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I'm Pretty Sure I Got The Job
My name is Quinton Burgess and I am originally from an urban area in Michigan, I came to Kansas back in ’04 on a football scholarship and I still had no idea what I wanted to be when I “grew up”. Through my short time spent at Sterling College where I received a Bachelors of Science, I have discovered myself, my dreams, and my calling. I have discovered this amazing passion that I have for teaching, and that’s what I intend to do for the rest of my life. While obtaining my education I was able to broaden my own personal horizons through various observations, and opportunities to actually teach. I feel as though the teaching and educational experiences I have obtained while getting my Bachelors degree will fit great with the opportunity to be the Middle School P.E. teacher for this district.
I have to say the thought of staying in Kansas to teach wasn’t my initial plan or idea but I feel this is where God wants me at this particular time in my life, and I am extremely drawn to this area. I have read up on the schools in this particular district and I love the things the administration, teachers, and parents have done here to push for Health and P.E. the will of this district to fight the childhood obesity epidemic, and promote health has overwhelmed me. This position would fit perfectly with my future goals, I think the opportunity present here is a perfect fit for my future. I have also noticed you have some coaching positions available that I would like to get involved with at any level possible. I also feel as though the direction your district is headed fits perfectly with my Teaching and Coaching Philosophies.
I am a very goal oriented person who has a passion for this field of study, and I think my character, integrity, and social skills combined with my passion for teaching make this an idea career for me. I have found myself to be very successful in my “mock” teachings and in developing lesson and unit plans. Some things that I may struggle with being a new teacher is my ability to assess my students abilities, I want to be able to push and challenge my kids, so I feel as though it is very important for me to find a way to assess the developmental level of my students. One thing that I sometimes feel challenged with, is maintaining a structured/disciplined environment while still having fun and promoting health and fitness. In my particular field it is sometime especially hard to maintain that balance and that could be one of the hardest things for a first year teacher.
Within the next few years I hope to have developed a successful curriculum here. I would like to see an increase in health and fitness here, and be recognized as one of the top physical education programs in the country. Some of the things I would like to do here to reach this level would be, altering the school lunch menu to be healthier, challenge and motivate my kids to excel at national physical assessments, and teach health in a more innovative technology savvy way that my students can be excited about. I know there are national grant programs available for schools that alter their lunch menus to be healthier and natural. I plan on reaching a high national level of fitness by implementing a curriculum that is fun, challenging, and exciting that interests and excites kids about health and fitness. When it comes to using more advanced technology in the classroom, I feel as though it is important to reach the kids this way be cause a boring overhead projector just isn’t going to get the job done. Kids need things that they can relate to and be excited about.
In some cases I might have a hard time learning some of this new technology or software myself so I feel as though it is important to stay up to date with new technologies that can be made applicable to the classroom or gym setting. Some ways I might stay up to date would be to take classes on certain applications, attend workshops, and even research different technologies. Using a variety of different technologies can be beneficial in so many ways, for example there are several technologies available for use in adapted P.E. as well as many technologies that will adapt to meet several different learning styles. A lot of kids have a hard time learning through lecture based lessons and I feel as though it is my job as an educator to meet my students where they’re comfortable, and where they can have the most success. By using fresh new ideas and innovative technology in the classroom I can better present my content, keep my kids interested, make it challenging, and better meet the needs of my students.
I know technology has made a huge impact on my education and without it I wouldn’t be where I am in my professional life today. I can think of several technological advances that have occurred during my education and if I had not been able to apply them I would have been left in the dust. To face the facts, we live in a technological society and it is a vital part of our future. Without the advances in technology such as; computers, Microsoft applications, communications advances, cell phones, heart monitors etc. my education wouldn’t have had the impact it did. By having teachers that knew and understood these technologies and using them to present information to me that made my education more interesting and exciting, I might not be here at this interview. Who knows where I’d be.
I would definitely be interested in encouraging other faculty members to use technologies in their class room. I am a big fan of leading by example. I plan on using technology in my classroom that will make my lessons the “talk of the town” (so to speak), therefore getting other teachers interested and then maybe approaching them with ideas that can integrate other content area’s using technology. Some applications that I am familiar with and would like to implement in my classroom would be;
-Pod casting= I would love to be able to have my kids create pod cast that for example promote regular physical activity or even present an anti-drug message.
-Blogs= I think it would be great to get to the point where instead of sending homework home I could have my student participate in an interactive discussion or blog that regards to how they felt about the daily activity or even something that pertains to personal/community health.
-Animoto/movie maker= I have always thought these technologies would be great for making a video to teach my kids a skill progression, or even have them make a video of a particular skill progression for a final project. I could also have my kids make a video that identifies healthy eating habits, or portrays a message about the dangers of sex/smoking/alcohol use.
