“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education.”
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dear Sir or Madam,
Welcome to my Health Teacher Portfolio. My name is April Williams and I am currently completing my second M.S.E.d. in Health Education at Lehman College. I already hold a B.S. in Physical Education and my first M.S.E.d. in Childhood Education both obtained from Hunter College. The purpose of this letter is to introduce you to my teaching portfolio, which will showcase quality pieces of my work and it’s alignment to the 2008 AAHE Health Education Standards, my teaching philosophy, lesson and unit plan examples. You will also find various examples of student keepsakes that have come to mean very much to me as an educator of both health and physical education. I strongly believe that all of these pieces serve as high quality examples of my ability to serve the needs of any school community as a highly qualified Health Educator.
I have always wanted to be a teacher and after spending some time out of the classroom as a school administrator, I have come to realize that being in the classroom promoting student wellness through health education is my true calling. With the completion of my M.S.E.d. in Health Education, I am looking forward to returning to the classroom full time to serve the members of the school community of which I may become part of.
As you examine the materials in my portfolio, I believe that you will be able to see some of my strengths as an educator. Besides entering into the 15th year of my career, I continue to spend a great deal of time and effort reevaluating my ability to deliver content in such a way that all students will be able to relate, comprehend, and feel successful in my classrooms. My ability to examine the data produced by my students and use this as a tool to inform my instruction is one of my top qualities as an instructor. As I am making the transition to teaching health fulltime, I look forward to relying on this skill to make sure that my students are learning and retaining what they need to make informed choices about their overall health and wellness. Additionally I believe that the pieces in this portfolio will also demonstrate an alignment to the 2008 AAHE Health Education Standards as well. I have taken the time to read and fully understand these standards to make sure that I am appropriately preparing lesson and unit plans for my students. This alignment ensures that content delivered to students is appropriate and meets their needs as individuals.
Despite my very long career, I do recognize that I am shifting into a new content fulltime and because of that I will need coaching and guidance to be successful. As an educator who wants the very best for her students, I welcome the feedback and coaching to ensure that I am not doing a disservice to my students. Teaching Health Education in this context will be a new experience and I would want the guidance and feedback of those around me so that I can grow in this new role so that my students are able to reap those benefits.
As a youngster, most of the schools that I attended did not have the best Physical and Health Education programs and when I took my first job in the fitness industry, I came to the understanding that many adults may have had the same experience that I did growing up. After spending a somewhat significant amount of time in cooperate fitness, I decided to move into the education field on a permanent basis. I felt and still feel that young people deserve to have a proper Health and Physical Education experience so that exercise and nutrition would not be so foreign to them. My goal was and still is that my students would have the knowledge to manage their overall health so that they may lead healthy lives as adults. I hope that these materials will demonstrate my ability to be the ideal health educator for your school that can meet the needs of your students.
Thank you
April Williams
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