To Whom It May Concern,

I wish to be a candidate for the Secondary English Teacher position.

My current job experience includes student teaching in Montoursville Area High School
and teaching swim lessons for 7 years. During my student teaching, I was in charge of the
instruction for 11th Grade Honors English, as well as AP Language and Composition. I
also helped teach two drama electives. Teaching drama was something that I had no
experience with before student teaching, but I think that it was very valuable and taught
me ways to express myself and ways to get students to open up. In my classroom, I had a
wide variety of students and student needs. I tried my best to cater to all their various
needs as best as my abilities would allow. I believe that some of my greatest strengths
are:
I want to teach English in order to help empower my students to be able to
express themselves and analyze the world in which we live.
The ability to manage the classroom with a soft yet firm hand. I demand
respect from my students, but also understand that they deserve respect in
return as well.
Creating lessons that are relevant to the everyday lives of the students.
Accommodating the needs of my students both inside and outside of the
classroom.
Creating strong rapport with my students that enables them to feel
comfortable enough to open up to me about their personal lives.

As a teacher, my biggest belief is that all of my students have the ability to learn. It is my
job, as their teacher, to meet them on their level and engage them in a way that motivates
them to do their best. I also heavily appreciate feedback from my students about areas of
my teaching that I can improve in order to help them learn more effectively. This lets me
know how I am doing as a teacher, as well as how I can better serve my students. I think
one of my strongest qualities that make me a great teacher is that I am compassionate. I
understand that my students all come from very different backgrounds and because of
that all of their needs are different. I do not view my students as one collective group of
similar people, instead I see them as their own person with their own unique talents and
weaknesses.

Although swim lessons are not in a typical classroom setting, it has taught me many
valuable skills that I can apply to a more traditional classroom setting. Having eight
children ages two through thirteen in a pool can be an incredibly stressful situation,
however from this I have learned how to watch many children at once to make sure they
are all safe. I have also learned how to communicate with parents and build strong
relationships. One of my biggest joys from teaching swim lessons, is seeing a child that
was terrified to go in the water be able to kick with a kickboard in deep water own their
own or maybe even get a ring off the bottom of the pool with some help. This joy can be
translated into the classroom by seeing a student have a breakthrough thought, or seeing
something all of a sudden make sense to them in a new way.
At Bloomsburg University, I had many great opportunities that gave me experience with
students and learning both in and outside the classroom. I took classes that covered
students with exceptionalities, general education, and English Language Learners.
Throughout my career at Bloomsburg University, I maintained a GPA of 3.47 and a
major GPA of 3.8. I think that the skills that I learned both in and outside the classroom
will help make me a well-rounded teacher.

If you would like to get into contact with me, I am available most times of the day, and
will get back to voicemails as quickly as possible. I am also available for contact on
weekends.

Thank you for taking the time to consider me as a candidate for this teaching position.

Sincerely,

Alexandra E. Preston

50 Gunpowder Lane
Reading, PA 19606
(610)-9143326
alexandra.e028@gmail.com