Assets as an International Educator

My first job out of university was working with rice farmers in the Philippines, helping them to set up a
cooperative system to buy supplies and market their rice. I found I enjoyed learning how to approach
issues from a different perspective. Success for me came from integrating myself into the culture and
complementing the local approach rather than promoting my own way of doing things. This knowledge
made me a better scientist and teacher in the United States. I am now looking forward to a similar
experience teaching in an international school. My background as a field biologist, extensive training in
teaching ELL students, and ability to integrate IB and other standards into our high school curriculum,
will help me be a valuable addition to an international teaching staff.
Many education organizations have recently advocated the inquiry method of instruction. I have used
the IB program, Next Generation Science Standards, and Common Core to convert the biology and
environmental science curriculums at my high school to inquiry based learning. For example, we used to
do a photosynthesis lab in which students simply calculated the rate of oxygen production. They
followed a cookbook-like formula to arrive at an answer. After completing the lab, students typically
wanted to know if their answer was correct. Now I present the class with a question How do
temperature and color of light affect the rate of photosynthesis? Using materials and methods we have
discussed in class, students design their own procedures to answer these questions. With this inquiry-
based approach students are more interested and engaged, resulting in a better understanding of
complex ideas. Now students want to know if their procedures were sound and if their evidence fully
supports their conclusions. These questions demonstrate a much deeper knowledge of the scientific
method and allow students to use their skills to solve real world problems.
I feel that I am particularly well suited to be a successful teacher in an international school. I struggled
myself when trying to learn a new language in the Philippines. When I became a teacher, I intentionally
focused on students who did not have English as their native language. As the lead ELL teacher in our
science department, I use tools from SIOP, Thinking Maps, and ELL theory to help students build
communication skills using appropriate scientific language. Recently, I had a student arrive from Mexico
without extensive formal education. We used visual aids to match images with scientific words and
quickly built his academic vocabulary while ensuring he also understood the underlying concepts.
Other students have joined our school with a strong academic background, but limited command of
English. For these students, my emphasis is on helping them to express scientific ideas. I arrange labs
that pair them with native speakers and allow them to practice using English to discuss concepts prior to
presenting their findings to the class. This broad array of approaches has helped students improve their
language skills and become much more successful on science assessments.
In addition to core science classes, I teach several elective courses. Over my 5 years at the school,
enrollment has grown from 20 to over 125, despite these classes having the reputation of being
challenging. This growth shows not only my commitment to delivering well planned and interesting
courses, but also that students find value in my approach to teaching. Students are engaged in my
classes due to my humor, sincere interest in their lives, and enthusiasm for my subject. As a result,
discipline issues are limited and we can move more quickly through challenging content. I believe my
approach is universal and would be effective in a wide variety of cultures. I am looking forward to the
adventure of spending many years teaching in a new and different environment.