To
Whom It May Concern:
The
description of the position available is ideal for me, and if given the
opportunity, I know I will bring enthusiasm, knowledge and passion to your
school. I have the education, skills and
interests to qualify me as a perfect candidate to lead your administration
position.
While
teaching in California for the Merced County Office of Education (MCOE), I
learned how to work as a moderately/severely handicap teacher in a brand new
Pre-K through 2nd grade Elementary classroom. I was a first year teacher and it was a pilot
class; it was the first of it’s kind for the county. It was a difficult job, with challenging
students and even more challenging parents. I truly developed a strong ability
to deal with situations which would make most people feel very uncomfortable,
and gained an entirely different perspective on equity and equality. From my first year on, all of my students
were ESL, making communication with students and parents far more difficult
than I had ever imagined. Over the
course of three years, I went from having some of the most challenging and
difficult IEP’s with parents, to gaining their trust, respect and involvement in
their child’s education. One thing I
have been told repeatedly is that I always illustrate excellent repertoire with my
students’ families and my staff.
After
working for MCOE, my family made the choice to move back to Oregon during the
summer of 2012, where we intend to stay indefinitely, as we wanted to be close
to my father as he had developed an accelerated form of prostate cancer. My position as the Functional Skills Teacher
with the Silver Falls School District, although similar in many ways to my
previous job in California, has further strengthened my ability to work with
and manage adults. I have worked with as
many as four special needs assistants, as well as a dozen different
specialists.
Having
a strong interest and passion in technology, I have been able to advocate for my
students in getting 1-1 iPads. And, on a
larger scale, I have been the technology leader in our school by playing an
instrumental part in the deployment, installation and maintenance of all the
Apple devices in our building, including Apple TVs, over 100 iPad's, and Smart
Boards, and have been the Apple Volume Purchase Program Manager, putting me in
charge of buying and distributing, to date, over 200 apps to the teachers. I have also been on the technology committee,
have updated the school website for our superintendent, and have given school
board presentations regarding safety issues and concerns with our 100-year old
building which our community is in the process of deciding on a bond to take
down or remodel.
Due
to a change in staffing in our building, I have been transferred to the LRC, and
I am now the learning specialist. This
job has further widened my equity lens, giving me a polished perspective on the
special education system and the way that general ed students can fall through
the cracks without proper identification and placement. I may not be working with students with a
variety of disabilities, but my experiences in the past enrich my appreciation
for working with these students, who really just need extra time, patience, and
compassion that extend throughout their day and follow them throughout their
educational experience.
Throughout
my five years in education, I have learned many truths. But one that stands out is that teachers are
in it for the children, and that’s it!
That same thought process is directly interwoven with administration. Administrators have many responsibilities,
likely the most of which is interacting with and handling parents and teachers. But the end result is the children, and the
effect we have on each child’s life in our schools. Every child, no matter how fast or slow they
learn, has the ability to develop and absorb their education and enjoy it to
it’s fullest potential.
Thank
you for your time and consideration. I
hope you give me a chance to prove to you that I am the type of leader you want
and need. I have a nonjudgmental,
hard-working, positive demeanor and I am excited to continue my career in
education. I look forward to hearing
from you.
Very
sincerely,
Aaron
Johnson
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