Summary
Work History
Education
Skills
Timeline
Education Certification
Activities
Education Certification
Activities
Generic
Gari Lewis

Gari Lewis

Washington,DC

Summary

Living and working in Washington, DC. Currently seeking Spanish-language or French-language, or Bilingual/ELL/ESOL/ESL/DL/Trilingual, to include Multi-categorical SPED, instructional (M.Ed. Instructional Specialist) or translation opportunity in an early childhood, primary, or upper elementary and/or secondary environment wholly conducive and supportive of multi-cultural introduction, instruction, and maintenance, in order to foster an exciting global view; sincere and heartfelt appreciation of each, individual's own, respective gifts, and how, by sharing them, foster pride in roots; and, at the same time, contribute to the positive growth and esteemed knowledge among all of us, as mutually discover the very colorful and meaningful traits of the world. Furthermore, combining a Special Education opportunity in multi-categorical assignments to ELL/ESL/ESOL, or, if the position would be more of integrated and inclusive design. The utilization of creative methodology implemented in pedagogy of foreign language instruction to developing learners, utilizing, but not limited to technology, literature, music, dance, theater, poetry, gastronomy, celebration, history, and civics. An attitude and climate of openness and welcoming in planning and design of lessons, activities, sponsoring of festivals, field trips. A transparent, flexible, team relationship with colleagues, who are responsible for instructing content, in order to uphold the consistency in lesson objectives, course expectations, and congruent formative, as well as summative, assessments. Skilled ESL Instructor versed in using effective and efficient methods of teaching while focusing on individual student needs. Experience teaching ESL at elementary and middle school grade levels for students from over various and diverse, different cultural backgrounds. Leverages positive, affirming approaches to encourage learning and assimilation. Provides much opportunity for Project-based learning projects independently, cooperatively. Firmly subscribes to the Science of Reading, not only beginning from Phonics, letters and sounds, syllabication, additionally emphasizing neurodivergent, best practices, developmental psychology. Patient and dedicated Career Educator skilled at developing and promoting interactive learning within group environment. Experienced working with children and adults from wide array of cultural backgrounds to teach language skills. Positive educator patient with students, consistently dedicating extra time for one-on-one instruction to teach difficult lessons. Hardworking and passionate job seeker with strong organizational skills eager to secure fulfilling growth mindset Teaching opportunity. Ready to help team achieve company goals.

Work History

ESOL teacher and WIDA Test Coordinator/Administrator

DCPS River Terrace Education Campus
  • ESOL teacher and WIDA Test Coordinator/Administrator for High/Special Needs Campus for students ranging from 9-10 years old through young adult
  • Multi-dimensional students of varying physical, emotional, and mental capacities and abilities
  • Differentiated/specialized instruction with accommodations for visual, hearing, physical, non-verbal
  • Attended workshops to learn about student motivation and engaging learning activities
  • Gave one-on-one attention to each student while maintaining overall focus on entire group
  • Increased ESL students' reading levels by integrating online word games and altering lesson plans for students needing extra guidance
  • Developed activities and integrated technology to diversify instruction
  • Promoted critical thinking to build subject engagement and interaction
  • Supported students holistically to achieve academic success
  • Set assessments to measure student progress and identify growth opportunities
  • Used positive reinforcement and provided clear feedback to help students succeed
  • Personalized instruction based on needs, interests and capabilities of individual students
  • Educated students in basics of English grammar and conversational speaking

