P.O. Box XXX
West Farmington, ME 04992

March 16, 2004

Dr. Richard Kent, Dean of Academics
Maine Central Institute
125 S. Main St.
Pittsfield, ME 04967

Dear Dr. Kent:

I am writing to apply for the position of special education teacher at Maine Central Institute that was brought to my attention by Ms. Debra Hannigan and the special education staff at MCI, where I completed eight weeks of student teaching in Fall 2002. As of mid-May 2003, I will have earned a B.S. in Special Education (specializing in Emotional Disturbance and At-Risk Conditions, K-8) with honors from the University of Maine at Farmington. Having already passed the Praxis I and II exams, I am eligible for Maine teacher certification.

As you will see from my resume, I have had an opportunity to teach a variety of students, including high school students at MCI.  Using the team-teaching approach modeled at this school, I taught lessons in science, math and history to ninth- and tenth-grade students.  In the aforementioned history class, I taught a two-week unit on the Reformation, using a variety of constructive teaching strategies to engage students, such as providing notes to those students with a writing difficulty, encouraging students to use their artistic, verbal and written skills, and creating unit review activities.  Each lesson taught in all academic areas was tailored to the Maine Learning Results, and for special education students, I included daily objectives addressing their IEP goals. As a student teacher, I worked closely with Ms. Sharon Kimball, my mentor teacher, in developing and implementing IEP goals and communicating these goals with students’ teachers and parents.  Within this integrated special education program, I also assisted students within their classes by modeling note-taking, modifying and aligning assignments toward IEP goals, and assisting with implementation of students’ behavior plans. I believe this experience has helped me to become very familiar with both staff and students at MCI, as well as the principles that guide the practices of the special education department. 

I look forward to discussing my teaching experience and philosophy in an interview. Enclosed is my resume along with three letters of recommendation. If you have any questions or would like to schedule an interview, please feel welcome to contact me at 207-778-1234 or (your e-mail address). Thank you for considering my interest in serving the students, parents, and staff of Maine Central Institute.

Cordially,

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