Christine Bower
Atlanta,GA
Summary
Highly qualified elementary school teacher with twenty years of experience in multiple areas of education. Expertise in STEM education, classroom oversight, course planning and behavior management. Successful at collaborating with teachers, administrative leaders and support specialists to meet individual student needs. Committed to encouraging higher-order thinking to increase student performance and self-esteem.
Overview
20
20
years of professional experience
9
9
Certifications
Work History
Certified Substitute Teacher
Atlanta Public Schools
Atlanta GA
08.2022 - Current
- Follow classroom plans left by class teacher to continue student education.
- Uphold classroom routines to support student environments and maintain consistent schedules.
- Repeatedly requested as substitute teacher by teachers based on excellent past referrals and trusted performance.
- Keep students on-task with proactive behavior modification and positive reinforcement strategies.
- Complete documentation of attendance, grades and other required details.
- Provide instruction for students in special education areas.
- Lead classroom activities for play-based and immersive learning in autism classrooms of up to 8 students.
STEM Teacher
Gwinnett County Public Schools
Norcross, GA
08.2016 - 07.2021
- Served and lead school committee STEM curriculum development and education.
- Planned and delivered STEM instruction to all grade levels in school of approximately 1500 students.
- Planned, prepared and taught k-5 STEM lesson plans, giving students individual support.
- Demonstrated positive and effective classroom management skills.
- Communicated with students and parents regarding academic progress, assignments and behavior.
- Encouraged student interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and participation in elementary and district level science competitions.
- Managed K-5 grade level STEM classes/labs with an approximate total of 150 students daily and average class size of 28 students.
- Coordinated and collaborated with other faculty members during lesson plan development.
- Kept classroom environments consistent and focused on learning by establishing and implementing lessons with clear objectives.
- Collaborated with other teachers to integrate science into other curricula.
- Utilized diverse instructional approaches to accommodate different learning styles.
- Planned and supervised class projects, field trips and visits by guest speakers.
- Provided one-on-one attention to students, while maintaining overall focus on entire group.
- Delivered and developed interactive lessons to help students comprehend complex concepts.
5th Grade General Education Teacher
Gwinnett County Public Schools
Norcross, GA
08.2013 - 07.2016
- Built positive relationships with parents to involve families in educational process.
- Planned rigorous lessons and assessments according to district standards.
- Helped students develop self-esteem and life skills by fostering healthy conflict-resolution, critical thinking and communication.
- Provided ESOL support for students of different language backgrounds.
- Implemented classroom management techniques to enhance class morale and engagement.
- Assessed student progress by administering tests and evaluating results.
- Planned, implemented, and tracked tier level support for EIP, ESOL, and special education students.
- Planned, taught, and evaluated students identified as in gifted education.
- Chaperoned field trips to maintain safety and encourage learning.
- Boosted individual perseverance and resilience by setting challenging goals and providing realistic support.
- Integrated technology and multimedia tools into lessons to enhance student learning.
- Provided regular feedback to students on progress and assigned grades based on performance.
- Attended students' concerts, sporting events and performances to offer support and encourage extracurricular activities.
- Taught lessons encompassing skill-building activities in speaking, writing, reading and listening.
- Managed approximately 75 students daily
Special Education Teacher
Gwinnett County Public Schools
Lilburn, GA
08.2001 - 07.2013
- Created and managed IEPs to define student learning objectives and educational strategies, in addition to applying instructional knowledge and methods to support goals.
- Cultivated connections and strong student and parent rapport to foster classroom engagement and success.
- Taught students across multiple classifications, ages, and degrees of special needs.
- Modified general education curriculum for special-needs students using various instructional techniques and technologies.
- Implemented and used Positive Behavior Support (PBS) to encourage appropriate student behavior.
- Partnered with general education teachers from across academic departments and grade levels.
- Designed and implemented individualized point/level systems to encourage positive behavior.
- Taught math, science, reading, language arts and social sciences in self-contained EBD and SLD classroom.
- Facilitated small group instruction to address individual learning needs
- Worked closely with parents and guardians to address students' issues on multiple fronts.
- Maintained accurate records of student progress and attendance.
- Helped students with special needs integrate into general classroom environments by advocating for individual requirements and helping teachers solve problems.
- Developed Individual Education Plans for students with special needs.
- Improved behavior by modeling positive choices and teaching socially-acceptable options.
- Mentored new teachers on student progress monitoring and legal document preparation.
- Maintained supplemental IEP permanent records with 100% accuracy as determined by IEP online program and county protocols
Education
Master of Science - Library And Information Science
Georgia State University
Atlanta, GA12.2008
Bachelor of Science - Special Education
University of Georgia
Athens, GA05.2001
Skills
- Student records management
- Student engagement
- Group and individualized instruction
- Classroom management
- Excellent computing skills in Microsoft Office products, as well as, Google platform
- Understanding and use of various technologies/robotics (SMART, Scratch, Codeorg, various tablets, WeDo 20, EV3, etc)
- Response-to-intervention understanding and data management
- IEP and data collection familiarity
- STEM, robotics, and computer science understanding
- High level of organizational ability
- Strong integration of literacy into math and science lessons
- Ability to create differentiated lessons for students based on skill level, learning style and English proficiency
Accomplishments
- Local School Teacher of the Year 2019-2020.
- Finalist Local School Teacher of the Year 2017-2018
- Collaborated and led team of fifteen in the development of STEM/Science education.
- Collaborated and implemented with a vertically aligned STEM committee in the development of STEM related events including First Lego League (FLL) tournaments, science fairs, and STEM events.
- Achieved Green and Healthy Schools status by completing and implementing projects and instructions for the local school portfolio with accuracy and efficiency.
- Supervised and coordinated after school Science, Garden and First Lego League Clubs.
Certification
- Early childhood education (p-5)
- Media specialist (p-12)
- Special education general curriculum (p-12) consultative level
- Special education language arts, math, science, and reading (p-5) cognitive level
- Special education social studies (p-5, 4-8) cognitive level
- ESOL, reading, and gifted endorsements for state of GA
Timeline
Certified Substitute Teacher
Atlanta Public Schools
08.2022 - Current
STEM Teacher
Gwinnett County Public Schools
08.2016 - 07.2021
5th Grade General Education Teacher
Gwinnett County Public Schools
08.2013 - 07.2016
Special Education Teacher
Gwinnett County Public Schools
08.2001 - 07.2013
Master of Science - Library And Information Science
Georgia State University
Bachelor of Science - Special Education
University of Georgia