1. Professional Portfolio
Karly M. Kirkpatrick
Professional Portfolio

2. Table of Contents Introduction Mission Statement Resume Courses
Philosophy of Teaching
Goals
Influences
School/Community Activities
Final Reflections

3. Introduction Studied at Inlingua Language Institute in Munich, Germany
Graduated from Illinois State University
Taught one year of German 1 and World History at Bartlett High School
Pursuing Master’s Degree at Roosevelt University
Teach German 1,2,3,4,5 and sometimes World History
3rd year teaching at Schaumburg High School

4. Mission Statement
My goal in German classes is to aid the students in second language acquisition, focusing mainly on the four core skills of reading, writing, listening, and most importantly, speaking. It is also important to expose the students to German speaking countries and their culture, art, music, literature, and history.
In all classes I will use hands-on activities and group work in addition to technology to ensure the acquisition of all concepts.
As a department member, I intend to be a team player and work with others to create, analyze and share material with others in order to help our students meet state and district requirements.

5. Resume
Schaumburg High School – German and World History Teacher, Present
Bartlett High School – German and World History Teacher,
Illinois State University, Normal, IL -Bachelors of Arts – German, May, 2000
Elgin Community College, Elgin, IL – Associate of Arts – May, 1998

6. Graduate Courses Masters of Teacher Leadership - History
History Courses
HIST 336 The Holocaust in Film
HIST 416/POL 416 Latin American Politics
HIST 456 Nazi Germany
HIST 466 The Holocaust, Historical and Philosophical Perspectives
MATL Courses
TLED 431 Portfolio Based Assessment

7. Philosophy of Teaching
In today’s global community, it is important that all students learn about other cultures and languages. It is important that students be able to communicate in a foreign language, as it will open many opportunities for them in the future.
I feel that it is my responsibility as a teacher to enhance students’ knowledge of the German culture and language and in turn to promote the acceptance and understanding of all the worlds’ cultures.

8. Influences
Ken Azinger – French Teacher, Elgin High School – encouraged my interest in Foreign Language.
Rich Thomas – Psychology Teacher, Elgin High School – encouraged me to major in what interested me, even if people insisted I would never get a job with German as a major.
Art Saldana – English Teacher, Elgin High School - proved that a teacher could be quirky, fun, and interesting, and still teach you important things.
André M. Kapanga, Ph.D. – Professor, Illinois State University – taught me everything I needed to know about Foreign Language Teaching.

9. School Activities
Schaumburg High School - Girls Varsity Basketball Assistant and JV Coach
Schaumburg High School - Girls Freshman Basketball Coach
German Club Sponsor
German Exchange Coordinator
German Exchange Chaperone
Elgin High School – Girls Freshman Basketball Coach

10. Final Reflections
I found this project to be very enlightening, as it made me think about how and why I became a teacher. It is interesting for me to see how much influence my former teachers have on my current philosophies of teaching and the main goals I have for my students. I really hope that I can someday influence students the same way that my teachers influenced me.