About me as an international educator
I am an international educator and American expat. I am currently teaching at Singapore American School (SAS) in Singapore and am enjoying my fourth year teaching here. I currently teach Advanced Topic Geography and Field Research, and Grade 9 World History. I'm a firm believer in experiential education and incorporate opportunities for this within the curriculum and learning experiences for my students throughout the year.
Teaching Certifications
Copy of Teaching Certification |
MY CLASSROOM WEBSITE
WILL TELL YOU MORE ABOUT ME AS AN INTERNATIONAL EDUCATOR THAN A RESUME WILL TAKE A LOOK! |
HIGHLIGHTS
- 21 years experience in curriculum writing, program development, and instructional training
- 13 years certified classroom teaching experience; AP and IB teaching experience; U.S. Certified Teacher
- 13 years seamlessly embedding technology into the classroom
- Extensive experience in experiential education, service learning, and project/problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum
- M.A. degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with specialization in Environmental Education
- Certifications include: Social Studies (Grades 4-12); Science (Grades 4-8); Gifted & Talented (G/T K-12)
- Former Military Officer & U.S. Delegate for United Nations, Maritime Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC)
- July 2013 – Singapore/Malaysia, Educational Ambassador, U.S. State Department for Sustainable Development Studies
- Strong professional background in environmental & natural sciences, geography, government, and political science
- Diverse international & intercultural experiences; traveled extensively throughout U.S., 41 countries & 5 continents
Current Teaching Role at
Singapore American School
Singapore American School
40 Woodlands Street 41Singapore 738547 Tel: +65 6363 3403
Current Teaching Positions (2019-2020):
Additional Roles & Responsibilities:
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Previous Teaching Roles and Responsibilities at SAS:
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Co-designed the Advanced Topic Geography course to phase out AP Human Geography and transition to a geography course that mimics the authentic work of career geographers and allow for in-depth investigation into geographic phenomena and concepts. Key design elements of the course is to give student agency in geographic coursework and allow for authentic fieldwork.
Work closely within two Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) to develop inquiry-based curriculum for both courses currently taught, and continue to work to embed concepts of diverse disciplines into the Social Studies curriculum. Previously served on the World Studies interdisciplinary course PLC. Often conference with and advise Catalyst students working on campus environmental projects to help them network and find campus and community experts to assist and mentor them with their semester-long projects.
Current Additional Roles & Responsibilities include: Blue Planet Initiative Service Club Sponsor; Zero Waste Task Force Member; Bali Service & Tropical Ecology Interim Sponsor; Grade 12 Advisory Teacher; Grade 9 Humanities Course Development Team Member. Previously sponsored the middle school Global Issues Network (GIN) service club and co-sponsored the high school GIN club for two years; chaperoned students attending the Shanghai GIN Conference (2018) and Kalimantan GIN Conference (2016).
Work closely within two Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) to develop inquiry-based curriculum for both courses currently taught, and continue to work to embed concepts of diverse disciplines into the Social Studies curriculum. Previously served on the World Studies interdisciplinary course PLC. Often conference with and advise Catalyst students working on campus environmental projects to help them network and find campus and community experts to assist and mentor them with their semester-long projects.
Current Additional Roles & Responsibilities include: Blue Planet Initiative Service Club Sponsor; Zero Waste Task Force Member; Bali Service & Tropical Ecology Interim Sponsor; Grade 12 Advisory Teacher; Grade 9 Humanities Course Development Team Member. Previously sponsored the middle school Global Issues Network (GIN) service club and co-sponsored the high school GIN club for two years; chaperoned students attending the Shanghai GIN Conference (2018) and Kalimantan GIN Conference (2016).
Previous Teaching Experience
IB Humanities TEACHER, GRADEs 7 and 8 (2014-2016)
CHADWICK INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL,
SONGDO, SOUTH KOREA
Primary Position:
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Additional Roles & Responsibilities:
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Description of Roles and Accomplishments (2014-2016):
Classroom Teacher:
MYP Individual and Societies (Social Studies/Humanities) classes; I taught two sections of Grade 8 and three sections of Grade7. I was the lead teacher for both of these courses that were taught by other teachers at CI. With 2014 being CI's first year offering MYP, I worked to develop the Grade 7 and Grade 8 curriculum, designing each unit, each assessment, and established interdisciplinary projects that became annual traditions for the Grade 7 and Grade 8 students. I collaborated across the Social Studies Department with the other teachers to ensure both grade level curriculum's scope and sequence align vertically with other grade level courses in content, concepts and skill-level. Additionally, I brought in guest speakers to my classes to help understand what they are learning about the world to real world issues and people working in careers to address these.