I have to say the thought of staying in Kansas to teach wasn’t my initial plan or idea but I feel this is where God wants me at this particular time in my life, and I am extremely drawn to this area. I have read up on the schools in this particular district and I love the things the administration, teachers, and parents have done here to push for Health and P.E. the will of this district to fight the childhood obesity epidemic, and promote health has overwhelmed me. This position would fit perfectly with my future goals, I think the opportunity present here is a perfect fit for my future. I have also noticed you have some coaching positions available that I would like to get involved with at any level possible. I also feel as though the direction your district is headed fits perfectly with my Teaching and Coaching Philosophies.
I am a very goal oriented person who has a passion for this field of study, and I think my character, integrity, and social skills combined with my passion for teaching make this an idea career for me. I have found myself to be very successful in my “mock” teachings and in developing lesson and unit plans. Some things that I may struggle with being a new teacher is my ability to assess my students abilities, I want to be able to push and challenge my kids, so I feel as though it is very important for me to find a way to assess the developmental level of my students. One thing that I sometimes feel challenged with, is maintaining a structured/disciplined environment while still having fun and promoting health and fitness. In my particular field it is sometime especially hard to maintain that balance and that could be one of the hardest things for a first year teacher.
Within the next few years I hope to have developed a successful curriculum here. I would like to see an increase in health and fitness here, and be recognized as one of the top physical education programs in the country. Some of the things I would like to do here to reach this level would be, altering the school lunch menu to be healthier, challenge and motivate my kids to excel at national physical assessments, and teach health in a more innovative technology savvy way that my students can be excited about. I know there are national grant programs available for schools that alter their lunch menus to be healthier and natural. I plan on reaching a high national level of fitness by implementing a curriculum that is fun, challenging, and exciting that interests and excites kids about health and fitness. When it comes to using more advanced technology in the classroom, I feel as though it is important to reach the kids this way be cause a boring overhead projector just isn’t going to get the job done. Kids need things that they can relate to and be excited about.
In some cases I might have a hard time learning some of this new technology or software myself so I feel as though it is important to stay up to date with new technologies that can be made applicable to the classroom or gym setting. Some ways I might stay up to date would be to take classes on certain applications, attend workshops, and even research different technologies. Using a variety of different technologies can be beneficial in so many ways, for example there are several technologies available for use in adapted P.E. as well as many technologies that will adapt to meet several different learning styles. A lot of kids have a hard time learning through lecture based lessons and I feel as though it is my job as an educator to meet my students where they’re comfortable, and where they can have the most success. By using fresh new ideas and innovative technology in the classroom I can better present my content, keep my kids interested, make it challenging, and better meet the needs of my students.
I know technology has made a huge impact on my education and without it I wouldn’t be where I am in my professional life today. I can think of several technological advances that have occurred during my education and if I had not been able to apply them I would have been left in the dust. To face the facts, we live in a technological society and it is a vital part of our future. Without the advances in technology such as; computers, Microsoft applications, communications advances, cell phones, heart monitors etc. my education wouldn’t have had the impact it did. By having teachers that knew and understood these technologies and using them to present information to me that made my education more interesting and exciting, I might not be here at this interview. Who knows where I’d be.
I would definitely be interested in encouraging other faculty members to use technologies in their class room. I am a big fan of leading by example. I plan on using technology in my classroom that will make my lessons the “talk of the town” (so to speak), therefore getting other teachers interested and then maybe approaching them with ideas that can integrate other content area’s using technology. Some applications that I am familiar with and would like to implement in my classroom would be;
-Pod casting= I would love to be able to have my kids create pod cast that for example promote regular physical activity or even present an anti-drug message.
-Blogs= I think it would be great to get to the point where instead of sending homework home I could have my student participate in an interactive discussion or blog that regards to how they felt about the daily activity or even something that pertains to personal/community health.
-Animoto/movie maker= I have always thought these technologies would be great for making a video to teach my kids a skill progression, or even have them make a video of a particular skill progression for a final project. I could also have my kids make a video that identifies healthy eating habits, or portrays a message about the dangers of sex/smoking/alcohol use.
Comment
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Comment by Quinton Burgess on April 28, 2009 at 7:58pm - Thanks a lot Mr. Mantz... Have a great summer, im sure i'll see you around.
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Comment by Dean Mantz on April 25, 2009 at 9:15pm -
Quinton,
I would like to start of by saying "Wow". When I reflect upon our conversations before, during, and after class sessions I knew you possessed a passion that has finally came out in this blog post. I would also like to express my strong support for the points raised about health and improving school food programs. I know of how USD #405 in Lyons limited snacks and drinks available in vending machines to healthier options and how USD #376 in Sterling has received a grant that provides a variety of fresh fruits to all elementary students.
The improvement I would like to see on this post is the inclusion of a summary. Nonetheless, I do hope things work out for you and best wishes not just in the classroom but in marriage too.
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