Intern plan conference

Before my conference, I asked my superintendent, Dr. Cody Abshier, to review my intern plan and make any comments or suggestions.  He reviewed my intern plan prior to our meeting and sent it back to me with positive comments.  In his comments, he stated that he did not see any reason to meet, but I wanted to confirm that nothing needed to be added and modified.  We met in his office and the conference went very well.  He reviewed my intern plan and said that it looked really good.   He stated that the plan looked thorough and that I did a great job of encompassing all of the competencies into my plan.  He confirmed that my plan had a good variety of activities.  He told me that a lot of the activities that I chose were some of the same ones he would have chosen.  He liked all of the activities where there were interactions with the teachers and students.  He enjoys talking with people and listening to their ideas.  I shared with him the comments that one of my peers had stating that I needed more emphasis on planning and implementation.  He stated that my plan looked like a lot of work, but he said that it would be worth it.  He said it did not appear to him that anything needed to be added.  I did indicate to him that I decided to add a description of each competency in column two.  He decided to keep a copy for future reference.  I felt proud that he did not foresee any changes so I feel that now I am on the right track.

Rachel's Professional Vita

Rachel L. Polk

 polkrachel@mail.com

Education/Certification

M.Ed.-Education, Reading Specialist, Lamar University, Beaumont, TX, 2006

BA-English, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 1995

Principal Certificate-Texas

Teacher Certificate-Secondary Reading, English, Speech Communication, Texas

Reading Specialist (EC-12), Texas

Administrative and Leadership Experience

Assistant Principal, Liberty Elementary School, Liberty Independent School District, Liberty, TX 2011-present

• Managed a student body of approximately 650 learners in grades 2 to 5.
• Supervised a team of professionals including teachers, para-professionals, nurses, and support staff.
• Devised and coordinate scheduling, creating, and tracking work orders
• Assisted in curriculum implementation in all subjects.
• Liaise with cafeteria, custodians, and maintenance staff on a daily basis.
• Maintained on-campus activities such as student of the month, honor roll parties, and after school tutorials.
• Ensured a safe and healthy learning environment for all school members.
• Planned staff development that would enhance teacher’s professional growth.
• Evaluated and monitored teaching staff throughout the school year

Reading Coordinator, Al Price State Juvenile Correctional Facility, Texas Youth Commission, Beaumont, TX 2003-2005

• Served as a resource to teachers with regard to materials, teaching strategies, and reading research.
• Consulted with teachers regarding purchase and use of reading-related materials.
• Conducted and interpreted diagnostic assessment of students.
• Actively promoted reading in the school.
• Continued to pursue professional growth through attendance at workshops, conferences, courses, etc.
• Provided staff development as requested by the campus principal.

Teaching Experience

English Teacher, Al Price State Juvenile Correctional Facility, Texas Youth Commission, Beaumont, TX 1997-2011

• Prepared and delivered lectures to 9^th to 12^th grade students on topics such as poetry, novel structure, and essay writing skills.
• Adapted curriculum to provide individual, small group, or remedial instruction to  meet the needs of all learners.
• Adapted English material and methods to develop relevant sequential assignments that guide and challenge students.
• Evaluated each student’s progress in English skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing).

Reading Teacher, Al Price State Juvenile Correctional Facility, Texas Youth Commission, Beaumont, TX 2005-2008

• Carried out ongoing assessment of reading needs; wrote and modified the lesson plans as needed; maintains student achievement records.
• Provided leadership and training to teachers which will lead to all teachers addressing the needs of multilevel reading abilities in their classrooms.

• Motivated pupils to read widely for information and recreation.
• Consulted with other content teachers, special education teachers,  and students, advising on strategies and activities that may be used to enhance a student’s reading skills.

Speech Communications Teacher, Al Price State Juvenile Correctional Facility, Texas Youth Commission, Beaumont, TX 2001-2003

• Assisted students in improving their speaking and presentation skills.
• Guided students to focus on the “basics” of good speaking skills.
• Provided students the opportunity to practice with a variety of activities and presentations.
• Facilitated students writing abilities as they wrote their own speeches.
• Encouraged students to increase their knowledge of current events and analysis of issues in today’s world.

English Teacher, Austin Middle School, Beaumont Independent School District, Beaumont, TX 1995-1997

• Integrated a variety of teaching methods to maximize student interest and secure student success.
• Selected instructional materials designed to achieve instructional goals and objectives appropriate to the interest and maturity level of students.
• Conducted and organized on-going assessments of student performance using multiple assessment tools.

Additional Training/Professional Development

LPAC Training, Houston TX, September 2012.

“Behavioral tools for Success with Tough Kids”, Liberty Texas, August 2012.

CHAMPS Training, Liberty Texas, August 2012.

DMAC Training, Liberty Texas, August 2012.

EduSmart Training Liberty Texas, August 2012.

CSCOPE and Balanced Literacy Training, Silsbee, TX, June 2012.

“Community and Parental Involvement”, Beaumont, TX, March 2012.

Presentations

Polk, R. (2004, September).  Adapting instruction for Struggling Readers. Presentation

during Al Price State Juvenile Correctional Facility Staff Development, Beaumont, TX.

Polk, R. (2010, May).  Balanced Literacy Framework.  Presentation during Al Price

State Juvenile Correctional Facility Staff Development, Beaumont, TX.

Professional Affiliations

Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association (TEPSA), 2012-present

Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA), 2012-present

References

References will be provided upon request.

                

Interview Reflection

            I thoroughly enjoyed the interview with my district superintendent.  He is very approachable and very hands on.  Several times a week, he comes to our campus just to visit with students and staff, ask about any concerns, to snap a picture, or just to say hi.  He was very receptive to being interviewed and welcomed the challenge of answering my questions.  We made arrangements to meet at his office in administration directly after school.  I explained to him that the questions would vary and that I would write a reflection and post the information on a blog.  He was very interested in the concept of blogs and stated that he did not have any experience with blogging. During our interview, he got up several times to speak to current students, one former student, parents, and his secretary.  Throughout this steady stream of activity, he seemed genuinely interested in meeting everyone’s needs.  Even though he was obviously busy, he took an hour out of his day to help me with this assignment.  As I asked the questions, he admitted that some of the questions needed to be answered in depth, but in the interest of time, he answered questions directly and concise.  On a few questions, he asked my perspective on how he well he was dealing with certain situations.  I didn’t expect this, but I tried to answer his questions honestly about how I viewed some of his decisions from an administrator perspective.  He listened to my thoughts and appreciated my insight.  I let him know that I admire the job that he does and informed him that the faculty and staff think very highly of him and only expect more good things in the future.  The interview helped me to identify the fact that I need to continue to hone my skills and study every aspect of education, as I further my career.  I realize that I need to continue to talk to and learn from the people in my school and from other leaders in the district.  This process also let me know that I should network with people outside my district by attending more staff developments, workshops, and conferences in and out of my assigned region.  I also realize from this experience that it is going to take a lot of time, wisdom, and patience to reach the level of superintendent.  I feel that the role the superintendent plays is significant and the responsibilities are tremendous, but I believe that with the help of leaders such as my district superintendent and campus principal that I will be prepared for the opportunity when it arises.