Danielle Chamoun Goffi

Dmgoffi485@gmail.coM • 847.370.9862 • Chicago, IL • http://www.mrsgoffi.weebly.com

“One child, one teacher, one pen & one book can change the world” Malala Yousafzai
Dear Future Employer,

All students are capable of achieving success, and educators are the catalyst for this opportunity. Because
teachers have the ability to be positive role models, I am passionate about education. I want to be an English
teacher between grades 6-12, so I can pass along my enthusiasm for knowledge and learning, as well as guide
students along their paths to success.

While teaching in an international school in London the past two and a half years, I’ve learned the significance
of honoring each child’s personal background. Through units, such as the 7th grade “Poem in Translation” unit,
students engaged in activities regarding texts in their home language. Students were encouraged to find
literature written in their mother-tongue, analyzing the language and themes, and evaluating if the text lost its
meaning in translation. By allowing student choice in the classroom, all students were engaged in each activity
and took pride in teaching their peers about his/her family history.

Further, my varied experience as a high school and junior high English teacher in The States, not only instilled the
importance of reading and writing, but also taught me to encourage each student to attain and celebrate
success at his/her own rate. For example, before teaching a grammar unit on sentence structure, I
administered a common English Department grammar pre-assessment to evaluate students’ initial grammar
level. Those students who scored a 90% or above created various sentence types in the essay they were writing
during a Writer’s Workshop. Those students who scored an 89% and below, identified various sentence
structures in a given mentor text. Then, both groups reflected on the purpose of varying sentence fluency within
their essay; in implementing differentiated activities, all students met the learning target at their individual pace
and displayed a 5-20% growth on the post-assessment. These activities were co-planned and co-taught with
the Special Education teacher and implemented in stations.

Lastly, the importance of meeting all students' needs was further instilled through my experience in a district
that believed in progressive education. While teaching 6th grade integrated Social Studies and English at The
Skokie School in the Winnetka Public School District, I learned the importance of engaging students through
their own interests, as well as their skill level. To create a more student-centered approach to the 2014 World
Culture's Fair, my colleague and I assigned students to groups based on a pre-assessment of research and
writing skills, as well as social and emotional readiness. Then, students had the autonomy to decide what
information to present and how they wanted to present the information for their cross-curricular project. Further,
students designed their own rubric with teacher guidance. In doing so, students were motivated and were
proud to present to the 98 parents who attended, the entire school staff, and peers in a museum-type fair.

Your school takes pride in individuals who are passionate about education, who enjoy being active team
members and leaders, and who share the same goal of creating life-long learners. Because we share similar
principles, I know I can be a strong asset to your school community. Through my diverse and global teaching
experience, my enthusiasm for learning, and my strong desire to meet all students’ needs, I am confident I can
help students achieve their personal goals, as well as your school and district's goals.

I am enclosing a current copy of my resume and references, as well as other application materials. I would
appreciate the opportunity to meet with you when you are available to discuss my qualifications for an English
teaching position between the grades of 6-12.

Thank you so much for your time and consideration. I look forward to speaking with you further.

Have a wonderful day,

Danielle Chamoun Goffi

Enclosures