fit into the curriculum by the Massachusetts State Frameworks for grade 2 through seventh
• Differentiate lessons for the students according to the level of language acquisition skills (Beginning, beginning-intermediate, intermediate and transitioning)
• Increase the students’ comprehensibility and language acquisition skills, as well as, teaching skills that help to utilize complex thinking
• Provided consistent communication and collaboration with classroom teachers to deliver strategies and assist with differentiating instruction to meet the needs of ELL students
• Provided rich instruction that enhanced ELL students listening, speaking, reading and writing skills with confidence building strategies where the students could monitor their own success on a weekly basis which resulted in confidence building
2004-2006 Wachusett Regional School Districts –Holden, MA
Speech/language Therapy Assistant
• Evaluate and assist children on the Speech/language caseload with moderate to special needs
• Maintain the progress of each student and attend Team meetings
• Implement Speech and Language therapy to meet the goals and objectives
based on the child’s Individual Education Plan
• Assist the Speech/language Pathologist(s) and collaborate with interdisciplinary Team, including psychologist, occupational therapist, nurse practitioner, grade level and special education teachers, and students families to discuss the child’s progress and plan future goals
Major Edwards Elementary School- West Boylston, MA
After School Program Teacher
Assist the supervisor with 60 students, kindergarten through the fifth grade; with computer learning, homework, tutoring and worked especially with children who had language delays and on the Autism Spectrum
Provide techniques and strategies to assist with coping and de-escalation skills for
Student’s that required behavioral modifications
1998 Stratus Computer Technologies-Maynard, MA
Summer Internship
Responsible for typing and organizing a complete manual for the instruction and use of HPUX and VOS computer systems with Customer Service.
Teaching Style
I am a strategic based teacher that enhances my students learning through finding their own particular learning style. Each student has and individualized learning approach to their studies. Once they find what works for them, they will succeed. It is my job as an educator to help them find that out. I like to use a multi modality approach so that students learn all different types of learning styles, this way they may pick and choose certain styles that work for them. For example, If the students are writing about a short story they have read, to help them get their thoughts on to paper, I would assist them with graphic organizers to prompt them to list of jot down vocabulary words or important people places or things in the story however, in a manner that helps them to do this with a proper beginning, middle and end. All of this is visually designed on the graphic organizer to help the students. This approach can be used and modified for students of all grades and at all levels of learning.
My Hobbies
My hobbies range from power walking, yoga, zumba classes and exercising. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends. I love my cat Calvin and I love to dance.
Other Comments
I have been teaching for 9 years and I know I have found the right profession for me. There is nothing more gratifying that seeing one of my students achieve better grades and become more independent due to my help.