APPLICATIONFORSTUDENTTEACHING

Date:
8/25/2015

ApplicantsName:
ReganMeyer
CollegeBox

CurrentTelephone:
(605)3219812
HomeAddress:
1613S2ndAve.

City:
SiouxFalls
State:
SD
ZipCode:
57105

HighSchoolAttended:
LincolnHighSchool

MiddleSchool/JuniorHighAttended:
PatrickHenryMiddleSchool

ElementarySchoolAttended:
MarkTwainElementary

Major(s):
B.A.inGeographyM.Ed.inTeaching

Minor:

Attacharecenttranscript.

Portfoliowebsiteaddress:
rmmeyer.weebly.com

OR

ProvideCDversionofportfolio.

SFSD.EDS.07/20/15

Pleaseprovideshortanswerstothefollowingquestions:

EffectiveClassroomInstructor

1. Describethecharacteristicsofaneffectiveteacher.
Ibelievethataneducatorshouldbeproperlypreparedandholdhighexpectationsforalltheir
students.Thisisnottosaythatweshouldbedemandingunrealisticresults,butratherpushing
eachstudenttoachievehisorherhighestlevelofexcellence.Asenseofhumorandgreat
compassioncangoalongwayincultivatingmeaningfulrelationshipswithyourstudents.By
treatingstudentsfairlyandshowingthemrespect,theteachercanaidinastudentssenseof
belonging.Teachersmustbeinnovativeandcreative:neverwillingtosettlewithhackneyed
methodology.However,Iconsiderhumilityandforgivenesstobesomeofthemostintegraltraits
ofall.Lettingthestudentsseethatwearecapableofmakingmistakesandthatwearewillingto
ownuptoit,canhelpbreakdownthehierarchicalbarriersbetweenteacherandpupil.

2. Howwouldyoumeettheindividualdifferencesofstudentsinyourclassroom?
Notwostudentslearntheexactsameway.Somemaybenefitfromvisualizingtheirsubject
matter,whereasotherspreferreading.Manystudentsliketostudyprimarilyingroups,andsome
otherslikeindependentwork.Asaneducator,itismyjobtoensurethatmystudentscan
comprehendthesubjectmatterregardlessoftheirdifferentlearningstyles.Onewaytonegotiate
learningpreferencesistoprovidedifferentiatedinstructionforlessons.Anexampleofthiswould
betoprovideawrittentranscriptofaudioorvideothatisshowninclass.Providingalternative
assignmentoptionscanalsoaidastudentsunderstanding.Thebestway,inmyopinion,to
maximizeastudentspotentialforknowledgeistoaskthemwhattechniquesbestsuitthem,and
totryandfulfillthosenecessitiestothebestofyourability.Itsimportanttorememberthatweare
nottryingtoeducateeachstudentthesameway,butratherensuringthattheyallreceiveanequal
education.

3. Whatexperienceshaveyouhadthatyoubelievewillcontributetoyoursuccessas
ateacher?
ThroughoutmyculinarycareerIhavefacedcountlessobstaclesandavarietyofnewsituations,all
ofwhichoccurredinthepressurecookerthatisaprofessionalkitchen.Cookingontheline
forcesyoutomovequicklyandaccurately,andrequiresagoodamountofcreativityindire
situations.Also,Iamconstantlyunderadeadline.Everyactionandmovementmustbe
purposefulsothatIdontloseprecioustime.

Theclassroomcan,attimes,functioninasimilarmanner.Iwantmylessonstoserveapurpose
andinspirestudentstosearchforanswersbeyondtheclassroom.Muchlikeeatingafantastic
dishoffood:itcanstirsomethinginsideofyou,begyoutowonderabouteverylittleaspectofthe
ingredients.Thenumberofvariablesinoperationinsideaclassroomarecountless,anditis
impossibletoknowwhatcangowrong.However,withagoodamountofforesightand
preparationateacheriscapableofcurbingorlesseningthepossibleconsequences.Ibelievethat
my10+yearsintherestaurantindustrywillservemewellinanewstyleofpressurecooker:the
classroom.

