To Whom It May Concern:

While I was a student at Cupertino High School, I had many teachers who taught me about their subject specialities but also about how to be an adult in the real world. I had teachers who consistently inspired me to go into this career because I wanted to share my passion for my subject matter with the next generation, just like they did with me. After all, you never know when you might inspire the next student to follow their dreams as well. Over these past four years, I have been teaching in a freshmen Social Studies Survey class, which educates freshmen about global issues and the impact they can have on problem solving and changing these. In addition I pioneered and led my school district with the implementation of the AVID program. From these experiences, I have been able to successfully collaborate with a variety of departments, have become a known leader on my campus by being a Technology Coach and leading Professional Development, and implement technology in the classroom in alignment with Common Core standards. For these reasons, I am a prime candidate for the Social Science teaching position.

I am a prime candidate for the Social Science teaching position because I have been able to successfully collaborate with other departments at my current school site. I have been able to collaborate with departments all over campus through the successful implementation of the AVID program. In order to establish a successful AVID program, teachers from core departments across campus have to be involved in order to support and promote this program. I am the core AVID elective teacher, as I have taught three AVID classes with the first graduating class happening next school year. As being the core representative of the AVID program, I have had to help promote the program to incoming freshmen and have attended and presented at parent nights. There are many components that I have had to organize and be in charge of when it has come to the implementation and continuing success of the AVID program. Another way I have worked with other departments on campus is by being in charge of Tiger OT, which is an after school tutoring program that is held three days a week in the library. I have had to organize Math, English, Science and a Social Science teacher to be there in order to help students and provide free tutoring to them. From the AVID program and Tiger OT, I have been able to work collaboratively with colleagues from all departments.

At my school site, I was provided with the opportunity to step into a leadership role my second year through being a Technology Coach. Through being a Technology Coach, I was able to design and lead Professional Development around the implementation of technology such as Google Classroom. I would also host Tech Thursdays, where teachers could learn about a specific tool for that week that they could then immediately use in their classrooms. These tools would include Google Extensions and Add-Ons, how to create their own classroom website, and even troubleshoot with Aeries (our student management and gradebook software). Even though this leadership role was officially destroyed at the end of last school year, I still receive emails and asked for help and advice on how technology can be further implemented in colleague’s classrooms. I hope to continue my leadership skills as it has to do with educational technology at the next school site that I work at.

Lastly, I have implemented technology in Social Studies classes in creative ways that align with Common Core Standards and help my students critical thinking and problem solving skills. One of my favorite activities that I have implemented in my class is called Amazing Race: World Religions. Students are provided with a link to a Google My Maps, which I created, where students read and annotate an article and then have to fill out a Google Form about what they have learned from this article. Once they have completed the Google Form, then they are provided with the link to the next map. Through this activity students are having to analyze and then apply secondary sources through the implementation of technology. At the end of this unit, students are then provided with all of the tools in order to create their own Google My Maps with sources and a Google Form for me to fill out and test. I want my students to be able to challenge my thinking in the classroom as much as I challenge theirs through the curriculum and use of technology in new ways.

Thank you very much for your time. I hope that you will consider me for this opportunity at your school site. I am grateful for the opportunity to apply for this teaching position and I look forward to hearing from you soon.