Professional Resume

 Nicole Hurd

nicole.e.hurd@gmail.com

319-594-0083

Permanent Address

1241 Michelle Ct.

Iowa City, IA

52240

Link to Professional Resume Below:

Resume

Standard 6- Communication

Communication
The practitioner uses knowledge of effective verbal, nonverbal, and media communication techniques, and other forms of symbolic representation, to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and support interaction in the classroom. Communication is a vital component in every classroom that gives a picture of how the teacher relates to her students and relays information.Communication that is clear and concise lays the groundwork for better classroom management and better relationships amongst the teacher and students.

To begin my days with my Kindergartners I picked them up from the library and walked them down to our room. Before entering the room the students were lined up along the wall outside. I would raise my hand to indicate to them mouths needed to be closed and ears turned on so they could hear my instructions for the morning. Their signal to me that they were ready was placing their pointer finger on their lips. When all the students were signalling I would explain what I expected of them. Most days I gave the same dialogue: "Take your chairs down, conduct folders out of your backpacks, finish any work from yesterday, if you don't have work to finish read a book from your table's bin. I will come around to check your homework." Doing this every day was a signal to them that school is starting and they needed to get themselves into school mode. It was also a great tool in communicating expectations when mornings were different or their would be a change in the normal routine of our day. Some days the students needed to complete Reading Mastery papers so instead of telling them to read or finish work I would tell them that a Reading Mastery page is at their desk and that needed to be completed while I was checking folders. This whole process took only a few minutes, but it is full of verbal and nonverbal forms of communication that supported interactions within the classroom.

Morning Routine

7:45am Gather students from the library and walk down to the room.

7:50am Stop outside the classroom. Signal to students morning instructions are going to be given (hand raised palm to students). Students’ respond by placing pointer finger on mouth to signal they are ready to listen.

7:52am “Good Morning everyone I’m so glad you came to school today. We are going to have a great day. Go into the room quietly, take down your chairs, take out your conduct folders, and finish any work from yesterday that is on your desk. When that is done you may read books from your table’s bin while I come around and check your homework.”

7:53am Students enter and get started following through on the directions

On days when there are changes to our normal routine my greeting and instructions reflect those changes so students are aware of them. Example: “Good Morning everyone I’m so glad you came to school today. We are going to have a great day. Go into the room quietly, take down your chairs, take out your conduct folders, and finish any work from yesterday that is on your desk. We are going to be practicing for our PTA performance this morning so when your table is called to put away your back packs line up at the door so we can go to the stage to practice.”

One activity that I designed to help my fourth grade class review for TAKS testing was Math Jeopardy. This game was designed to help students collaborate to determine the answer for the question chosen. By playing Jeopardy the students were practicing reasoning and problem solving skills as a collaborative group and as individuals. In the PowerPoint the slide that shows all the objectives and the 'money'  amounts was the signal to students that the question had been answered fully and that the previous team or a new team would be picking a new question and it was time to quiet down and focus. I never had to address the issue students understood what that slide meant and showed me they were ready by closing their packets and waiting for my instruction. The Jeopardy activity incorporated many of the aspects of communication within the classroom by pulling in nonverbal and media with the PowerPoint slides, collaboration, problem-solving, and active thoughtful inquiry when questions were revealed and discussed. Math Jeopardy Power Point

Jeopardy Review

Objective: TEKS 4.1-4.16 The learner will review concepts in TEKS 4.1-4.16 by reasoning and solving multiple problems in a game of Jeopardy.

Materials: Jeopardy PowerPoint, Question Packet, Pencils, Timer

Vocabulary: Estimate, Equivalent, Polygon, Vertices, Trapezoid, Parallelogram, Quadrilateral, Hexagon, Reflection, Acute, Obtuse, Right, Perpendicular, Mass, Capacity, Volume

Warm-up: Students will be grouped heterogeneously by ability into groups of 4-5 students. Ask students if they have ever watched Jeopardy or played a version of it at school? Let a few students share, as they are sharing pass out the Question Packet. Instruct students to leave the packets face down and then go into the explanation of what we are going to do today.

