IRVING GAMBOA
Chicago Public Schools – Tarkington School of Excellence
Mokena,IL
2
Languages
1
Certification
6
years of professional experience
Special Education / Bilingual Teacher delivering bilingual instruction across 16+ students per class in self-contained, inclusion, co-taught, and pull-out settings. Leads IEP development, progress monitoring, and transition planning for students with complex academic, linguistic, and disability-related needs, managing 10+ IEPs per year and family meetings. Strengthens access to grade-level learning through Wilson, DIBELS, and Fountas & Pinnell data, differentiated materials, and multilingual family communication.
Work History
Special Education / Bilingual Teacher | Tenured Teacher
5 Years 8 Months- Deliver bilingual special education instruction across grades 4–8 in self-contained, inclusion, co-teaching, and pull-out settings.
- Serve as the sole 8th-grade special education teacher for 2 years, leading transitional IEP development and high-school transition planning.
- Teach self-contained ELA, mathematics, social studies, science, and interdisciplinary lessons for classes of approximately 16–20 students.
- Write, implement, and monitor IEPs, behavior plans, transition plans, and progress-monitoring systems across a 5-year special education caseload.
- Collaborate with case managers, general education teachers, paraprofessionals, social workers, nurses, speech-language pathologists, counselors, and therapists to coordinate student supports.
- Provide literacy intervention using Wilson, DIBELS, and Fountas & Pinnell data to support students reading several grade levels below expectations.
- Support emergent bilingual and newcomer students, interpret IEP meetings, proctor IAR and ACCESS assessments, and maintain records in ASPEN.
Education
2 Graduate Credit Hours - Teaching Safari / Brookfield Zoo Program
Bilingual Education Endorsement - Bilingual Education
Master of Education - Special Education
Summa Cum Laude
Bachelor of Arts - Cinema Art + Science
Summa Cum Laude
Associate of Arts - Journalism
Skills
Bilingual special education
IEP development & implementation
Transition planning & student advocacy
Behavior support & behavior planning
Multilingual learner support
Special education compliance
IEP facilitation
Multidisciplinary team collaboration
Instructional coaching
Family engagement
Progress data analysis
Special education scheduling
Accomplishments
- Published poet with work appearing in literary publications.
- Filmmaker with festival-screened work.
- Developed literacy, writing, arts, mentoring, and enrichment programming for young people.
Certification
Illinois Professional Educator License (PEL), Learning Behavior Specialist I
LANGUAGES
English – Fluent
Spanish – Fluent / Bilingual
Personal Information
Title: SPECIAL EDUCATION / BILINGUAL TEACHER | PEL & LBS I | BILINGUAL ENDORSEMENT
ADDITIONAL EDUCATIONAL & LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE
- Chicago Public Schools 2021-Present
- Bogan High School
- Summer School Special Education Teacher – Chicago, Illinois | Summer 2022, Summer 2023
- Delivered specialized instruction and academic support to high school students in a summer-school special education setting (Summer 2022, Summer 2023).
- Adapted instruction, assignments, and materials to meet diverse learning needs while maintaining alignment with grade-level expectations.
- Collaborated with staff to monitor academic progress, address behavioral needs, and support student engagement.
- Brookfield Zoo – Teaching Safari
- Summer Teaching Program – Brookfield, Illinois | June-August 2026
- Selected for Brookfield Zoo's Teaching Safari program, delivering onsite educational programming and engaging students in interdisciplinary, experiential learning.
- Completed the program while earning 2 graduate credit hours through Dominican University.
- Applied student-centered instructional strategies emphasizing inquiry, experiential learning, and interdisciplinary connections.
- Supported newcomer and multilingual freshmen during the transition into high school.
- Provided academic guidance, mentoring, relationship-building, and transition support.
- Chicago Academy High School Teacher Residency
- Developed instructional practice through classroom teaching, curriculum planning, assessment, observation, and reflective practice.
- Solorio Academy High School Teacher Residency
- Developed classroom-instruction and student-centered teaching experience within a high school residency setting.
- ELL / Newcomer Literacy Program Leader
- Poetry & Creative Writing Program Coordinator
- Soccer Coach, Boys’ and Girls’ Teams, Grades 5–8
- Private Tutor
- Art Instructor: Painting, Sculpture & Mask-Making
- Youth Mentor and After-School Educator
- LEADERSHIP & STUDENT PROGRAMMING
- Soccer Coach, Tarkington School of Excellence (4 years) – coached boys' and girls' teams across grades 5–6 and 7–8, developing teamwork, discipline, and leadership.
- After-School & Summer Program Leadership – designed and led arts programming spanning poetry, oratory, visual arts, cinema, photography, and creative writing, including a student talent program incorporating film history, painting, and collage.
- 2025 CPS Oratory Competition – two students reached the finals: an 8th-grade student earned 2nd place and a 1st-grade student earned 4th place.
- Additional programming: OMME after-school support for newly arrived English language learner students; Urban Initiatives soccer programming.
Timeline
Special Education / Bilingual Teacher | Tenured Teacher
Chicago Public Schools – Tarkington School of Excellence
01.2021 - CurrentRead More
Joliet Junior College
Associate of Arts from Journalism
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Columbia College Chicago
Bachelor of Arts from Cinema Art + Science
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DePaul University
Master of Education from Special Education
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National Louis University
Bilingual Education Endorsement from Bilingual Education
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Dominican University
2 Graduate Credit Hours from Teaching Safari / Brookfield Zoo Program
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