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4. Whatabilities,talents,orcertificationwillyoubeabletobringtotheclassroom?
Ihavehadthegreatfortunetobegainfullyemployedforthepasttwelveyears,andasaresultIve
managedtocultivateanintenseworkethic.Almostallofmyjobshavetakenplaceinakitchen,
whichis,inmyopinion,oneofthemostgruelingworkenvironmentsimaginable.Thesuccessof
theservicedependsonproperpreparation,complexmultitasking,andtheabilitytokeepacool
headunderpressure.Mytenureintherestaurantindustryhastrainedmetothinkonmyfeet,be
creative,andtoadapttoavarietyofsituations.

Myfamily,friends,andcolleaguesoftencommentonmysenseofhumorandaffability.Ivefound
thatsituations,especiallythoseregardedasuncomfortable,canbeeasedwithpositivityandmild
humor.Ibelievemynaturaltendencytowardscomedycomesfrommydesiretorelatetoallthe
peopleImeet.RegardlessofwhoIamtalkingto,beitapeerorastudent,Iwanttoaddressthem
ontheirlevelofcomfort.Studentsshouldbeabletodiscusstheirconcernswiththeeducator,and
notfeelspokendownupon.Also,asaninstructor,Icanbenefitfromagreatersenseofhumility.
IfstudentscanseethatIamabletomakemistakesandownuptothem,thentheymightseeme
aslessofaninfalliblefigure.

Iamatruebelieverinthepractical,realworldapplicationofsubjectcontent.Knowingwhere
thingsarelocatedataglobalscaleandtheabilitytoreadmapsarenotsufficientinourmodern
world.Iwanttoseestudentstakethelessonstheylearnandbeabletoapplythemtosolve
problems.WhileanundergraduateattheUniversityofSt.Thomas,Ipresentedaresearchproject
onsolarenergyattwosymposiums.IfeltthattheconclusionsIreachedwereimportanttothe
worldofconservationandenergytechnology.Also,IwasemployedintheGISlaboratoryand
completedanumberofmapsforvariousclients.OnesuchmapwasforaprofessorinthePolitical
SciencedepartmentanditendedupbeingpublishedintheJournalofAsianandAfricanStudies.
Teachersshouldalwaysbestrivingtoadvancetheirfields,andIwouldlikestudentstohavethat
passionaswell,forwhateversubjectstrikesthem.

IverecentlycompletedmyPraxisIIexaminationinGeography,andIpassedwithascoreof185.
ThisexceedsthenecessaryscorerequirementforSouthDakota,soIamofficiallyabletoteach
Geography.

5. Whatwouldyouusetobasetheplanningofyourinstructionforstudents?
Itiscrucialallformsofinstructionandlessonplansalignthemselveswiththenecessarystate
standardsanddistrictcurricula.Thisdoesnotmean,however,thatIneedtorelegatethecontent
tothedepthsofmonotony.Rather,IintendtousethecountlesstechniquesIvegatheredoverthe
courseofmystudiestobringthematerialtolife.Studentswillbeencouragedtomakepersonal
connectionswiththematerial,soastoreinforcetheirfamiliarityandknowledgeofthesubject
matter.Astheinstructoritwillfallonmetoensuremystudentscomprehensionofthe
information.Differentiatedinstructionmayprovenecessaryinsomeinstances.

OfthenumberoftheoristsandeducationalphilosophersthatIhavestudied,Ifindtheresearchof
LevVygotskytobethemostcompelling.Hisinsightintothecognitivedevelopmentofchildren
andhowitsintrinsicallylinkedtoindividualcultureandsocietyhasgreatimpactonthefieldof
geography.Theculturalenvironmentinwhichastudentgrowsupcan,andoftenwill,influencehis
orherentirewayofthinking.Eachpersonisendowedwithaculturaltoolkitthatenablesthemto
navigatesocialinteractions.Thesetoolsevolvefromrathersimpledesirestocomplexand
sophisticatedmentalprocesses.Studentscomeintotheirformaleducationwithasetofskillsand
tendencies,anditisuptotheteachertoaddtoandrefinethisskillset.

