Personal Statement

1. Briefly introduce yourself and describe why you are seeking a position in international education. What makes you a candidate who will be successful in an international setting?  

I am a teacher who energizes her students and the whole school community.   People describe me as full of energy, gentle with children, diplomatic with adults, and well organized.  Supervisors are regularly impressed with my engaging lessons, student performances, and classroom management.

I am interested in a position in another country to have the experience of living somewhere else and immersing myself and my family in another culture and language.  I grew up in French speaking Canada with a Canadian father and British mother who have both travelled the world, and I would love for my family to have new experiences.  I have lived in several different places, and travelled a fair amount, so I think I am well prepared for living abroad and adjusting to cultural differences.

I have also worked at several different schools, including a summer job at a private school in Bangkok, and I think I am both adaptable to learning new ways of doing things and able to share a wealth of experience.

I am a pianist by training, but also a singer.  I dabble in guitar, recorder, percussion, and play a little bit of everything.  I enjoy music from all over the world, all throughout history, and in every genre.  I also love outdoor activities, and currently live a lifestyle of partial self-sufficiency with a focus on locally grown foods.

2. How do students best learn?  What is your role in facilitating that learning?

Students look forward with great anticipation to music class, where they make music through singing and instruments, listen to music with expressive movement, learn to hear, read, and write music.  This is because students learn best by doing.  Well, lots of people say that, but what does it mean?  It means that in my class students are actively making music, discussing music, asking questions, problem solving, and exploring new music and new ideas together.  You will never see me give a lecture, or even talk that much at all!  My role is to empower students to take charge of their learning.  Ultimately you will see students in my program who are conducting each other, playing and moving in various ways, and critiquing and revising their own work.

Your students will look forward to music class as their favorite class!  When you see a class in action you’ll see every single student participating in singing, movement, and (if available) instrument playing.  Through this full engagement your students will learn to be musicians, that is to say, music makers.  They will also learn how easy it is to hear music in their heads, and to read and write music.  They will experience music from their own heritage and from cultures all over the world.

3. What can you contribute as a member of a professional learning community in an international setting?

I am always open to and looking for opportunities for collaboration with colleagues, parents, and community members.  Maybe someone remembers a song or game they learned as a child that they can share.  Maybe the students can write a song to help them remember some historical or scientific information.  I have 15 years of teaching experience and a wide variety of graduate level studies to contribute to your school.  I have worked extensively on curriculum and assessment development.  I am a certified Orff-Schulwerk teacher, and this approach to teaching music unifies all art forms and draws strongly from literature so that students are using poetry and fiction to create music that includes theater and dance, relying heavily on ideas generated by the students themselves.  I am fluent in French and can use that to teach students music in a bilingual setting.