Eighth Grade Humanities Teacher

DCPS Oyster Adams Bilingual Middle School
  • Eighth Grade Humanities Teacher, English side
  • Emphasized Socratic workshops based on curriculum and texts used to unify language arts and social studies instruction
  • Composed lessons and materials to meet higher-order, Honors-based, academic expectations whether illustrated in reports dioramas or other media
  • Communicated frequently with parents, students, and faculty to provide feedback and discuss instructional strategies
  • Kept students on-task with proactive behavior modification and positive reinforcement strategies
  • Incorporated exciting and engaging activities to achieve student participation and hands-on learning
  • Worked cooperatively with other teachers, administrators, and parents to help students reach learning objectives
  • Planned and implemented integrated lessons to meet national standards
  • Incorporated multiple types of teaching strategies into classroom
  • Supported student physical, mental, and social development using classroom games and activities
  • Registered student progress and attendance on database to enable tracking history and maintain accurate records
  • Implemented creative ways to foster curiosity for complex principles through hands-on learning and planned activities
  • Graded and evaluated student assignments, papers, and course work
  • Developed and administered tests for students to measure academic proficiency and understanding
  • Conducted evaluations to measure performance and progress of students, providing guidance for areas requiring improvement
  • Supported student teachers by mentoring on classroom management, lesson planning, and activity organization
  • Advised and counseled students to help them develop skills and knowledge required to succeed
  • Participated in parent teacher conference to discuss developments of students and increase support
  • Utilized data to inform instructional decisions and personalize learning
  • Produced engaging lesson plans and activities to help students master learning objectives
  • Assisted in development of extracurricular activities and special events
  • Assisted in development of college and career readiness programs
  • Supported students in development of skills and strategies to become independent and successful learners
  • Developed and implemented behavior management plans to address student issues
  • Provided guidance and mentoring to students regarding academic, social and emotional issues
  • Built variety of formative and summative assessments to measure student progress
  • Developed and implemented variety of instructional strategies to meet diverse needs of students
  • Monitored student progress and provided feedback to both students and parents
  • Assessed and evaluated student performance through use of standardized testing
  • Encouraged students to take active role in learning and academic success
  • Promoted culture of inclusion, respect and collaboration in classroom
  • Established and maintained professional relationships with students, staff, parents and community members
  • Created and maintained safe and orderly classroom environment conducive to learning
  • Supported development of individualized education plans for students with special needs
  • Kept abreast of technological advances in mathematics and adapted curriculum for individual, small group and remedial instruction to meet diverse needs of high school students

French and Spanish Teacher

Parkersburg Catholic Elementary and High School
  • Freshman through Senior French and Spanish Teacher
  • Project-based learning, music, dance, games, creating rubrics, many TPRS-centered activities
  • Elementary Spanish Immersion, Grades PK-8
  • Conducted foreign language exams to determine fluency and comprehension
  • Developed and wrote curricula in both Spanish and English, often sharing curriculum with other teachers
  • Created supportive learning environment for foreign students to nurture budding language development
  • Built variety of formative and summative assessments to measure student progress
  • Supported students in development of skills and strategies to become independent and successful learners
  • Developed and implemented variety of instructional strategies to meet diverse needs of students
  • Created and maintained safe and orderly classroom environment conducive to learning

Fifth Grade and First Grade Self-contained Dual Language/Spanish Immersion

Highline School District
  • Fifth Grade and First Grade Self-contained Dual Language/Spanish Immersion, 50/50 instructional model throughout content areas of Language Arts, Balanced Literacy, and Leveled Reading in English and Spanish
  • Administered following assessments of I-Ready in math and Language Arts for English and I-Station for Spanish
  • Instructed mathematics and science as Thematic Units, covering all CCSS and SS, combining Language Arts and Literacy expectations, while fulfilling same levels of achievement in targeted subject areas
  • Delivered differentiated instruction due to wide breadth of learning and language abilities in own classroom, alone, constantly structuring teaching based on cultural equity, SEL, and Second Step methodologies, strategies, and principals.
  • Evaluated academic skills of each student through verbal assessments, graded assignments, and standardized tests
  • Administered assessments and standardized tests to evaluate student progress
  • Cultivated relationships with parents for complete support network
  • Supported student skill development in alignment with personal and academic goals
  • Prepared and implemented lesson plans covering required course topics
  • Kept classroom organized, clean and safe for students and visitors
  • Worked with administrators on behavioral issues to support needs of students

