Thursday, September 10, 2009
It's a waiting game
Class started for the fall three weeks ago and I am excited to again be back in class. I loved student teaching and although I am sad that I am not employed by a school, I understand that we have become certified at a hard time in our nation's history, and that we are playing a waiting game. I am thankful to be completing my M.Ed. and coaching at the same time. I am thankful that I have two schools that I can sub at. I am thankful that I am able to work as a restaurant manager as I wait for teaching positions to open up again, for districts and the archdiocese to "unfreeze" their budgets. Life has been good to me, and I recognize this and am happy! No longer frustrated (okay, I'm still a little bit frustrated!), I can see the blessings of God and understand that I am playing a waiting game. It is only a matter of time before the economy jumps back to where it had been before the housing/market crisis. I am thankful to be able to make money in other ways as I wait it out. More to come later....
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Frustration
My fellow classmates and I have been feeling what one may call frustration in regards to finding a teaching job. Out of the twenty five of us, all Social Studies certification grads finishing student teaching in the spring, only one has found a teaching job. They laughed at us in our last class meeting, saying that we'll all be waiting tables and tending bar. What is not funny is the time, effort, and funds we have put into our job searches. Each application, each district, each school, each government check, each resume, cover letter, recommendation, each visit to a school, each phone call following up, all of this seems to go unnoticed. We were told there was a "shortage" of teachers. Ha! Now there is not only a surplus, there is also a lesser rate of retirement, increasing the frustration of new teachers, each of us trying to get into a school and hit the ground running. We have so much passion for our subjects and students! We are new, green, fresh, excited to create lesson plans, grade papers, and sit through professional development. We have taken on roles in schools as coaches, study hall attendants, and substitutes, hoping that this will tilt the balance toward us as potential full time faculty. But the paperwork is starting to get to us. Instead of complaining about teachers who only want to do the least amount of work to not lose their jobs, try hiring some of us "newbies" and see what we can do. We're ready and waiting. So as I work as a restaurant manager by day, soccer coach by afternoon, and full time application completer and blogger by night, I hope that you may think some of our frustration is at least comical. Because if we can't find some humor in our everyday, we'll be searching for it forever.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
It's my intention
It's my intention that you will read these posts and be convinced that the experiences I have had over the years of my life have prepared me to teach high school social studies.
In the summer of 2007 I went back to school to pursue Teacher Certification in Secondary Social Studies and a Master's degree in Secondary Education. That summer I took American Civilization 1865-Present and History of Women in the U.S. In the fall I took Intro to Geography, Topics in European Civilization Western Europe to 1715, General Psychology, and Foundations of Education. The following spring I took Learning and Development in the Secondary Setting, World History for the Secondary Classroom, Instructional Design, and Examining History, Community, and Social Justice in Education. The summer of 2008 I took Differentiated Instruction. That fall I took Curriculum and Methods of Teaching History and Social Studies, U.S. History for the Secondary Classroom, American Government for the Secondary Classroom, and completed my 100 hour observational internship. In the spring I completed my Student Teaching at Affton High School and my Social Studies Teaching Seminar.
These classes, a mix of social studies content and educational theory/practice, have added to my understanding of education and teaching, adolescent behavior, and the contextual nature of history. To quote from one of my professors, "Ms. Reh easily grasped the more sophisticated nuances of both the historical content and teaching strategies" (Westhoff). I have maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout these past two years, and have only 12 hours left to complete the Masters Degree. I am a member of the National Honor Society Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and largest collegiate honor society dedicated to the recognition and promotion of academic excellence in all disciplines. I am also a member of the Organization of American Historians, a professional organization devoted to the study of American History.
At Affton High School, I created and implemented curriculum units for two periods of Honors World History II and two periods of World History II. I co-chaperoned the student trip to the 56th Presidential Inauguration and acted as digital photography technology coordinator on the trip. I developed innovative curriculum to accomodate different learning styles, integrated technology using various methods including SmartBoard Interactive Whiteboard, and maintained a positive learning environment by establishing positive rapport with students and teachers. I also participated in Parent Teacher Conferences, Professional Development Days, and curriculum planning meetings.
