1. IAKINA HIGH SCHOOL – PRIVATE SCHOOL A brief self-introduction and summary of the position: School Principal Dear Sir, Greeting and Talofa, My name is Alex Skelton. I am a teacher in ASDOE for approximately ten years of service. In my professional history, I taught in the Elementary Level for five years. Within this five years, I attended few off-island workshops was held in Portland, Oregon in 2000 and 2012 specifically for Corrective Reading Program just for teachers who have awarded the most points through this program. It was worthy and more experience to develop our students’ reading strategies, and to improve our students’ reading comprehension in our schools here in our island. Fortunately, I have the opportunity to spent another 3 years at Nu’uuli Vocational Technical High School, a trade school, teaching our Samoan Language and Culture as an important part of our students’ heritage. Currently, I was assigned by the Director of Education in American Samoa this year to work at the Office of Samoan Language and Culture at the OCI (Office of Curriculum and Instructions) where I am now working as a Samoan Language and Culture Specialist. Gurrently, I have my Bachelor of Education and I am pursuing my Master Degree in Education with Empahasis on Teaching, Learning and Leading in the 21 st, Century. With my respect, I am glad to inform your Office of School Board of Iakina High School. under the supervision of American Samoa Government, Board of Higher Education to apply for the position as a school principal for Iakina High School. Due to with years of experience in this professions, off – island workshops, and also with some researches that I have conducted in our island including your school, therefore, I have confidence to take over this position based on some qualifications and the experience that I have earned as teacher, and also as a Samoan Language and Culture Specialist. To be a School Principal at your school. I would like to work on the school model system that I have encountered through my research within few weeks ago. I have seen some critical issues such as teacher attendance, teacher modeling activity, lesson planning with students’ activities, and especially to make more improvement on school facilities. These are the most critical issues that I have seen through my research, and I know that the WASC will be visiting our schools on island by next year, therefore, your school will be target by the visiting team in terms of things that I have mention. In fact, the School Principal’ role is to find some better ways to fix these problems, otherwise, the WASC team will not accredit the school, or else to close down for few months to fix all these problems. To become a School Principal, I strongly believe that if I got this position, I will seek for an assistance from ASDOE with programs that help out to solve these problems. The better communication with have with our ASDOE, and the American Samoa Government, the better feedback we will receive to help out in some ways to provide better education for our students, especially in creating a better learning environment for them in the future. Sincerely, Alex Skelton

2. My Education Philosophy (from Week 1) MY STUDENTS’ EXPECTATIONS: Students expect me as their teacher to be more responsible to provide instructions that their parents expect them to learn. They look at me as a leading person to guide them when they have problems. Obviously, in most classrooms there are students who are so eager and curious to learn. These students do not like to waste time in class. They are expecting that time on task is very important and worthy. They expect the class to start on time and the teacher must be on time as well. On the hand, they want the teacher to model good examples for them to follow. Some students they like to come in class with no expectation. They are just sitting and wait unless they are told what they supposed to do. I am familiar with these students’ attitudes when they come to my class, but I have to teach and counsel them to make a change towards their attitudes. PARENTS’ EXPECTATIONS: The parents who are really concerned for their kids’ education expect me to do my job accordingly. They want me to be more responsible and to make sure that their kids are learning the instructions they supposed to learn. These very concerned parents always visit my classroom once a week, or else they give me phone calls sometime of the day just to make sure their kids are in class. They always show up to pick up their child’s report card during Parent and Teachers’ Conference. This will be another important time for them to share their expectations and their concerns about their child’s performance in class. These types of parents have put their great concern and trust on me about their kids. Some parents do not have the same expectations. They never show up in school just to see how their kids are doing at school, or even PTC. TEACHER’S EXPECTATIONS: As a teacher, I have higher expectations for my students. First and foremost, I want myself to be a role model for all students who are coming in my class. I expect myself to treat them as young adults and how they are so important to me. In addition, I must provide instructions based on the Curriculum and Instructions was set forth by the ASDOE to prepare them for the SBA test when it comes. One of my expectations is to make sure they understand what they are learning. I cannot leave them with confusion during instructions. I want to make sure they understand the instructions. On the other hand, I have to prepare a daily lesson plan with activities. They must be aligned with the standards and benchmarks. During my second year, I have made a change with my teaching models. I have learned how different students were learning, then I started to put them in groups. From this change, I have seen an improvements with my students when they work cooperatively with others. According to Theorist A.F. Grasha states that, “To gain a better understanding of the fundamentals of each teaching style, it’s best to view them through the lens of direct instruction, inquiry-based learning, and cooperative teaching Theorist A.F Grasha, Teaching Styles (1996). To become an effective teacher, I want my students to learn how to respect themselves, respect others, and respect the teacher. Looking at the other window, they need to learn how to follow instructions. I also want them to become more knowledgeable and skillful in Reading, Science and Mathematics in order to be more comfortable in their future learning. As a teacher, I express my sincere gratitude, love and dedicate my life in my profession to teach, share, counsel and guide them through their educational journey.