Kindergarten and Second Grade self-contained Spanish Immersion Teacher

Bellevue School District
  • Kindergarten and Second Grade self-contained Spanish Immersion Teacher
  • One hundred percent Spanish instruction in self-contained environment utilizing hands-on, differentiated, multimodality teaching methodology and strategy, with assistance of Senderos for Language Arts and Reading and Engage New York for mathematics
  • Created lesson materials based on gifted/talented research studies and findings and tailoring information to expectations to achieve academic success, not only with curriculum and common core state standards, but to also meet some of goals and procedures of national gifted/talented organizations
  • Tailored FOSS Science Kits to either individual or very small ability groups of students demonstrating advanced comprehension and cognitive skills
  • Much implementation of music, dance, poetry, and such art media as dioramas, sketches, and paintings
  • Successfully achieved, and surpassed, students' ability levels, providing them with even more opportunities to challenge themselves and grow further
  • Accomplished classroom instruction that was 100% immersed in reading, speaking, and writing in Spanish.

Kindergarten Dual Language Spanish Immersion Pilot Program Developer and Educator

Bethel School District
  • Kindergarten Dual Language Spanish Immersion Pilot Program Developer and Educator, educational first in school district, under guidance and tutelage of Ralph Wisner
  • Recruited from Texas in order to assist with creation, development, and nurturing of Dual Language program
  • Delivered instruction in this new educational program at Bethel by means of 90-10 model of overall 50/50 elementary school design, planning, incorporating, and utilizing many devices, methodologies of hands on, student-based learning activities and projects to correspond with, and reflect, consistency with Common Core State and National Standards, ELPA guidelines, sheltered English, high academic and meta-cognitive expectations, having us research much more advanced and, at times, Socratic methodology and strategy in teaching
  • Provided opportunities for children to demonstrate knowledge through dance, song, and various artistic media
  • Oversaw and implemented many assessment instruments to monitor success of instruction, via CFA, PBA, End of Unit, Mid Module, End of Module, Standardized, DRA/ELD
  • Actively creative in developing rapport with fellow colleagues in Dual Language program, as well as building team efforts with mainstream faculty and school district members
  • Maintained incessant contact with parents, via variety of means of communication, in order for them to be well-informed of student success, as well as student needs of support
  • Assisted and planned many school-wide activities which further promote Dual Language program, in conjunction to being quite visual and participating in many, various roles and duties that benefited overall school and neighborhood community.

Bilingual/Dual Language (English/Spanish) Kindergarten Educator

El Paso Independent School District
  • Bilingual/Dual Language (English/Spanish) Kindergarten Educator
  • Incorporated hands-on, curricular-based, individual-/differentiated- instruction, implementing much movement, music, rhyming, guided reading and writing, manipulative methodology and strategy.

Bilingual/Dual Language (English/Spanish)/Multi-age

El Paso Independent School District
  • Bilingual/Dual Language (English/Spanish)/Multi-age, instructed second, fourth, and fifth grades in self-contained, as well as grade level and school team environments, utilizing and implementing all methodology and strategy as deemed as necessary and appropriate to achieve student success for academic recognition and commendable performance on campus, district, and statewide assessment, creative, student-based, higher-order thinking, artistic, and scholastic expression in all cross-curricular areas, heavily relying on reading (guided and balanced literacy methodology and strategy) and writing (6+1 Writing Traits)
  • Additionally, implemented, led, and directed musical, art media, and dramatic/theatrical projects and presentations.

Bilingual/Dual Language (English/Spanish)/Multi-age

Austin Independent School District
  • Bilingual/Dual Language (English/Spanish)/Multi-age (fourth and fifth grades), taught and modeled in multi-grade, self-contained, cross-curricular areas, utilizing Powerful Learning, Capital City Writing Process, Balanced Literacy/Guided Reading, Reading to Write, Gifted/Talented, and scientific-based methodologies and strategies
  • Sponsored speech and drama competitions, student government, and musical, dramatic/theatrical presentations.