I am currently the Junior Varsity Soccer Coach for Notre Dame High School in St. Louis, Missouri, my alma mater. The season starts this spring, so I will be sure to keep you updated as to our schedule and record once we get started. As a player, I was a NAIA Scholar Athlete 2000-2004, MYSA Youth Soccer Head Coach 2000-2002, NAIA National Tournament Final Four 2003, MSHSAA 1A-3A 2nd Place State Championship 2000, MSHSAA 1A-3A 3rd Place State Championship 1999, and Honorable Mention All State Team 1999. I am skilled in Coaching Principles, strength and conditioning, weights, circuit training, health, and fitness. I also coached youth basketball from 1997-2000.
In the summer of 2007 I went back to school to pursue Teacher Certification in Secondary Social Studies and a Master's degree in Secondary Education. That summer I took American Civilization 1865-Present and History of Women in the U.S. In the fall I took Intro to Geography, Topics in European Civilization Western Europe to 1715, General Psychology, and Foundations of Education. The following spring I took Learning and Development in the Secondary Setting, World History for the Secondary Classroom, Instructional Design, and Examining History, Community, and Social Justice in Education. The summer of 2008 I took Differentiated Instruction. That fall I took Curriculum and Methods of Teaching History and Social Studies, U.S. History for the Secondary Classroom, American Government for the Secondary Classroom, and completed my 100 hour observational internship. In the spring I completed my Student Teaching at Affton High School and my Social Studies Teaching Seminar.
These classes, a mix of social studies content and educational theory/practice, have added to my understanding of education and teaching, adolescent behavior, and the contextual nature of history. To quote from one of my professors, "Ms. Reh easily grasped the more sophisticated nuances of both the historical content and teaching strategies" (Westhoff). I have maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout these past two years, and have only 12 hours left to complete the Masters Degree. I am a member of the National Honor Society Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and largest collegiate honor society dedicated to the recognition and promotion of academic excellence in all disciplines. I am also a member of the Organization of American Historians, a professional organization devoted to the study of American History.
At Affton High School, I created and implemented curriculum units for two periods of Honors World History II and two periods of World History II. I co-chaperoned the student trip to the 56th Presidential Inauguration and acted as digital photography technology coordinator on the trip. I developed innovative curriculum to accomodate different learning styles, integrated technology using various methods including SmartBoard Interactive Whiteboard, and maintained a positive learning environment by establishing positive rapport with students and teachers. I also participated in Parent Teacher Conferences, Professional Development Days, and curriculum planning meetings.
I am currently the Junior Varsity Soccer Coach for Notre Dame High School in St. Louis, Missouri, my alma mater. The season starts this spring, so I will be sure to keep you updated as to our schedule and record once we get started. As a player, I was a NAIA Scholar Athlete 2000-2004, MYSA Youth Soccer Head Coach 2000-2002, NAIA National Tournament Final Four 2003, MSHSAA 1A-3A 2nd Place State Championship 2000, MSHSAA 1A-3A 3rd Place State Championship 1999, and Honorable Mention All State Team 1999. I am skilled in Coaching Principles, strength and conditioning, weights, circuit training, health, and fitness. I also coached youth basketball from 1997-2000.
Working for a Living
At the time I graduated from William Jewell College (WJC) in May of 2004, I had completed three internships (St. Louis City--Mayor Slay's City View Initiative; Kansas City Missouri--Jackson County Prosecutor's Office; William Jewell College--New Student Orientation), had been honored as a scholar athlete four years, had gone to the NAIA Women's Soccer Final Four in Santa Barbara, had studied abroad in Madrid, Spain, and had coached youth soccer. Since 2002 when WJC had been named "Time Magazine's Liberal Arts College of the Year" it's prestige had grown.
These experiences on my resume helped me to get a job two months after graduation as a staff assistant working on the reelection campaign of Missouri's senior U.S. Senator, Kit Bond. I started working at the campaign headquarters on the tail end of the campaign in 2004. As a staff assistant on the campaign, I was responsible for office maintenance including answering phones, greeting visitors, and developing correspondence on behalf of the campaign. I also aided staff with documents, mailings, and event coordination.
When the campaign had ended and Senator Bond had been reelected to his fourth term I was offered a job on his official staff in Jefferson City, the Casework Office. Unlike other district offices, this office handled the case work load for the entire state. It was here that I developed correspondence, answered phones, aided staff with projects, and began attending events on behalf of the Senator. I was responsible for daily, weekly, and monthly reports on constituent concerns, media coverage, and incoming and outgoing mail.