3. My Classroom Management Plan (from Week 2) CLASSROOM GOAL OF THE PLAN: As a teacher for almost ten years, I have learned that this is one of the most important issues at school, and it also a part of a teacher’s job that needs to take it seriously of how to manage students’ behavior in classroom. Actually, there are students that think of school is not the right place for them, but there are some students they are focusing on learning. Majority of students are coming from different family with different background. However, there are good students who are already taught by their parents that school is a better place for them to prepare for their future. Definitely, the students are supposed to have fun in their learning environment. They are not supposed to be quiet at all times, but there should be such a way that the needs to avoid distractions in the classroom like creating an effective classroom management plan to take control of students’ attitudes, and to promote learning as well. SETS OF RULES: Respect yourself, respect your classmates, and respect your teacher. To show respect to yourself, others, and your teacher will be a good example of working collaboratively to focus on instructions and self –studies without distractions and interruptions around the class. This is highest value in the Samoan traditional life, and we have to show wherever we go, whatever we do remember to show your respectful behavior. You must be at your seat during instructions. This is rule is focusing on students’ safety. The teacher must ensure that all the students are supposed to be in class are present at all times during instructional hours. Once a student is not be seated, the teacher needs to know where that student is at in the classroom or outside of the classroom. Immediate action is need because there are some cases happen about students who are missing inside the classroom with no evidence from teachers. Use Routing Chart only for a valid reason. This is a new kind of rule that I have just learned from UH at Manoa Cohort Program. Students names are written on cards and displayed on Routing Chart. On the chart there will be a Pocket with a symbol of a Bathroom, Drinking Tap, and a Learning Center. To use this Routing Chart, a student needs to insert card in one of this pockets to signify where he or she is at during instructions or class activities. This will help to monitor the students, and to avoid distractions during the lesson. Keep your hands to yourself. Keeping hands to yourself will avoid students who like fighting in the classroom. It will also avoid cheating or removing other students’ properties from their school bags or desks. It also helps to avoid playing inside the classroom during the lesson. Obviously, it is simple but this rule plays a major role in the classroom management.

4. Different school models (from Week 3) Comparing And Contrast Two Different School Model: School A. Nuuuli Vocational Technical High School (Public School) and School B. Iakina High School (Private School a ) What are the most important issues you currently face in ensuring all students achieve their potential? b) How are you addressing these issues? c)What role does technology play in classrooms to support teaching and learning? d) If you had to choose one subject area that your students need the most support in mastering, what would it be? e)What do you see as the most important skills to be taught? f) How would you identify 21st-century skills? g) How would you describe the teaching in your classroom? h) What role do you see students having in the teaching and learning process? Teachers? i) How has teaching changed over the years? j)What are the key issues you currently face? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ School A: School B a)The most important issues in ensuring all students achieve their a) The School Principal states that they are relying on teachers and the potential is to rely on teachers, DOE as Central Office, PTA, Community church to provide materials for the school. for support. The principal also states that there is a need of two more b) The school is still making contact with the Board of Education concerning Teachers for SPED and Business. these issues. b) The School is making a good contact with the DOE, PTA and the c) The Board of the School is asking the Board of Education for help school stakeholders. to finance these materials. c)The school have supply of students ipads and teachers Smart Boards to d) The school is making request for volunteers who are experts in each field use in classroom. The teacher was so thankful of receiving ipads and laptops of studies. for her class. e) Our school is not really good in using 21 st, Century skills due to lack of d)The Principal states that he makes a snapshot visit to those classroom laptops, ipods, and computers to better our teaching skills and students and to request the OCI Specialist to help in providing feedback for the learning in the classroom. Teachers and students. f) We are still developing our strategies but still not be strong enough like e) The teacher states that she is focusing in some creativity activity to promote the government schools. her students in Science. She is using internet as a resource to get new ideas. g) We share our teaching styles during staff meeting with some examples provided. f) The 21 st Century skills is for us to start using those skills in school. by our school veteran teachers. g) Teachers are having professional development to provide some effective strategies h) Our students are focusing on Mathematics and Science and we ate looking for to use in classroom. for teachers who are most experience in these areas. h) The trade skills are most important to our school because we are feeding some i) Teaching is not really have some major changes. Sometimes, we invite some needs of our government agencies using our students trade skills. We have good teachers in Public School for a professional development in this area. Teachers for all the trades we teach in school. j) Our school facilities is not really good to provide our students a positive and a i) Teaching has some changes when we have experts from our ASDOE plus our safe environment for learning in the future. Technology to get some resource to improve that students learning and achievements. j) We are still in shortage of two or more teachers for our school this year.

