Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Project Proposal
Carina Weidenbach
Lori Lovitt
TEL 311
School Environment
Blossoming amidst the lush farms of Gilbert Arizona, Greenfield Junior High resides as an
A+ School of Excellence. The mission statement to “ensure exemplary education that inspires
excellence and success within every learner” (“Greenfield Junior High,” 2019) echoes down the halls
as students actively participate and engage with fellow staff members. Electives and clubs of every
interest imaginable are sprinkled throughout classrooms across campus. Courses range from Family
and Consumer Science, which holds an elaborate Cupcake Wars competition each year that is
featured on the local news, to a hands-on STEM classes in which engineers from all over the valley
come to inspire and engage with students weekly as the young minds develop and market small cars
using the gears, motors, and materials they assembled themselves. Several honors courses, such as
Honors Algebra 1, provide opportunities for students to earn grades on their high school transcript,
allowing them to work ahead and ensure flexibility later in their high school career to explore
additional areas of interest with the early completion of their core courses. If students feel that they
need additional supplements or guidance from teachers and staff, tutoring is provided before, during
lunch, as well as after school. Greenfield provides a strong, stable, and positive atmosphere to
Greenfield Junior High is home to just under 900 students attending 7th and 8th grade. Being
in a predominantly white, middleclass neighborhood, majority of the students filling each class are
white, with 20% being Hispanic or Latino, 5% being African American, and an additional 5% being
of Asian descent. Classrooms are filled with 31-38 students, however, despite having such large class
sizes, each student is always provided with an individual desk and Chromebook, as Greenfield is part
of the 1:1 Chromebook Initiative. Classrooms incorporate approximately 3-5 students per class who
have Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or 504s, a school-based education plan, to support
mainstreaming students and increase student diversity within the classroom (Byers, 2019). Students
descend from a vast array of family environments. Some have a wonderful support system and
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involved parents awaiting their arrival back home, while some have more occupied parents and live
more independent lifestyles. This directly relates to the level of motivation seeping from each
student, some with wonderful initiative of their learning, and others that struggle to engage with the
simplest of classroom tasks. 44 phenomenal, dedicated, and passionate teachers come to educate their
students each day, exceeding expectations of classroom activities, methods of instruction, and
technological integration. Many of which have continued their education to pursue their master’s
degree and strengthen their teaching techniques while using their personal time, energy, and finances.
In the heart of Gilbert, Arizona, Greenfield Junior High resides as one of the 40 schools that
provide a source of education to over 35,000 students within Gilbert Public Schools (“Our Schools,”
2019). The community of Gilbert is highly involved and very well kept. With several opportunities
and organizations to volunteer with, residents find themselves giving back to the place that provides
them with so much. Many schools become involved with other younger schools, creating a family
atmosphere throughout the public-school system. For example, students and parents of Gilbert High
School came to visit and volunteer at Greenfield Junior High to help in Greenfield’s fundraising
event for Spring. There are other events in which junior high and high schools within the district
bonded together to create a spectacular spread of entertainment, such as the agricultural department
of Highland High. Students from all over town came to participate, learn about the new agricultural
practices and help prepare the animals for their upcoming showcase (Strait, 2019). This community
prepares all generations of residents for a better and stronger future, as well as close relations with
each other.
Applicant Biography
Stemming from the soil of educators, I have grown up in a household of successful teachers;
volunteering in the classroom, grading papers, and decorating bulletin boards long before I realized
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my calling to teach. I like to believe that teaching is in my DNA, flowing through my veins and
fueling my passion to help others and make a difference in the lives of our future.
Entering my second year as an 8th grade science teacher, I am full of enthusiasm and passion
to endeavor new practices and experiences within my classroom. I have had experience teaching both
honors and regular 8th grade science, taught through the massive shift in science curriculum, as well
as interned/student taught in middle school science classes, high school biology classes, as well as
STEM electives for a total of 2 years. I believe that students should learn, develop, and add personal
touches to the curriculum they engage with. Classrooms should be seeping with warmth, creativity,
and endearment to create a successful environment for students to flourish within their academic
careers. A humble and respectful atmosphere is maintained where everyone is treated as adults,
maintaining high responsibilities and expectations to prepare for the future ahead.
I am a firm believer in the process of adapting curriculum to fit each individual student’s
needs, interests, and desires. Learning should be something that students crave in and outside of the
classroom, and it starts with the connection between academics and their heart. The most effective
way to maximize student engagement is through projects, in which students can develop variation
and creativity far beyond what the teacher ever imagined, as well as individualize the lesson to each
I have the pleasure of working within a school district that provides 1:1 Chromebooks for
activities are sprinkled throughout each lesson to promote globalized thinking, interaction, and
virtual classroom transformations. I feel that scaffolding technology into each new concept being
taught allows for stronger engagement between the student and the academics. It can provide
instantaneous help and support in ways a teacher cannot physically provide to each student. It allows
for real world connections, consciences implications, and better relates to the growing generation’s
personality.
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References
http://greenfieldjunior.gilbertschools.net/cms/one.aspx?portalId=69503&pageId=2865951.
http://www.gilbertschools.net/cms/One.aspx?portalId=63564&pageId=100881.
Strait, G. (2019). AgriScience and Engineering Department. West Corporation. Retrieved from
http://highlandhigh.gilbertschools.net/teacher_pages/cte-
career___technical_education/agriculture/ginnie_strait.