Samantha Licon

El Paso TX
selicon@miners.edu
May 9, 2018

Denise Missry
Asa Messer Elementary School
1655 Westminster Street
Providence, RI 02909
Phone: (401) 456-9401

Dear Mrs. Missry:

I am applying for the position of Certified Elem. 4 ESL at Asa Messer at Bridgham based on a

recommendation from a previous professor of mine Michael Tucker. I will graduate in December

of 2019 from the University of Texas at El Paso with a Bachelors in Interdisciplinary Studies

with a concentration of EC-6 Generalist. I have been in my current school district for about five

years as a substitute teacher. So I am very comfortable working with children in a classroom

setting and comfortable with all grade levels. As well as working with diverse children and

special disabilities. I am a very positive person and always looking for ways to motivate

students. I treat all the students I have substituted for as my own by showing them compassion

and sincerity in the classroom.

Since I have worked with all grade levels I am very qualified to teach diverse students in

any grade. I know all diverse students need to have differentiated instruction in order to gain the

most content available. This is because not all students learn the same way or the same pace. For

this I can use learning stations to differentiate instruction. This helps by students doing different

activities and still gain the content. The students will work on math problems and then switch to

computer lessons based on the individual's needs. I will also have a station where some of the
students will do a guided reading lesson with me. This will help the students get the one on one

time that they really could use.

I am very aware of the different disabilities that students could have. So I will have to

approach all students with several instructional practices. To get a better idea of exactly what is

their disability because they might just have a physical disability versus a cognitive. Only by

interacting with my students will I be able to determine these practices. For example, I can

control the difficulty of the task given to the level of my students. I will use small groups that I

will interact with on a daily basises. The classroom will be filled with visuals such as graphic

organizers, anchor charts, pictures, diagrams so the students will be able to get the key ideas and

concepts. I will model strategies and learning practices for the students to use and give my

students opportunities for feedback. This will help support their learning now and in the future.

Since your district has so many different backgrounds and languages and cultures.

Coming from El Paso we are very diverse city as well. So I am capable to teach all kinds of

students no matter the culture. Not all children will have the same background so I need to

respect them all and include them. I am culturally conscious to not stereotype or make all

students feel uncomfortable. Having so many diverse lessons, this will help the students see and

hear from multiple perspectives. Since this is a ESL position most of my instruction will be in

English to teach the students. But I will use the students home language as a resource for my

English instruction so they feel comfortable still using their first language.

Most important is to work with the families because they are the support systems for my

students along with myself. All parents should be notified and be given permission before

identifications and evaluations for the placement of the child. I will respect request from my
parents if they feel their child need to be tested or placed out of these specific instructions for

plans. I will also inform my students parents about their child's progress with or without

disabilities all students and parents will be treated the same. Keeping the families involved will

be just one of the many ways to advocate for my students as well as creating a positive home

school relationship.