Instructional Plan: Establish the rules of play: Packets will remain face down until a question is being posed to a group then the students may look in the packet and reason through the question. Quiet voices are expected when discussing problems. The team that has chosen the question will have the first chance at answering and explaining how they came to the answer. In the event that they are incorrect the other teams will have 30 seconds to decide on an answer, write it on a white board, and raise it in the air. The first team with the correct answer will be awarded the points and will get to choose the next question. All individuals are expected to show work for all problems. Teams will only be able get points from two correct answers in a row; after that the next team in numerical order will be given the opportunity to pick a question and answer. Students will be respectful to everyone and no arguments will be allowed.

Play will start by rolling a die to see which group will start. The game will be played until all questions are solved or time has expired.

Closure: “After reviewing all of the objectives that you will see on the TAKS do you feel confident about taking the test?” “What are some areas where you would like more practice?”

Assessment: Informal assessment will be made from student discussion and answers to the questions reviewed.  Formal assessment will be made using the packets and the work students did during the game.them both at different times in my future class. 

Teaching Philosophy

It is my belief that children have a natural desire to learn and understand what they are learning. As a future teacher I feel it is important to build off of this natural desire. While lessons should follow the district guided curriculum it is important to incorporate student led lessons to convey to students that you notice their likes and interests. These small tangents in lessons get students engaged in their learning and that engagement can be transferred to the learning in other disciplines in school.

Because students will have different interests and areas of expertise it it’s important to know them and to differentiate instruction to match these differences. One way to accomplish this is to teach using multiple strategies. Another is to incorporate several of the multiple intelligences when teaching.

I believe it is important to be very hands on as a teacher. Many students learn the best when they can get involved by physically doing or observing the topic being taught. Because of that I will try to incorporate learning devices in every subject. Examples would be using base ten blocks to teach students about numbers or collecting Monarch Caterpillars to observe the life cycle.

While it may seem like a daunting task to incorporate these three elements into everyday lesson planning I believe that it will make me a better teacher for my future students. I know that by incorporating these elements I will reach all of my students and that is the purpose of teaching; to reach each student, to help them learn, and to make them feel important. Incorporating these elements into my lesson planning from day one will make it a routine and thoroughly enjoyable task.

Standard 9- Collaboration, Ethics, and Relationships

Collaboration

The practitioner fosters relationships with parents, school colleagues, and organizations in the larger community to support students’ learning and development. Communicating and working with parents builds relationships that allow parents to participate fully in their child’s education. One great way to continuously communicate with parents is a sending home a weekly note at the beginning of the week with homework and giving daily notes on behavior and other important happenings.

For my Kindergarten parents I sent home a weekly homework paper in their conduct folders, every Monday, which gave the homework for each night with a spot to write the conduct grade and additional notes as needed. Parents are asked to initial their child’s reading every night so this was a way for me to know they saw the homework and conduct each night. When parents had questions or concerns they wrote a note on the homework section or on a separate piece of paper and clipped it to the sheet. I checked the students’ folders daily in the morning and received the notes and responded as needed. When it was time for benchmark testing I included that reminder and that it was very important to have the student at school each day. Having this weekly paper in their folders opened a line of communication that allowed for any confusion to be cleared or for parents to voice initial concerns so a conference could take place where those concerns could be discussed. When a parent asks about homework or reading grades the papers can be referenced to show where the discord is happening and where they can further support their child. Learning doesn’t just take place at school it needs to continue at home and by having clear instructions for parents in regards to homework allows that learning to continue outside of the school environment. Example Weekly Homework/Communication Sheet

I also had the unique opportunity of working with the Aldine District ESL teacher of the year. Ms. Frasier was my cooperating teacher for my first placement. I was in her classroom for four weeks when she was nominated. Because of the extended time I spent observing her and the relationship we built after school hours she asked me to write a letter of recommendation for her portfolio that was to go to the school board for voting. The letter expresses my true feelings and attitude about her teaching and extra responsibilities that she takes on. My letter was just a small factor in the decision to award her ESL teacher of the year, but I believe it speaks volumes to the relationship and repertoire we built in four short weeks. Because of this relationship I learned and grew more in my seven weeks with her by collaborating and talking through all of my plans for each day. This gave our students the best possible instruction and made me a teacher that is responsive to others opinions, aware of all students’ needs, and comfortable with contacting parents.