Instructed in multi-grade levels (6, 7, 8, 9)/departmentalized environment

Blessed Sacrament Catholic School (Diocese of El Paso) and Immanuel Baptist Christian School
  • Instructed in multi-grade levels (6, 7, 8, 9)/departmentalized environment by means of creative projects and diorama/models, community service projects, foreign language (Spanish, whole school, grades K8/French, secondary grades 8 and 9) supported by creative dramatic, written reports, historical-based novels and short stories, poetry, student-led, class presentations, concentrating on multi-cultural and historical themes and events
  • Implemented whole language methodology in order to bring in language arts and literacy to social studies subjects being instructed
  • Provided various opportunities in musical, theatrical, community service projects, spelling bee, yearbook, fund-raising, student government, civic and community projects.
  • Communicated directly with parents and prospective parents to achieve child success
  • Implemented school curriculum in ways that met student needs
  • Communicated with parents to encourage active parental participation in education
  • Established positive, stimulating learning environment for students and exciting education-focused setting for teachers
  • Monitored student progress and implemented intervention strategies to support student success

Education

Master of Arts - Instructional Specialist Bilingual Education

The University of Texas At El Paso
El Paso, TX

Alternative Certification Program - Bilingual Elementary Education

The University of Texas At El Paso
El Paso, TX

BBA - Sales And Marketing Education

The University of Texas At El Paso
El Paso

Skills

  • Cultural Sensitivity first and foremost in establishment of classroom culture and design, mutual respect, celebration of individualism, unconditional support of one another, family of learners
  • Teaching Strategies
  • Instruction and Implementation of Project-based learning, either as individual or cooperative learning projects
  • Reading, instructed in roots of much emphasis on phonics and Science of Reading, beginning with, but not limited to, letters and sounds, phonemes, graphemes, syllabication, blending
  • Social Studies instruction always from DEIB perspectives and multiculturalism emphasis

Timeline

ESOL teacher and WIDA Test Coordinator/Administrator

DCPS River Terrace Education Campus

Eighth Grade Humanities Teacher

DCPS Oyster Adams Bilingual Middle School

French and Spanish Teacher

Parkersburg Catholic Elementary and High School

Fifth Grade and First Grade Self-contained Dual Language/Spanish Immersion

Highline School District

Kindergarten and Second Grade self-contained Spanish Immersion Teacher

Bellevue School District

Kindergarten Dual Language Spanish Immersion Pilot Program Developer and Educator

Bethel School District

Bilingual/Dual Language (English/Spanish) Kindergarten Educator

El Paso Independent School District

Bilingual/Dual Language (English/Spanish)/Multi-age

El Paso Independent School District

Bilingual/Dual Language (English/Spanish)/Multi-age

Austin Independent School District

Instructed in multi-grade levels (6, 7, 8, 9)/departmentalized environment

Blessed Sacrament Catholic School (Diocese of El Paso) and Immanuel Baptist Christian School