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Inessence,Iintendonorganizingmyinstruction(s)inawaythatdoesnotsubtractfrom,butrather
addsto,astudentsculturaltoolkit.Lessonsshouldbemadeasversatileandcomprehensibleas
possible.Astudentsindividualcultureshouldneverbeseenasanegativeinregardsto
academia.

6. Howwouldyoueffectivelymanageaclassroomforinstruction?
Asateacher,Itisimportanttoestablishanappropriatelevelofdominanceintheclassroom.
Rolesshouldbeclearandestablished,butwithoutanexcessiveamountofdominion.Clear
behaviorexpectationsandcoherentlearninggoalsshouldbeoutlinedattheoutsetofthecourse.
Studentsshouldunderstandthattheguidelinesarenottobetakenlightly,andthiscanbe
enforcedwithassertivebehavior.Again,itiscrucialthatateacherspowernotbecome
exaggerated.

Educationisverymuchatwowaystreet,thusitisimportantfortheteacherandthestudentto
cooperatewithoneanother.Theteachermustbeflexible,attimes,whendealingwith
assignmentsandcoursework.Therearecountlessvariablesaffectingastudentscurrentbehavior
andprogressinacourse.Teachersshouldalsoshowsomepersonalinterestintheirstudents.
Nothingshouldsurpasstheappropriateteacherstudentbehaviorboundaries,butknowingsome
personalinterestsandcharacteristicsaboutyourstudentcanallowformoreaccurateinstruction.

Teachersneedtobeawareofstudentsthatrequireextraattentionintheirinstruction.Whetherit
isalearningdisability,circumstancesoutoftheteachersandstudentscontrol,orjustastudent
whoishavingdifficultyinthecourse,theycannotbeoverlooked.

Threemajorprinciplesinmypersonalbrandofclassroommanagementareappropriateuseof
praise,lessonvariety,andparticipationasanexpectation.Praisecanbeapowerful,motivational
tool,butwhenusedinappropriatelyitcanalsoprovedetrimentaltoastudentsprogress.Itshould
beusedonlyinfittingsituations,andinproperproportion.Tangiblepraise,likeareward,is
fleeting.Meaningfulpraisethatboostsselfesteemanddeterminationisthemostpowerfuland
longlasting.Lessonvarietyisessentialwhenvyingforastudentsattention.Iflessonsbecome
monotonous,studentsarelesslikelytoretaininformationandcanbecomebored.Ialsobelieve
thatparticipationinacourseshouldnotbeanelectiveact.Manyteachersstillonlycount
participationasasmallportionoftheirfinalgrade.Studentsshouldwanttotakepartindiscussion
andclassroomactivities,andweshouldencouragethat.Especiallyinacourselikegeography,
wherediscussionofculture,currentevents,andothertopicsisessential,studentsneedtowantto
talkaboutwhattheyarelearning.

EffectiveStudentEvaluator
7. Howwouldyoueffectivelyuseassessmentdataintheclassroom?
Forateacher,theassessmentdatacanprovideabaselinedisplayingthecurrentlevelof
knowledgeintheclassroom.Itshouldnt,however,betakenasadefinitivelabelonthatstudents
achievement.Thedatacanalsorevealwheretherearegapsinthelessonbeingassessed.Ifa
significantsumofstudentsmissaparticularquestion,thenitcouldprovethatthereisaholein
thatsubjectarea.Itisthejoboftheeducatortoincorporatetheappropriatelearninggoalswhen
craftinganexam.Thesegoalsshouldaccuratelyalignthemselveswithanyandallstate
standards.