Not long after taking on the Jefferson City position an opportunity for the Senator became open in Washinton, D.C. I went to Kansas City to interview for the position and was invited to come to D.C. and work in the Senator's Capitol Office in Russell Senate Office Building as the Staff Assistant/Tour Coordinator/Legislative Correspondent. Because the work I would be doing in D.C. would be different from that in-state, I was able to take advantage of a class put on by the Legislative Process Institute there in Congress called "Congress: An Introduction to Resources and Procedure." This class greatly added to my knowledge of the legislative branch. My position in Washington consisted of assisting tourists traveling from Missouri to Washington with advice on tours available, hotels, transportation, and other general (and specific) information. I was a U.S. Capitol Tour Guide and escorted Missourians and other VIPs on tours of the U.S. Capitol building. I was also responsible for researching policy and developing correspondence on civil rights, guns, crime, drugs, religious liberties, housing and urban development, and campaign finance. I also answered the main phone lines, responded to constituent concerns, and greeted visitors to the office. One of the many highlights of this time of my life was when Senator Bond asked me specifically to take foreign dignitaries and their wives on a tour of the U.S. Capitol with the Senator and his wife afterhours. I had been a favorite guide to many Missourians and the Senator had gotten word of this by mail from Missourians. I was happy to escort the VIPs on this very special night time tour of our nation's Capitol Building.
After soaking in the vibrance of D.C. for awhile it became clear to me that D.C. was not the place I wanted to make my home. My home had always been in St. Louis and I wanted to come back and work for the Senator there. However there were no jobs in St. Louis working for Senator Bond. There was one in Springfield, Missouri, and so I made my interest in this position known to the staff. It was not long that I was transfered to the Springfield District Office to work as the Field Representative, assisting the District Office Director. My duties included communication with area organizations who wished to apply for federal grant opportunities, researching federal grant opportunities for organizations in need of funding, and developing letters of support for those organizations on behalf of the Senator. I also was responsible for traveling a twenty-four county district to keep in faithful contact with elected officials, corporate leaders, and concerned citizens. I also recorded, investigated, and followed through on the concerns of these officials, corporate leaders, and citizens. I attened area legislative and civic meetings, ground-breaking ceremonies, memorial dedications, Troop Deployment and Welcome Home ceremonies, as well as federal funding announcements throughout the district on behalf of the Senator, as well as assisting in planning events for the Senator in the district.
The next position I took was working for the State Party in the midterm elections of 2006. I was the Field Director for St. Charles and Lincoln Counties in Missouri. I was sent to the State Party's Field School to prepare for the strenuous demands of the campaign. I directed all administrative and campaign support efforts. I was accountable to senior staff for weekly goals of voter contact. I was responsible for facilities management of campaign office, designating satellite phone bank locations, and managaing and creating volunteer activities to help in achieving weekly goals. I successfully planned and orchestrated the visits of U.S. Senator Jim Talent, RNC Chairman Ken Mehlmann, and Mrs. Brenda Talent. I also successfully oversaw all Party campaign activity for a two county area for State Party, including working with smaller races in the area. When the campaign was over, I was looking for work in St. Louis, and the search did not last long.
In January I received the opportunity to interview for a position working with a Political Consulting Firm in the St. Louis area. I was offered the position of Political and Events Associate and began working for John Hancock and Associates, a leading Political Consulting, Research, Lobbying, and Public Affairs firm. I provided high-level administrative support to the President, Vice President, Political Director, and Director of Research. I performed a variety of key functions, addressed inquiries of current and potential clients, and maintained a fund raising database. I acted as Associate Producer of The Perfect Plan Event Company, and made key decisions on event development and coordination. I was responsible for a 10% increase of database growth and I coordinated and hosted successful industry events, created invitations and promotional materials, and booked venues.