Middle School Service Learning Specialist:
Prior to my appointment in this position, CI did not have a Middle School Service Learning Specialist and did not have a service learning program for middle school. For two years, I worked with the Experiential Education Director and Campus Service Learning Coordinator to build and define both the service learning specialist role and the service learning program at CI. I served as the Middle School Service Learning Specialist which involved meeting weekly with administrators and staff to plan division service events; scheduled weekly conference meetings with middle school faculty requesting assistance in implementing service and action into their curriculum, and with grade level lead teachers to coordinate grade level service days, division and campus-wide service events, and global service trips. By the second year we had students in each grade level actively involved in service club rotations. I worked with Grade 7 teachers in piloting a new middle school global service program. We partnered with the Camarines Norte community in the Philippines and successfully completed a middle school service learning trip in February 2016. This program continues to run as an annual service learning trip for middle school studetns.
Songdo Youth Council Sponsor:
In 2014, I worked with the Experiential Education Director to co-found and create the Songdo Youth Council, the first of its kind in this region of Korea, that established a platform for high school and middle school students to connect with youth across the city, come together on a regular basis for the purpose of express their ideas and concerns as youth leaders, and to work towards having an active voice in the community and local government. in 2015 we successfully brought middle school and high school leaders across the city together to launch Songdo Youth Council on their campuses. After schools recruited youth and established their campus programs, we brought each school's council representatives together to meet and share ideas. I worked with our high school students to develop a city-wide youth survey; this was presented to the local Korean Board of Education and electronically shared to local schools; this allowed our students to collect data on students' ideas and concerns--and their vision for our city.
MS Model United Nations (MUN) Sponsor:
During 2014-2015 school year, I worked with Grades 6-8 in preparing them for MUN conferences. We collaborated with our sister school in Palos Verdes, California and had mixed delegations of students from both the U.S. and Korea working together on the same delegation and in the same committees. I chaperoned students for the MUN Hong Kong conference, November 2014. I also chaperoned our high school students for the SEOMUN conference in Seoul.
MS Global Issues Network (GIN) Sponsor:
I prepared two teams of middle school students to participate in the Shanghai GIN conference in March 2016. The teams I mentored developed local projects within our community to address environmental issues and peace and security issues and presented workshops at the conference.
Sustainability Committee Representative:
I served as the middle school representative for this campus-wide initiative. I served on a committee with the head of school, administrators, community stakeholders including the Green Climate Fund, parents, and representatives from high school environmental student clubs. In 2015 we conducted faculty surveys, developed a matrix to conduct cost-benefit analysis of proposed sustainable project implementation, implemented efficient green technology. In 2016 we continued to work towards further waste reduction practices engaging with high school student environmental service clubs to help educate the faculty and staff on how to change their printing practices to reduce paper waste and focused on education outreach to change community habits.
Classroom Teacher:
MYP Individual and Societies (Social Studies/Humanities) classes; I taught two sections of Grade 8 and three sections of Grade7. I was the lead teacher for both of these courses that were taught by other teachers at CI. With 2014 being CI's first year offering MYP, I worked to develop the Grade 7 and Grade 8 curriculum, designing each unit, each assessment, and established interdisciplinary projects that became annual traditions for the Grade 7 and Grade 8 students. I collaborated across the Social Studies Department with the other teachers to ensure both grade level curriculum's scope and sequence align vertically with other grade level courses in content, concepts and skill-level. Additionally, I brought in guest speakers to my classes to help understand what they are learning about the world to real world issues and people working in careers to address these.
Middle School Service Learning Specialist:
Prior to my appointment in this position, CI did not have a Middle School Service Learning Specialist and did not have a service learning program for middle school. For two years, I worked with the Experiential Education Director and Campus Service Learning Coordinator to build and define both the service learning specialist role and the service learning program at CI. I served as the Middle School Service Learning Specialist which involved meeting weekly with administrators and staff to plan division service events; scheduled weekly conference meetings with middle school faculty requesting assistance in implementing service and action into their curriculum, and with grade level lead teachers to coordinate grade level service days, division and campus-wide service events, and global service trips. By the second year we had students in each grade level actively involved in service club rotations. I worked with Grade 7 teachers in piloting a new middle school global service program. We partnered with the Camarines Norte community in the Philippines and successfully completed a middle school service learning trip in February 2016. This program continues to run as an annual service learning trip for middle school studetns.