Studentscanutilizeassessmentdatatostayinformedontheirprogresswithintheclass.Also,ifit
isasmallerassessmenttakenduringthecourse,thentheexamcanbeusedtostudyforanyfinal

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examinations.Thetypesofexamsthatbenefitstudentsmostareonesthatreflecttheconcepts
andskillsemphasizedduringthecourse.Aftertheexam,teachersshouldbewillingtoprovide
thoroughfeedbacktothestudentconcerningtheirperformanceonthetestandanylearning
issuesthatmayhavebeendiscovered.

8. Whatkindofdatashouldbekept,reviewed,andusedtoplaninstruction?
Formsofassessmentcanprovemostbeneficialwhenplanningfutureinstruction.Examinations
actasasortoflitmustestwhenevaluatingastudentsprogressinaparticularsubject.Thisisnot
tosaythatcourseworkshouldbedisregarded,ratherthattestsareachancetoprovewhatyou
know.IfI,astheteacher,noticeaseveredisconnectbetweenastudentsdailywork,projects,
andexamsthenIknowthereisanissue.Thenextstepwouldbediagnosewherethereisa
problemandtohelpthestudentrectifyitasbestIcan.Also,ifthereisapartofanexamthatalot
ofstudentsmissthenthefaultcouldpossiblyliewithme.Testsshouldbekeptandreviewed
becauseithelpstheeducatorknowhowtheyonceformattedtheexam,whatmaterialthey
deemedimportant,andhowtheinformationcouldhavepossiblychanged.

Projectsandactivitiesthatexemplifymajorthemesandcoursecontentcouldalsobehelpfulfor
instruction.Thesematerialscanhighlightcreativityanddepthofstudentknowledge,andcanaid
inthedirectionofthecourseinthefuture.Theyarealsoproofofwhatmediumshavebeentried
andsucceededorfailed.Forexample,ifateacherseesthattherewasntalotofenthusiasmfor
makingslideshowpresentations,thenitmaybetimetofindadifferenttemplatefortheproject.It
isimportantthataneducatornotallowtheircoursetogrowstale,becausethiscanleadto
disinterestandagenerallackofcareamongthestudents.

EffectiveCommunicator

9. Whyiseffectivecommunicationsoimportantbetweenteachers,theirpeersand
parents?
Aschoolismorethanjustaplaceofeducationandaworkplace:itisacommunitydependenton
thecooperationandcollaborationofitsteachers.Teachersrepresentacollectiveleadershipthat
feedsoninterdisciplinarypartnership.Whenpeerssupportoneanotherandoffervalidandhelpful
input,thentheyarestrengtheningtheunifiedwhole.

Educatorscanactasvastknowledgestorehouses,whetheritbesubjectspecificorrelatedto
variedyearsofexperience.IknowthatwhenIfeelthesupportofmypeersIaminvigoratedto
pushharderandgofartherinmycraft.Crosscurricularcollaborationalsoaidsinastudentslevel
ofretentionintermsofinformationandknowledge.Forexample,ifIwereteachingalessonon
alternativeenergysources,itcouldprovehelpfultodiscussvariousformswithanenvironmental
scienceteacher.Thatway,thestudentsareexposedtosimilarcontentinavarietyofmediums,
andcaninternalizetheknowledgemoreefficiently.

Bothteachersandstudentsbenefitfrominterdisciplinarycollaborationandcooperation.Teachers
receivesupport,vitalinput,andasenseofprofessionalcommunity.Studentsgainawellrounded
education,alargersystemofsupport,andincreasednumberofopportunitiesforknowledge
retention.

Ahealthyrelationshipbetweenateacherandhisorherstudentsparentsiscrucialtothesuccess
ofthestudent.Ateacherwouldideallyshowgenuinecareforthestudentsandwanttobuilda
solidrapport.Theparentshouldbeactiveandinterestedinhisorherstudentsprogressinschool

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andpersonalwellbeing.Bothsidesoftherelationshiprequiresignificantcommitmentinorderto
functionproperly,butthebenefitsaretwofold.
Parentscankeepuptodateontheirstudentsprogress,andindoingso:
Realizetheirroleintheirchildseducation
Witnessthecompetency,interest,andsenseofempathyoftheteacher
Teacherscangainagreaterunderstandingofthestudentonapersonallevel
Thiscanassisttheteacherwhenaddressingastudentsneeds
Itcanalsoeducatetheteacheronastudentscultureandbackground.

