Emily Rosenberger

When I first became a teacher, I thought the highlight of my days would be sharing ideas with students and having great discussions about literature. But I was wrong. Yes, we share ideas and my students read literature, but I soon learned that being an educator is about something I never imagined it would be about: relationships. I started as a teacher because I wanted to teach students about reading and writing, but I have stayed a teacher because I began to treasure the relationships I have formed with my students, parents, co-workers, and supervisors. Somewhere in the last five years, my relationships with S.E. Hinton and Jack London were no longer as important as the ones I formed with my students. I became concerned with my students’ emotional well being as well as their depth of knowledge. It was equally as important that my students could define character as it was that they were developing their own character. Their futures became more to me than argumentative essays and literary analysis. If you ask me, That is my greatest strength: the ability to care about my students more than my content area. I know it seems simple, but I have seen teachers forget that we are teachers because of the children. We are not teachers for books or paychecks. We are teachers because we want a brighter future for our students and we want them to achieve it.

 

Beyond my passion for the students, I am passionate about curriculum. Curriculum has always been an interest of mine because a strong curriculum leads to strong teaching and more student centered learning. With the adoption of the Common Core, I have rediscovered my love of curriculum. At Kellogg, I was a member of IdahoCore and my ELA Curriculum Team. IdahoCore is a statewide program that educates and promotes teachings on the adoption of the Common Core. I spent last year in numerous meetings, activities, and discussions about the Common Core. I took an online college class on Common Core teaching strategies as well as learning how to apply the curriculum in my classroom. As a cumulative activity, I created a unit plan that was 100% Common Core. During the program, I also worked with members of my school on the Common Core. I helped a music teacher understand how the Common Core applies to her classroom. I think people first saw Common Core as only a math and ELA program. However, through education and active involvement, I am confident that teachers will realize that Common Core creates a better school, a better curriculum, and a more involved student. I am extremely comfortable with ELA Common Core and look forward to helping my colleagues create a 100% Common Core Curriculum for all the subjects.

 

Furthermore, I have a strong background in special education. I have spent every year of my education career working with an aspect of special education. I have been a paraprofessional in regular special education and behavior special education. As a member of Kellogg, I taught two different special education classes. I am also the 504 coordinator for seventh grade and a member of the RTI team. I have always had a fondness for special education and their successes. While I am proud of all my students, there is a special ray of sunshine when a student achieves an IEP goal. This past year, in particular, my writing curriculum consisted entirely of essays. The students and I worked through and wrote multiple five paragraph essays. In one of my classes, I had eight students with IEP goals, most of whom had a three paragraph writing goal. It was my greatest pride when a few of those students said “Ms. R, I am going to write a five paragraph essay. I think I can do it”, and write it they did. They kept up with the rest of the class and wrote fluent and cohesive five paragraph essays. According to their IEP’s, they only needed three, but according to their own goals, five was the expectation and they achieved it.

 

As you read through multiple resumes, perhaps I am not the strongest candidate when it comes to years. I cannot add years to my resume, I cannot make up for the fact I am a new teacher, but I can promise that I will continue to challenge myself so that the years of experience don’t matter. It is the not the years that matter, but the passion in those years. If you hire me, you hire someone for the next 10,20,30 years. A teacher who continues to strive to improve herself. I have only been out of college for three years, but I have already gone back to learn more. I will constantly educate myself to help students achieve. I am the strongest candidate if you are looking for a teacher who cares about her students, her curriculum, and her team. I am the strongest candidate if you are looking for someone for the future.