To Whom it May Concern:

As Ms. Fraser’s student teacher I have been able to observe her in many capacities throughout my time with her. It was clear from the first day that she takes extra time to get to know all of her students individually and provides a structured environment that enhances their learning. Because she knows her students so well they know that she cares deeply for them and in return they love and adore her. This relationship that she builds with her students helps her in creating a classroom that is full of the joy of learning. Her relationships with each of her students’ continue on through their entire careers at Carmichael Elementary. She continues to be a positive presence in their school lives and encourages them to keep working towards their best.

Ms. Fraser has continually made unique and individualized lesson plans that provide the rigor and relevance that the district is encouraging all teachers to provide in their daily lessons. She continues to help me in lesson planning as I am not familiar with the sequencing and standards that are being covered during my time with her because I moved down here from Iowa to student teach. Ms. Fraser has made sure that I get all the resources and training that I may need while I am here. Because of her persistence and encouragement I was able to be trained in Reading Mastery.

Ms. Fraser is always happy to share her ideas and lessons with her fellow Kindergarten teachers and any others that ask for her help and ideas. She has been very open with me and helped me to grow as a teacher and an individual. Ms. Fraser has been a great example of a master teacher. In her role as grade chair she has shown me that being in charge of a group of teachers can be a challenge at times, but through hard work and encouraging others all the work that needs to be accomplished can be completed above and beyond expectations. Her excellence in the role as grade chairperson has played a large part in bringing cohesiveness among the Kindergarten classes.

I am very sad that I will be leaving Ms. Fraser’s class at the end of February because I do believe I was placed with the best teacher in the district and the state of Texas. I know that even though I will be at another school in the district she will continue to guide and support me during my entire student teaching experience. This kind of guidance and support and all of her characteristics make her the best candidate for Aldine ESL teacher of the year. 

Sincerely, 

Nicole Hurd

Keeping parents aware of the happenings in the classroom and what should be completed at home creates a team aspect that will keep students learning. Working as a team with parents shows the students’ that you are invested and that they are worthy which will help in building relationships with the student creating a class that is responsive to your instruction. Collaborating with other educators strengthens lessons and allows for educators a forum to discuss events in the classroom and get opinions and advice about was to respond to the events. This creates a community that will hold each person accountable and an environment that supports students’ continuous learning.  

Standard 10- Computer Technology

Technology

Everyday there is new technology introduced to the world and to the classroom. As an effective educator it is important to embrace the new technology and incorporate it into lessons and teach your students about the technology so they can use it as well. I incorporated technology into many of my lessons; two types in particular really excited the students and got them engaged in their learning.

During my student teaching I used the ELMO to show students many things, but one in particular that really helped the students with the interaction with technology was using it to show the poetry notebook. Students would come up to the ELMO, point to the letter being identified, circle the letter, tell whether it was capital or lowercase, students also identified sight words in the short poems, and highlighted them. This interaction was just about exposing the Kindergarten students to the technology while learning. They all loved the chance to come up to the ELMO and do this.

I used power point to create the Jeopardy game and the projector to show the slides. Having the slide on the screen and in front of them on a paper gave them the ability to work together and individually. It also gave them a different type of format that they had never seen before and could get excited about using.

Incorporating all different types of technology in instruction give students exposure and the opportunity to observe and learn about the technology. In a world were new technology is always coming out exposure to them creates opportunities for students to learn how to use them and how to function in a world that relies heavily on technology now.