I currently hold a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from St. John's University and I am in the process of completing a Master of Arts degree in Teaching Social Studies at New York University. Upon completion of my master's degree, I will be certified to teach social studies, history, and humanities in grades 5-12. I am interested in teaching at an international school because I believe I possess both the required pedagogical skills and content knowledge required to effectively contribute at such a school. In addition, I would love to expand my horizons by immersing myself in a foreign culture and continue to mature as an educator. Growing up in New York City, I experienced three distinct types of diverse school communities as a student: a standard public elementary school, a screened middle school, and a private high school. As a master's student at New York University, I have continued to learn about pedagogical methods and have put them into practice as a student teacher. As such, I believe I can bring a wide range of skills and ideas to any international school community, while also being open-minded myself and eager to learn.
As an emerging social studies teacher, I have a passion for teaching history, providing an engaging classroom experience, and helping my students grow and develop their skills, both academically and practically. Social studies have been a lifelong passion of mine; from the earliest age I can remember it was my favorite subject in school. That passion has continued into my adult life. As an undergraduate, I earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with a minor in History and I am currently completing a Master of Arts degree in Teaching Social Studies. I plan to continue to learn more about social studies and pedagogy, both formally and informally. In doing so, not only can I continue to hone my craft as an educator, but I can set an example for my students by exhibiting the type of lifelong learning that I want them to also attain.
During my first period of student teaching I experienced how rewarding it is to see students engaged in the learning process and develop their skills over the course of a semester. Naturally, the more students are engaged, the more they are going to develop over the course of a school year, since they are taking a more active interest in their learning and growth. As part of my first semester of student teaching, I designed a month-long unit utilizing backward design, culturally responsive teaching, and universal design for learning principles. As part of the unit, students analyzed democracy in Ancient Athens and compared it to democracy in the United States and around the world, with specific attention being paid to enduring issues, such as gender inequality, social class tensions, and access to free and fair elections. The culmination of the unit was a summative assessment in the form of a Socratic seminar, wherein students evaluated the health of democracy around the world. Ultimately, I want to prepare my students not only academically, by putting them in a good position to pass their standardized tests, but I also want to develop them practically, by preparing them to be civic-minded citizens. In short, by being a culturally responsive educator who crafts lessons that are engaging and relevant, I believe I can achieve my goals of being an effective teacher who engages his students and helps to develop their skills academically and practically.
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