5. Effective lesson planning and the Student’s Role in the learning process (from Week 4) Content Area: Social Studies Grade Level: 6 Date: Dec 14, 2015 STRAND: History Standard: 1 Students reconstruct, interpret, and critiques the causes and consequences of the past events in the context of the institutions, values, and beliefs of the periods in which they took place. Benchmark 1.6.1 : Investigate early societies and settlement of the Samoan islands including their geographical, distribution, and religious beliefs. Desired Results: Lesson Objective: Students will be able to identify the events in the history of Samoa using primary and secondary sources.. Determine Acceptable Evidence Assessment Task: Each students will make a presentation to presents at least 5 major events in the history of Samoa. Overview: Prior Knowledge: Students need to share at least one or two major events in the history of Samoa. Instructional Procedures: Anticipatory Event: The students will sing the Samoan so called, “WE ARE SAMOA.” Plan Learning Experiences and Instructions Teacher Model  Assess students prior knowledge: Who can tell at least one major event that happened in Samoa? Students need to respond to the question.  Teacher will  Read aloud a story about some major events in Samoa between 1800 – 1900. The teacher will also call on each students to read.  Students will respond to questions relate to the history.  Check students’ understanding by asking questions relate to that particular part of the story. Students will also respond to questions.  Discuss with class some responds from the class. The teacher will ask questions and students will use their critical thinking skills to respond to questions.  Provide examples with supportive evidence. Students will allow to take notes or copy down some information on the board about Samoa. Guided Practice:  Ask questions base on the sequences of events  Students provide answers for each questions  Teacher will make corrections on some information that are not true that students got from their research. Independent Practice: o Students will work independently to choose at 5 major events to demonstrate for their presentations.. The presentation will forcus on the Cause and Effect of each event during that certain period of time that happened. Closure: What did you learn from this lesson? Can you tell at least one major event that you ‘ve learned from this lesson.