Songdo Youth Council Sponsor:
In 2014, I worked with the Experiential Education Director to co-found and create the Songdo Youth Council, the first of its kind in this region of Korea, that established a platform for high school and middle school students to connect with youth across the city, come together on a regular basis for the purpose of express their ideas and concerns as youth leaders, and to work towards having an active voice in the community and local government. in 2015 we successfully brought middle school and high school leaders across the city together to launch Songdo Youth Council on their campuses. After schools recruited youth and established their campus programs, we brought each school's council representatives together to meet and share ideas. I worked with our high school students to develop a city-wide youth survey; this was presented to the local Korean Board of Education and electronically shared to local schools; this allowed our students to collect data on students' ideas and concerns--and their vision for our city.
MS Model United Nations (MUN) Sponsor:
During 2014-2015 school year, I worked with Grades 6-8 in preparing them for MUN conferences. We collaborated with our sister school in Palos Verdes, California and had mixed delegations of students from both the U.S. and Korea working together on the same delegation and in the same committees. I chaperoned students for the MUN Hong Kong conference, November 2014. I also chaperoned our high school students for the SEOMUN conference in Seoul.
MS Global Issues Network (GIN) Sponsor:
I prepared two teams of middle school students to participate in the Shanghai GIN conference in March 2016. The teams I mentored developed local projects within our community to address environmental issues and peace and security issues and presented workshops at the conference.
Sustainability Committee Representative:
I served as the middle school representative for this campus-wide initiative. I served on a committee with the head of school, administrators, community stakeholders including the Green Climate Fund, parents, and representatives from high school environmental student clubs. In 2015 we conducted faculty surveys, developed a matrix to conduct cost-benefit analysis of proposed sustainable project implementation, implemented efficient green technology. In 2016 we continued to work towards further waste reduction practices engaging with high school student environmental service clubs to help educate the faculty and staff on how to change their printing practices to reduce paper waste and focused on education outreach to change community habits.
PRE-AP world geography TEACHER, Grade 9 (2012-2014)
International School of the Americas (ISA),
San Antonio, Texas, USA
School's Website
- Developed rigorous interdisciplinary curriculum; seamlessly embed technology & communication skills into lessons; strong emphasis on 21st century skills, opportunities for real-world problem-solving, independent research projects involving student inquiry, collaboration in group projects & perspective-based & problem-based learning (PBLs).
- Participated as one of two educators nationally-selected for a year-long U.S. State Department program, American Youth Leadership program (AYLP); Completed a 1-year study of sustainable development in Malaysia and Singapore; traveled and researched sustainable development in Malaysia & Singapore. Chaperoned 18 AYLP high school students during month-long trip to Malaysia & Singapore to serve as educational ambassadors (Summer 2013).
- Chaperone and coordinated student trips: took all 9th grade students (120 students) to Heifer Global Village in Arkansas (USA) to participate in week-long poverty simulations and learn to use appropriate technology for sustainable development.
- Developed 8-week Global Environmental Problems (GEP) interdisciplinary unit culminating in students developing comprehensive environmental policies. Students presented their environmental policies to a panel of faculty & community experts to evaluate their proposed domestic and foreign policies for promoting sustainable development and using appropriate green technologies to address global environmental, health and economic issues.
- Coordinated International Student Exchange Programs: hosted and coordinated cultural student exchanges from schools in South Korea, Japan and various Central American countries. Coordinated and Chaperoned student travel to Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea.
- Motivated students to get involved & become informed citizens & socially-responsible leaders; empower students to make positive changes within their own community & the global community.
- Mentored and expose students to career opportunities within fields of international issues by bringing in speakers during a semester lunch-time guest speaker series.
- Sponsored the following student clubs: campus International Food & Foreign Film Club and International Music Club; co-sponsor of campus Interact Club, an international service club for youth (supported by International Rotary Club of San Antonio).
PRE-AP world cultures & geography TEACHER, Grade 6 (2007-2012)
S.T.E.M. Academy, Nimitz Middle School
San Antonio, Texas, USA
School's Website
In addition to 5 years of teaching, these were my roles, responsibilities and accomplishments:
In addition to 5 years of teaching, these were my roles, responsibilities and accomplishments:
- Sponsored campus clubs & programs: Served as Campus Academic U.I.L. Coordinator & Academic Coach for Maps, Graphs and Charts (2011-2012); Founder & Sponsor of S.O.S. Campus Service-Learning Program (2010-2012); coached Academic U.I.L. Social Studies (2010-2011); Sponsored Model United Nations (2007-2009), Sponsored Ecology Club (2008-2010).
- Developed a campus-wide service-learning program, Students Offering Service (S.O.S.); developed lessons to incorporate student involvement in service-learning projects addressing critical economic & educational needs & environmental issues for local & international communities; developed “virtual classroom” online coursework & forums to enrich classroom instruction;
- Published newsletter articles & press releases to district’s website to promote classroom activities & campus events; multiple service-learning projects successfully received local media coverage (Chemo Caps for Cancer project; One Day Without Shoes event; Walk a Mile in Someone Else’s Shoes Extreme Poverty & Water Issues Awareness Walk).
