Running head: APPLICANT & SCHOOL PROPOSAL 1

Applicant & School Proposal

Daniel Lopez

Arizona State University

APPLICANT & SCHOOL PROPOSAL 2

Applicant & School Proposal

Greetings, my name is Daniel Lopez, I am currently teaching 8th grade social studies at

Collier Elementary School in Avondale, Arizona. By the end of the 2019 school year I will have

completed my first full year as a middle-school educator. Although I am relatively new to the

teaching profession I belief certain life experiences and an earnest desire to positively influence

the lives of young people has led me down this very fortuitous path. I undertook this very

rewarding profession with the intent of forming a classroom environment where my students will

be free to take risks, grow from challenges, and dream of success in all aspects of life. I aim to

provide purposeful experiences where learners will be able to effectively use the skills acquired

inside of the classroom to identify and pursue academic objectives in a sensible manner.

Moreover, it is my deepest desire to cultivate a classroom where students feel welcome and

where their voices and ideas have value. As an educator, I also believe my role in the classroom

is to prepare students to succeed in the world, in a manner that takes into account the importance

of the physical, mental, and social aspects that contribute greatly to the human experience. With

that being said, I have set in place a series of academic strategies to fit the various needs of my

diverse students.

To achieve success in my classroom I have implemented project-based learning as a way

to actively explore real-world problems and challenges and acquire a deeper knowledge.

Especially in social studies were assignments that are bigger than a lesson and smaller than a unit

it offers me that opportunity to use inquiry-based tasks for my students. For example, my middle

school class might be given the question, “how did colonization change the world?” in order to

begin their exploration of colonization of the Americas prior to the year 1492. Starting with

questions such as “what is colonization?” and “which countries participated in colonization and
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why?” they explore geography and history by examining maps and other sources relevant to the

early colonization period. The then the students are expected to write an argumentative essay to

answer the original question, using the sources they examined as evidence.

Currently, I am teaching three social studies classes with an average class size of 25 to 27

students. Students mainly consist of Hispanic students in the majority, followed by African

American students, and Caucasian students. The diversity in each class adds to an interesting

dynamic because it allows for multiple perspectives surrounding on topic. However, I have

noticed especially during the American Revolution unit, the lack of subgroup narratives –

especially enslaved Africans- is regrettably absent from this very formative period in American

history. I would be curious to know how people of color in my class are responding to the lack of

representational history. Considering that the majority of my students are people of color, I am

concerned about their level of engagement when they discover that early American history is

virtually free from non-white voices. I am hopeful in the near future for curriculum that pays

careful attention to multiple accounts from various viewpoints.

Overall, I am having tremendous success using technology in the classroom. When the

class engages in individual or group project learning each class period is fortunate to have access

to Google Chrome tablets. With these tablets, they offer the student an opportunity to explore –

school approved- websites located on the Collier intranet homepage. This is particularly helpful

when they are given an inquiry-based assignment that requires them to gather research material

for their topics. To add to the continued success of the technology capabilities in the classroom, I

am suggesting a program that would allow me to monitor each individual laptop during class

period. This would of course deter off-task behavior and encourage students to maintain strict

online ethics.