English (ESL) with Karen G.

TUSD/ Self-Employed as a Dance Instructor

I have 5 years experience teaching in Public school. Wherein during this time I taught at both the Elementary and High School grade level. As an Elementary teacher I taught 2nd & 3rd grade English Language Learner students. I loved working on Language Arts: Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking skills with these kiddos. Teaching them the English Language was very rewarding. While in this position I also tutored several of my students in after-school programs as well. I provided them with extra support in Reading and Writing. In regard to reading I used a Whole-Language approach which often involved a combination of teaching kids to use context clues as well as the rest of the words in a sentence to decipher an unfamiliar word, decoding skills, and some phonics. I also helped students develop Reading comprehension skills, such as pausing after every paragraph or two to ask themselves critical thinking questions, or two summarize the key points, and main idea about what they just read. We also used creative visual strategies for Reading comprehension too. For example, Pause- Reflect-and Draw a little sketch of the images that came to their mind of what was happening as they were reading to appeal to Visual and Kinesthetic learning styles. I loved working at this school with these students. The only reason I didn't continue in this position is because the leadership of the school changed after I was there for 2 years. After they hired a new principle I decided to take another position, because it seemed like the culture of the school changed with the new Leadership. I also taught High School Dance for a year and a half. The students were great and I enjoyed it a great deal. In fact, many of my former students from this school have stayed in touch with me and became dance students again when I went back to teaching dance at a private studio. In addition to teaching in Public school, I have also been a Dance instructor in private studios for many of years. I actually have over 20 + years experience. I started working in a Ballroom Studio at the age of nineteen. And even all through the years I taught in Public school, I have simultaneously always continued to teach Dance lessons on an appointment basis. In this area of the Performing Arts, I teach Ballroom/Swing/Country/Latin (salsa, bachata, cumbia etc.) styles of Dance. I can design wedding choreography, or a routine for other types of dance performances such as a Dance recital or competition.

University of Arizona

University of Arizona

Pima Community College

In addition to my Bachelor's degree, I have also earned a Post-Bachelor's Teacher's Certificate, which I will be receiving this May. In the Teacher's Certification Program I will be graduating with a 4.0 GPA which I have maintained throughout the entire time I have been in the program.

University of Arizona

Limited Proficiency

Limited Proficiency