Cover+Letter

I currently teach Grade 6 English, Social Studies and Drama at the American International School of Guangzhou, where I have taught for the past 6 years. I am a Washington State K-8 certified teacher with over 15 years of experience and a Master’s degree in Education.

For the past several years, our middle school has adopted the Reading/Writing workshop model into our English classrooms. I have received extensive professional development in teaching the workshop model, including attending the Writers’ Workshop and Readers' Workshop week-long courses at Columbia University Teacher’s College in New York.

I find teaching through the workshop model inspiring for both myself and my students. This year I became a published author for the first time as one of my stories, partly of which I wrote in class to model for my students, appears in a collection of short stories on international teaching.

I have also been a part of our middle school implementation of Standards-Based Grading from the very beginning, of which we are in our third year.

I work closely with my curriculum coordinator and other colleagues in developing curriculum in Atlas through the Understanding by Design model and have nine years’ experience teaching in a 1:1 classroom. I feel that twenty-first century education is an exciting time to be teacher and enjoy exploring creative ways to integrate technology into my classroom.

This year finds me co-teaching in one of my English classes as our school has changed to a push-in EAL model. Collaborating and co-teaching with another experienced teacher has been a fantastic experience so far.

I am an active teacher who enjoys working as part of team. This is my 4th year serving as the Grade 6 Team Leader here at AISG. I have also served as the department head at The American School of Bangkok. My experience also includes running the MUN club, co-leading the speech and debate team, working as a member of the Tech Committee, organizing an ISTA drama festival, creating a student magazine, coaching swim team, organizing a school-wide reading fair and bringing special guest speakers to the school.

I aspire to teach with integrity and passion, inspiring my students to grow academically, socially and emotionally in an atmosphere that is stimulating and adaptive to their own widely diverse needs. Each lesson, each year of teaching brings such a different and rewarding experience.

I am married with no kids. My wife, Sam, from Vietnam, has a Master’s degree in finance and accounting and has almost completed her teaching early elementary certification through the College of New Jersey.

Thank you for kind consideration.

Warm regards, Norman Schwagler

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