Master of Arts - Instructional Specialist Bilingual Education

The University of Texas At El Paso

Alternative Certification Program - Bilingual Elementary Education

The University of Texas At El Paso

BBA - Sales And Marketing Education

The University of Texas At El Paso

Education Certification

  • Master of Education, Bilingual/Multi-cultural Education, Instructional/Curriculum Specialist, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX
  • Alternative Certification Program, Bilingual and Monolingual Certificate, Pre-K through Sixth Grade, State Board of Education, Austin, TX, and University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, LIFETIME CERT
  • Bachelor of Business Administration, Marketing Specialty, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX
  • Texas Teacher Certification, Elementary Education and Bilingual Education, Lifetime Provisional, SBOE
  • State of Washington, OSPI, Elementary Education (PK-8), Bilingual Education (PK-8), 06/01/2016, 06/30/2021, PROVISIONAL CERT
  • LIFETIME CERT, summer 2016, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
  • State of West Virginia, WVDE, PK-K (Early Education), PK-6 (Elementary Education), PK-A (ESL), 11/2020, PERMANENT/PROFESSIONAL CERT
  • State of West Virginia, WVDE, PK-A Special Education: Multicategorical (E/BD, MI, SLD, excluding Autism) (K-6) and (5-AD)
  • State of Maryland ESL certification
  • District of Columbia ESL/OSSE certification
  • Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE)/District of Columbia Foundations of Special Education Course - Cohort 4
  • PRAXIS Spanish language endorsement exam, 03/02/2024, West Virginia Department of Education in Modern Languages, Spanish
  • Enrolled in AP College Board French Language and Culture Seminar, St. Johnsbury Academy, St. Johnsbury, Vermont
  • District of Columbia OSSE Certification in ESL Pre-K to 12

Activities

  • Austin Multi-faith/Multi-cultural Council
  • Golden Key National Honor Society
  • River City Pops Musical Theater Group
  • United States Achievement Academy
  • Celebration Choir and Drama Ministry
  • Kappa Delta Pi
  • Campus Improvement Team Committee
  • PTA Board/Secretary
  • Seattle Men's Chorus
  • Austin, TX, Capital City Men's Chorus
  • Various Community Organizations
  • Social Justice Groups
  • Church Committees
  • School CIT Member
  • Delegate to Capital City Writes and Reading is Fundamental
  • GMCW
  • Who's Who Among University College Students, 1998
  • St. Thomas Parish
  • Migrant Outreach Services

Education Certification

  • Master of Education, Bilingual/Multi-cultural Education, Instructional/Curriculum Specialist, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX
  • Alternative Certification Program, Bilingual and Monolingual Certificate, Pre-K through Sixth Grade, State Board of Education, Austin, TX, and University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, LIFETIME CERT
  • Bachelor of Business Administration, Marketing Specialty, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX
  • Texas Teacher Certification, Elementary Education and Bilingual Education, Lifetime Provisional, SBOE
  • State of Washington, OSPI, Elementary Education (PK-8), Bilingual Education (PK-8), 06/01/2016, 06/30/2021, PROVISIONAL CERT
  • LIFETIME CERT, summer 2016, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
  • State of West Virginia, WVDE, PK-K (Early Education), PK-6 (Elementary Education), PK-A (ESL), 11/2020, PERMANENT/PROFESSIONAL CERT
  • State of West Virginia, WVDE, PK-A Special Education: Multicategorical (E/BD, MI, SLD, excluding Autism) (K-6) and (5-AD)
  • State of Maryland ESL certification
  • District of Columbia ESL/OSSE certification
  • Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE)/District of Columbia Foundations of Special Education Course - Cohort 4
  • PRAXIS Spanish language endorsement exam, 03/02/2024, West Virginia Department of Education in Modern Languages, Spanish
  • Enrolled in AP College Board French Language and Culture Seminar, St. Johnsbury Academy, St. Johnsbury, Vermont
  • District of Columbia OSSE Certification in ESL Pre-K to 12

Activities

  • Austin Multi-faith/Multi-cultural Council
  • Golden Key National Honor Society
  • River City Pops Musical Theater Group
  • United States Achievement Academy
  • Celebration Choir and Drama Ministry
  • Kappa Delta Pi
  • Campus Improvement Team Committee
  • PTA Board/Secretary
  • Seattle Men's Chorus
  • Austin, TX, Capital City Men's Chorus
  • Various Community Organizations
  • Social Justice Groups
  • Church Committees
  • School CIT Member
  • Delegate to Capital City Writes and Reading is Fundamental
  • GMCW
  • Who's Who Among University College Students, 1998
  • St. Thomas Parish
  • Migrant Outreach Services
Gari Lewis