Since working for a living, I have become a solutions-driven professional with extensive experience in representing the U.S. Senior Senator for the State of Missouri in a variety of federal, state, and local settings. I am a results oriented self-starter with significant knowledge of Missouri, a demonstrated ability to manage multiple tasks at once, and to build effective relationships. I am a resourceful, creative problem-solver with proven aptitude to analyze and translate complex inquiries and design and implement comprehensive solutions. I am a motivated achiever with leadership experience and regular promotions, and an articulate communicator, able to speak the language of both people and legislators, blending governmental knowledge with interpersonal skills for effective interaction. As fortunate as I have been, I could not help the desire to go back to school to learn how to teach, using the knowledge I have gained for the common good.
These experiences on my resume helped me to get a job two months after graduation as a staff assistant working on the reelection campaign of Missouri's senior U.S. Senator, Kit Bond. I started working at the campaign headquarters on the tail end of the campaign in 2004. As a staff assistant on the campaign, I was responsible for office maintenance including answering phones, greeting visitors, and developing correspondence on behalf of the campaign. I also aided staff with documents, mailings, and event coordination.
When the campaign had ended and Senator Bond had been reelected to his fourth term I was offered a job on his official staff in Jefferson City, the Casework Office. Unlike other district offices, this office handled the case work load for the entire state. It was here that I developed correspondence, answered phones, aided staff with projects, and began attending events on behalf of the Senator. I was responsible for daily, weekly, and monthly reports on constituent concerns, media coverage, and incoming and outgoing mail.
Not long after taking on the Jefferson City position an opportunity for the Senator became open in Washinton, D.C. I went to Kansas City to interview for the position and was invited to come to D.C. and work in the Senator's Capitol Office in Russell Senate Office Building as the Staff Assistant/Tour Coordinator/Legislative Correspondent. Because the work I would be doing in D.C. would be different from that in-state, I was able to take advantage of a class put on by the Legislative Process Institute there in Congress called "Congress: An Introduction to Resources and Procedure." This class greatly added to my knowledge of the legislative branch. My position in Washington consisted of assisting tourists traveling from Missouri to Washington with advice on tours available, hotels, transportation, and other general (and specific) information. I was a U.S. Capitol Tour Guide and escorted Missourians and other VIPs on tours of the U.S. Capitol building. I was also responsible for researching policy and developing correspondence on civil rights, guns, crime, drugs, religious liberties, housing and urban development, and campaign finance. I also answered the main phone lines, responded to constituent concerns, and greeted visitors to the office. One of the many highlights of this time of my life was when Senator Bond asked me specifically to take foreign dignitaries and their wives on a tour of the U.S. Capitol with the Senator and his wife afterhours. I had been a favorite guide to many Missourians and the Senator had gotten word of this by mail from Missourians. I was happy to escort the VIPs on this very special night time tour of our nation's Capitol Building.
After soaking in the vibrance of D.C. for awhile it became clear to me that D.C. was not the place I wanted to make my home. My home had always been in St. Louis and I wanted to come back and work for the Senator there. However there were no jobs in St. Louis working for Senator Bond. There was one in Springfield, Missouri, and so I made my interest in this position known to the staff. It was not long that I was transfered to the Springfield District Office to work as the Field Representative, assisting the District Office Director. My duties included communication with area organizations who wished to apply for federal grant opportunities, researching federal grant opportunities for organizations in need of funding, and developing letters of support for those organizations on behalf of the Senator. I also was responsible for traveling a twenty-four county district to keep in faithful contact with elected officials, corporate leaders, and concerned citizens. I also recorded, investigated, and followed through on the concerns of these officials, corporate leaders, and citizens. I attened area legislative and civic meetings, ground-breaking ceremonies, memorial dedications, Troop Deployment and Welcome Home ceremonies, as well as federal funding announcements throughout the district on behalf of the Senator, as well as assisting in planning events for the Senator in the district.
The next position I took was working for the State Party in the midterm elections of 2006. I was the Field Director for St. Charles and Lincoln Counties in Missouri. I was sent to the State Party's Field School to prepare for the strenuous demands of the campaign. I directed all administrative and campaign support efforts. I was accountable to senior staff for weekly goals of voter contact. I was responsible for facilities management of campaign office, designating satellite phone bank locations, and managaing and creating volunteer activities to help in achieving weekly goals. I successfully planned and orchestrated the visits of U.S. Senator Jim Talent, RNC Chairman Ken Mehlmann, and Mrs. Brenda Talent. I also successfully oversaw all Party campaign activity for a two county area for State Party, including working with smaller races in the area. When the campaign was over, I was looking for work in St. Louis, and the search did not last long.
