Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Timeline
Generic

Christina Bergstrom

Chandler,AZ

Summary

I have been actively engaged in the field of education for 20 years, from working as a Preschool Teacher, to becoming a Director of an Early Childhood program and Preschool. I have worked as a Paraprofessional in self-contained/specialized classrooms for students with Moderate to Severe and Profound cognitive disabilities. I then became a Special Education Teacher and worked in the same program. The past three years I have been working as a Special Education Teacher in Resource for students in 1st - 6th grade. I am looking to obtain a position as a Special Education Teacher, where I can utilize previously obtained knowledge and skills, while continuing to learn and grow as a professional.

Overview

16
16
years of professional experience

Work History

Special Education Teacher

Keystone Montessori Charter School
Phoenix, AZ
06.2022 - Current

Teacher in a Special Education Resource Classroom for students with mild to moderate cognitive disabilities. Ensuring that each student's individual personal needs are met; providing specialized direct instruction that is meaningful and purposeful, and when possible, using real world applications. Creating specialized materials and tools to assist the students in reaching their goals and objectives. Monitoring and recording progress of students' work as they work toward meeting and achieving their goals.

Self-Contained Special Education Teacher

Conley Elementary School/CUSD80
Chandler, AZ
07.2017 - 06.2020

Teacher in a Special Education Classroom for students with moderate to severe disabilities, grades K-4. Ensuring that each student's individual personal needs are met; providing individualized direct instruction that is meaningful and purposeful, and when possible, using real world applications. Creating specialized materials and tools to assist the students in reaching their goals and objectives, utilizing their interests as motivators for learning. Creating an active learning station accessible to all students. Making sure that each student has opportunities to learn new skills and build upon existing skills by working as a team with Para Educators and Therapists. Monitoring and recording progress of students' work as they work toward meeting and achieving their goals.

Special Education Teacher

Bogle Junior High School/CUSD80
Chandler, AZ
01.2017 - 06.2017

Teacher in a Special Education Classroom for students with moderate to severe disabilities, grades 7-8. Ensured that each student's individual personal needs were met; providing individualized direct instruction that was meaningful and purposeful. Created specialized materials and tools to assist the students in reaching their goals and objectives, utilizing their interests as motivators for learning. Provided each student the opportunities to learn new skills and build upon existing skills by working as a team with Para Educators and Therapists. Used real world applications as often as possible. Monitored for same age peers to come in during their lunch period to spend time with the students in this classroom. They talked, played games, and built relationships during their time together. This project started with one peer who would come to visit and grew to over a dozen students in one quarter.

Para Educator II

Conley Elementary School, Ryan Elementary School
Chandler, AZ
04.2011 - 05.2016

Cared for children in Special Education Classroom for students with moderate to severe disabilities. grades K-4, K-2 respectively. Meeting each student's individual personal needs, by assisting them with their activities of daily living. Building a relationship of trust with the students, by providing them with respectful and responsive caregiving. Work on goals implemented by the Special Education Teacher and Therapists. Preparation of materials and tools for students to use in the classroom. Creating materials that incorporated students' interests so as to motivate them when necessary. Monitoring and recording the progress of students' work toward meeting and achieving their goals.

Para Educator II

Maricopa Elementary School
Maricopa, AZ
04.2009 - 04.2011

Caring for children in a Special Education Life Skills Classroom for students with severe and profound disabilities, grades K-12. Meeting each student's individual personal needs, by caring for them in relation to their activities of daily living. Building a relationship of trust with the students by providing them respectful and responsive caregiving. Finding creative ways to provide sensory experiences for each of the students. Preparation of materials and tools for students to use in the classroom. Working with the Special Education Teacher to provide students with inclusive opportunities that were meaningful and purposeful to them. Work on goals implemented by the Special Education Teacher and Therapists. Monitoring and recording the progress of the students' work toward meeting and achieving their goals.

Education

Bachelor of Science - Special Education

Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, AZ
12.2016

Bachelor of Science - Elementary Education

Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, AZ
12.2016

Skills

  • Skills Development
  • Motivating Students
  • Verbal and Non-verbal Communication
  • Positive Reinforcement Methods
  • Individual Education Plans IEPs
  • AAC Devices
  • Instructional Strategies
  • Life Skills Development
  • Lesson Planning/Specially Designed Instruction
  • Basic American Sign Language
  • Creating a Positive Learning Environment
  • Multidisciplinary collaboration
  • Motor skills development
  • Social skills development

Timeline

Special Education Teacher

Keystone Montessori Charter School
06.2022 - Current

Self-Contained Special Education Teacher

Conley Elementary School/CUSD80
07.2017 - 06.2020

Special Education Teacher

Bogle Junior High School/CUSD80
01.2017 - 06.2017

Para Educator II

Conley Elementary School, Ryan Elementary School
04.2011 - 05.2016

Para Educator II

Maricopa Elementary School
04.2009 - 04.2011

Bachelor of Science - Special Education

Northern Arizona University

Bachelor of Science - Elementary Education

Northern Arizona University
Christina Bergstrom