6. Assessment Matters (from Week 5) There are various roles of assessment in school improvement and in measuring educational quality. In order to receive higher quality education, assessment has major roles to examine and reflect the type of quality education that students and even schools attain. But each role of assessment reflects these sorts of questions that school can use to measure that quality. What is assessment? Who will be assessed? When they will be assessed? Why are they assessed? How are they assessed? All these questions really define what assessment really means to education. In fact, these questions also reflect some ideas of what assessment roles play in the educational system. According to the Glossary of Education Reform claims that, “the term assessment refers to the wide variety of methods or tools that educators use to evaluate, measure, and document the academic readiness, learning progress, skill acquisition, or educational needs of students” S. Abbott (2014, August 26). However, the roles of assessment I have seen in our school system and in most of our classrooms are not uniform. Some teachers they tend to use formative assessments where they are more comfortable with and but some teachers they like to use summative. In fact that other teachers they use both if they are confident to use both assessment. Based on Rick Wormeli’s video presentation he claims that, “One thing that teachers tend to forget when one is a summative and when students get bored for whatever reasons, then you allow to make it in Formative. It is the same as one in summative now becomes formative” (2010, November 30). For Summative Assessment the teachers used to compare some of these assessments with Standards and Benchmarks to see how well students were doing during the test. This type of assessment is more like to evaluate the students at the end of a test, or an instructional unit, midterm or final exams. But Formative assessment is more likely to do it orally in some ways that teachers use this type of assessment. But the differences are; the summative is really based on the standards and benchmarks that students’ formal assessment will be on those standards and benchmarks. It really defines how well the students use and apply certain skills that they know and learn from those particular standards. However, formative is not really like the summative but there is a major difference that show in formative is an on-going process that the teacher should monitor where the students at, and decide to use another strategy to monitor how well they learn until the end of the lesson. This will help the teacher to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses amongst the students in the class. By the way, what is very interesting in formative assessment is how the teacher provides effective feedbacks to motivate the students. Base on Rick Wormeli’s presentation he states “But really in formative assessment is an important aspect. It has a greatest impact on students’ achievement, and feedback to the teacher enterprises everything and learning Formative assessment is obviously a on-going assessment and it is a checkpoint on the way. A best formative assessment provides descriptive feedback not just says that hey thank you for finishing on time. no but need to point and describe. All these ways can be used by the teacher to share the data from students’ assessment. This is will be also a better way for the teacher to make improvements on students’ instructions in order to raise the level of assessment.

7. Professional Learning Communities (PLC) (from Newman (2012) Chapter 14 and in Week Six-Discussion One) Continual Learning: Identify 3 to 5 short-term goals. How do you hope to use the advanced degree you earn? Here are my goals. o Be able to graduate with my Master Degree at Ashford University. o Be able to pass my Praxis I in order to become a certified teacher to teach in the US. o Be able to provide more Professional Development for our Elementary and Secondary Teachers so they will be able to teach our Samoa Language and Culture in every classroom. How do you hope to use the advanced degree you earn? I hope to use my degree that I am earning to share the knowledge with other teachers and administration, and to build a better education for the children of our small country. Identify 3 to 5 long-term goals. Become a Samoan Studies Coordinator in our DOE system Become a High School Counselor or Principal Working collaboratively with our DOE personnel to strengthen our Samoan Language and Culture Where would you like to be a year from now? Five years?  I would like to work at our Office of Samoan Studies so I can get the opportunity to share the knowledge and experience that I have got to create effective lessons and instructions for our students.  For five years plan, I would like to become a Samoan Studies Coordinator to get the authority in establishing more programs like Dual Language Skills to help our students who are second language learners. Conduct some basic research on the state in which you plan to pursue these career plans. What state requirements do you need to consider and attain to reach your career goals? For our Department of Education in American Samoa, I need to get a Master or Doctorate Degree in order to reach these career goals. What qualifications do you already possess that will help you reach your career goals?  Currently, I have my Associate of Art Degrees in Liberal Art and Music. I also have my Bachelor of Education. I have been in Awarded with Samoan Studies at the American Samoa Community College. I have received a plaque and Certificate for a student that receives highest score in all Samoan Courses at the college. I have been teaching for more than five years in Elementary Schools and three years at High School. I have been also awarded at High School for perfect attendance in three consecutive years. I have been putting together a program at High School is known as Samoan Cultural Day that all students celebrate the language and culture that are learning in school. What barriers do you need to overcome to reach your career goals (financial, personal, social, etc.)? Which individuals in your personal or professional network can help you?  Some barriers that I need to overcome to reach my career goals is financial support and social activity at my church that I have to spent more times like choir practice and meetings. This will be the only problem that I need to solve.  I feel comfortable to reach my career goals because my sisters and my brother even my children in US can help to provide financial support to fulfill my goals.

8. References in APA style (minimum of three) Work(s) Cited Lopez, D. (2013). No excuses university: How six exceptional systems are revolutionizing our schools (2nd ed.) Turnaround Schools Publications. *This text is a Constellation™ course digital materials (CDM) title. Newman, R. (2013). Teaching and learning in the 21st century: Connecting the dots. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. *This text is a Constellation™ course digital materials (CDM) title Stenhousepublishers. (2010, November 30). Rick Wormeli: Formative and summative assessment [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJxFXjfB_B4Rick Wormeli: Formative and summative assessment