10. Howwouldyouestablishaneffectivemethodforcommunicatingwithparents?
Thefirststepistoensurethatparentsareproperlyinformedofthedirectionofthecourse.This
canbeachievedbyprovidingadetailedsyllabus,utilizinganonlineapplicationforcommunication,
butmostlybymakingsurethattheyarestayingactivelyinvolvedandawareoftheirstudents
progress.OneplatformthatIfindparticularlyhelpfulisEdmodo.Edmodogivestheteacheran
openlineofcommunicationtoboththestudentandtheparent(s).Thenetworkallowsteachersto
sharehomework,distributequizzes,andmanageassignmentsandcommunication.

Althoughitiskeytokeepparentsinvolved,itisalsocrucialthatteachersknowwheretodrawthe
lineintermsofamountofinformationdivulged.Ifateacheroverstepsandrunstoastudents
parentseverytimethereisanissue,thenthestudentmaylosetrustintheteacher.That
hypotheticalsituationcanalsocausetheparenttoquestiontheteacherslevelofcompetence.
Thereisabalancetobestruckinthethreewaycommunication,andthatbalancediffersfrom
studenttostudent.

Personally,mymethodofcommunicationwouldbetwofold.Mycoursewillbedescribedina
detailedsyllabusthatoutlinesmyexpectations,abreakdownthelessons,necessaryreadings,
andthemajoractivitiesandprojects.ThenIwouldcreateaspecificgroupwithinEdmodoforthe
classperiodofthedayinvolved.Thisonlinepresencewillkeepcommunicationlinesopen,
provideremindersthatcanbeheardviaanyInternetcapabledevice,andallowforcollaboration
betweenthestudentsoutsideofschoolhours.

11. Whatareyourshortandlongtermgoals?
Myshorttermgoalsaresimpleandconcise:tocompletemysemesterofstudentteaching,receive
myMastersdegree,andfindajobteachinggeography.Ihavenodoubtinmyabilitiestoachieve
thesegoals,andtodosowiththehighestdegreeofaccomplishmentIcanmuster.WhileIam
realizingthesegoals,Ialsohopetodoasmallamountoftraveling,andtobecomecertifiedin
teachingMiddleSchoolSocialStudies.

Whenitcomestomappingoutmytrajectoryforthefuture,Iamratheruncertain.Idefinitelywant
tocontinueinmyeducationcareer,butthereisstillasmallpartofmethatwillalwaysbedrawn
backtothekitchen.Ivebeentoyingwiththeideaofowningafoodtruck:awaytokeepbusy
duringanytimenotspentinaclassroom.However,thiswillmostlikelyhappen,ifever,farther
intothefuture.

UltimatelyIwanttobecomeapositive,educationalinfluenceinthelivesofmystudents.

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12. Inwhatsecondaryarea(s)orelementarygradelevel(s)doyoufeelbestqualifiedto
teach?
Ireceivedmyundergraduatedegreeingeography,andIwouldliketoteachthatsubjectmatterat
asecondarylevel.Ideally,Iwouldbeabletoteachgeographyinahighschoolsetting.AlthoughI
havenotyetpassedmyPraxisIIexaminationinMiddleSchoolSocialStudies,Icanalsoenvision
myselfinstructinginamiddleschool.Iintendontakingthenecessaryexaminationpriorto
graduatinginthespring.

13. Describeyourinvolvementinprofessionalorganizations.
Iamcurrentlynotinvolvedwithanyprofessionalorganizations.

Transportation:
14. Willtransportationbeanissueevenifyouareassignedtomultiplesites?
No,transportationshouldnotbeanissue.

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