- Leadership roles on campus: selected by Principal as member of campus OHI (Occupational Health Index) Leadership team; Served in district’s grade-level focus group for curriculum development; direct involvement in interview & hiring selection process of subsequent teaching positions filled as STEM Academy expanded.
- Accomplishments: Academic UIL team won 2nd Place in Final District Meet (2012); 100% student participation in service-learning activities & lessons for a “Semester of Service” (2011-2012); only middle school teacher/campus in U.S. to pilot a service-learning project for Nuru International (2011); 100% student participation in National History Fair (2007-2010); Model United Nations (MUN) students won 2nd place awards at Texas A&M Global Issues Conference (2008); designed & assisted students in implementing & maintaining campus community garden & constructing outdoor classroom (2008-2009)
OTHER PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
United states coast guarD (USCG) (2002-2007)
Military Officer
various positions & locations
USCG Environmental Health, Safety & Training Program ManAGER, Houston, TX, USA (2005-2007)
- Supervised safety staff & unit medical corpsman. Administered occupational safety & health program;
- Managed safety & training oversight of 16 units along Texas Gulf Coast. Developed training modules; conducted educational presentations;
- Coordinated enrollment in specialized training courses for 300+ personnel.
- Left active-duty military as Lieutenant/O-3 officer.
- Conducted safety & security exams on foreign ships in compliance with international environmental safety & security regulations.
- Interviewed in United Nations-sponsored BBC-Worldwide documentary, “Invaders from the Sea” (released 2006), selection for film based on extensive knowledge of U.S. regulations and policy pertaining to aquatic nuisance species.
- Managed USCG's national Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) education & outreach program. Provided direct outreach to local schools, and events in Washington, D.C. area. Managed $800K budget.
- Developed website with IT staff to improve outreach to U.S. government agencies, industry & public.
- Served as U.S. Delegate for 49th Session of United Nations’ Marine Environmental Protection Committee in London, U.K. Collaborated with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) & National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in development of national guidelines & rulemaking process for U.S. & international maritime environmental laws.
Recreation DirectoR (2001-2002)
Litchfield Beach & Golf Resort
Pawleys Island, South Carolina,USA
- Directed 20+ recreation staff for fitness, recreational & kids’ camp programs, & college internship program.
- Managed budget, staff needs and payroll.
- Recruited staff & interns; mentored & evaluated interns’ performance for graduation requirements.
INTERPRETIVE NATURALIST (2000)
Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Potato Creek State Park
North Liberty, INdiana, USA
- Presented daily educational seminars;
- Provided guided nature hikes & coordinated service projects for scout groups and park visitors;
- Assisted in on-site research & natural resource management of park property.
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION COORDINATOR, AMERICORPS MEMBER (1999)
National Corporation for Service, Indiana Dept. of Environmental Management Indianapolis and Elkhart, INDIANA, USA
- Presented environmental education & health outreach programs in schools across state;
- Developed environmental science curriculum; provided guided trail programs to schools; improved city/county parks;
- Conducted river monitoring & water quality testing;
- Provided advisory assistance to classroom teachers with outdoor science classrooms/labs;
- Collaborated with state health department to conduct childhood environmental health risk assessments.
- Completed 1700 hours of volunteer service.
Outreach Program Coordinator (1996)
Clean Water Fund of North Carolina
Asheville, North Carolina, USA
- Developed & directed youth environmental & social justice programs in collaboration with YWCA & city housing programs.
- Co-Founder of Youth Organizing Project;
- Investigated groundwater permits & lab tests of superfund site in East Flat Rock, North Carolina.
EDUCATION
United States Coast Guard Officer Candidate School June 2002
United States Coast Guard Academy, New London, Connecticut, USA
M.A., Interdisciplinary Studies, Specialization: Environmental Education May 2000
Lesley University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
B.A., Environmental Studies, Concentration: International Environmental Policy May 1996
Warren Wilson College, Asheville, NC, USA
United States Coast Guard Academy, New London, Connecticut, USA
M.A., Interdisciplinary Studies, Specialization: Environmental Education May 2000
Lesley University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
B.A., Environmental Studies, Concentration: International Environmental Policy May 1996
Warren Wilson College, Asheville, NC, USA
- Completed Global Studies winter semester program at United Nations in New York, NY, USA, 1996
- Completed one semester of International Development Studies in Sri Lanka, India, & Nepal, 1994