TAYLORCASAREZ@GMAIL.COM TAYLORRCASAREZ.WEEBLY.

COM
T AY L OR R . C AS AR E Z
OBJECTIVE
Building up People and Communities through Relevant, Rigorous and
Exciting Social Studies Instruction
RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
2012-Present Grand River Preparatory High School Grand Rapids, MI
Social Studies Teacher
AP European History, World History, World Geography and Video
Game Design
Helped draft new World History curriculum that had greater emphasis
on interpretation of graphs, maps and tables as well as greater
discussion of primary sources
Facilitated the schools first student-run AP European History exhibit
Connected AP students with historians from the Gerald R. Ford,
Grand Rapids Public and Grand Rapids Art Museums
Designed two new course offerings, including a project-based
Geography course that focused on authentic audiences and social
media/Web 2.0 integration
Prepared students so well in AP Euro that we had the highest first year
average on the exam of any AP class in the history of the company
Collaborated with other staff members to create co-taught lessons that
connected history to English, Art, Science and Psychology.
Designed culturally-relevant lessons that connected movies, Youtube
channels, music and comics to historical topics

2011-2012 Jalen Rose Leadership Academy Detroit, MI
Social Studies Teacher
World and US History 100, Research and Technology, Gaming &
Design and Explore U (personal betterment)
Collaborated with members of the University of Michigan community
and the United States Mission to the UN to create a day-long history
event that featured a personalized video from the former U.S.
Ambassador to the United Nations
Adapted and created texts to meet the needs of students at 5
th
, 8
th
and
9
th
grade reading levels
Dramatically improved reading speed and comprehension through
explicit reading instruction and one-on-one mentoring
Integrated daily biographies of past and contemporary activists into
Research and Technology to encourage students empathy and
leadership

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EDUCATION
2007-2011 Residential College, University of Michigan Ann Arbor
Bachelor of Arts in Social Theory and Practice
Research emphasis: Leadership Development through High School
History Courses
3.693/4.0 Cumulative GPA
Proficient in written and oral Spanish. Experience with dialects from
Central and South America, as well as Spain
Designed interdisciplinary leadership class for high school students as
part of undergraduate thesis
Activities and Societies: James B Angell Scholar (3 consecutive 4.0
semesters), Intensive Language Program (Spanish)
2007-2011 School of Education, University of Michigan Ann Arbor
Certified in Secondary Social Studies and History
Worked with diverse student populations from small towns and
suburbs and urban areas under master teachers
Elicited critical thinking from students in an integrated classroom
through engagement with primary and secondary source documents,
images and films
Developed lessons using Web 2.0 technologies like
PollyEverywhere.com, Google Maps and QR Codes
Activities and Societies: University of Michigan Rounds Project,
Student Ambassador
VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE
2013-Present Grand River Preparatory High School Grand Rapids
Member of the Student Honors Team
Developed new ways of celebrating the academic and philanthropic
achievements of Grand River Preps students
Crafted weekly emails reminding staff members to write academic
awards for students that included amusing, relevant GIFs and photos
to ensure they were actually read
Consistently wrote student awards. Most weeks, one of the top two or
three teachers in number of students recognized
2013-Present Grand River Preparatory High School Grand Rapids
Course Leader for World History and AP European History
Planned and led meetings during the summer of 2013 to reorganize the
9
th
grade World History curriculum for all four PrepNet schools
Coordinated curriculum for all four PrepNet schools
Acted as final decision-maker in 2012-13 for curriculum/test issues

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