In January I received the opportunity to interview for a position working with a Political Consulting Firm in the St. Louis area. I was offered the position of Political and Events Associate and began working for John Hancock and Associates, a leading Political Consulting, Research, Lobbying, and Public Affairs firm. I provided high-level administrative support to the President, Vice President, Political Director, and Director of Research. I performed a variety of key functions, addressed inquiries of current and potential clients, and maintained a fund raising database. I acted as Associate Producer of The Perfect Plan Event Company, and made key decisions on event development and coordination. I was responsible for a 10% increase of database growth and I coordinated and hosted successful industry events, created invitations and promotional materials, and booked venues.
Since working for a living, I have become a solutions-driven professional with extensive experience in representing the U.S. Senior Senator for the State of Missouri in a variety of federal, state, and local settings. I am a results oriented self-starter with significant knowledge of Missouri, a demonstrated ability to manage multiple tasks at once, and to build effective relationships. I am a resourceful, creative problem-solver with proven aptitude to analyze and translate complex inquiries and design and implement comprehensive solutions. I am a motivated achiever with leadership experience and regular promotions, and an articulate communicator, able to speak the language of both people and legislators, blending governmental knowledge with interpersonal skills for effective interaction. As fortunate as I have been, I could not help the desire to go back to school to learn how to teach, using the knowledge I have gained for the common good.
Friday, July 17, 2009
What is Pryor Leadership?
William Jewell College is a small liberal arts college in western Missouri, just northwest of Kansas City. It is one of the top liberal arts colleges in the region, and is known as "The Ivy League of the Midwest." A small, Christian school, William Jewell sits a top a hill in Liberty, Missouri, a town with a rich history, named after a Civil War doctor who two centuries ago housed wounded Union soldiers in what is now one of the college's main hall's. I was recruited to play soccer there by a coach from St. Louis, aware that most St. Louisians are unaware of William Jewell's existence. Deciding to go to Jewell was the best decision of my life. Deciding to stay there was even more important. Early in my freshmen year, I recieved a letter from the Pryor Leadership Studies Program. I had not heard of this program and deciding not to throw the letter away has proved to be yet another crucial decision. I opened the letter and learned that I had been nominated by my soccer coach to be a member in this program. I learned that the nomination was only the beginning of the process, and that I must act soon, by filling out an extensive application and preparing for an interview. Pryor Leadership is a three year program (really four if you count the nomination process.) It includes both course work and experiential learning. I decided to apply for it, and after the interview I was pleased to learn that I had been accepted. Part of the program is Outward Bound, a twenty one day trip into southern Florida. The first seventeen days are spent traveling by canoe from the southern most tip of the Everglades to the northern most point, a 99 mile excursion through swamps, rivers, streams, the Gulf of Mexico, a lost portage, bays, and other bodies of water. Following this excursion is a two day high ropes course and a two day service project at a school for the children of migrant workers in southern Florida. The trip changed my life by enlightening me to my own abilities and strengths. What I once thought impossible was shown to be possible, what I once thought to be uncomfortable was shown to be tolerable. I believe that this experience played a major role in my development.
Background
My life thus far has been a combination of educational opportunities and work. As a young elementary student, I was captain of the soccer team, brownie, then girl scout, devout member of choir and the sign language club, and big sister. As I continued this path into middle school, I was a founding member of the "Honor Choir" in eighth grade. In high school the leadership opportunities continued to present themselves, and taking them was natural to me. I continued to sing in the concert and show choirs, played basketball and soccer, and participated in the unique activities an all girl, Catholic high school sponsors, like Fall Festival. (Fall Festival is similar to Homecoming at a coed school.) I coached middle school basketball my sophomore, junior, and senior years. I was in National Honor Society and competed with my best friend for the best GPA and class rank. When I was fifteen I got a job coaching toddlers soccer. When I was sixteen, I got my driver's liscense and a job bussing tables at the Pasta House. I only worked on weekends, but since I was very young I have always had a job and have known the importance of hard work. I believe that these early opportunites (that I was fortunate enough to have) shaped my development and are responsible for the unique leadership experiences that I had in college and in my career.
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