Resumé

Steve Longenecker

3638 Jocelyn Street NW

Washington, DC 20015

202-686-1035

Email: stevelongenecker@yahoo.com

 

 

 

Education

Received a Masters of Arts in Teaching from Tufts University (Medford, MA) with a 4.0 GPA. September 1997.

 

Received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Biology from Earlham College (Richmond, IN) with college and departmental honors and a 4.0 GPA. June 1993.

 

 

Certificates/ Licenses

Received a Standard professional 1 Certificate to teach Biology (grades 7-12) from the Maryland State Department of Education. This certificate is valid from January 1, 2001 until January 1, 2004.

 

Received Provisional Certification With Advanced Standing to teach both Biology and Chemistry (grades 9-12) from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This certificate was issued on September 8, 1997 and is valid for five years of employment.

 

 

Professional Teaching

Experience

General Science Teacher, Takoma Park Middle School, Montgomery County Public Schools, January 2001 – present (half-time since September 2002)

 

At TPMS I have taught 8th grade science. I was able to join the school’s faculty as the replacement of a first year teacher who left the school midyear. My colleagues and supervisors were delighted that I was able to step in and quickly establish a positive classroom environment of respect and learning.

 

While many of the classes I have taught at Takoma Park were designated as “gifted and talented,” I am currently teaching three classes of on-level science. Two of these classes are inclusion classes in which approximately one third of the students are coded with learning disabilities and previously would have been in a self-contained classroom. Many of my students are also still considered learners of English as a second language. This experience of teaching populations with such different academic skill sets has increased my differentiation skills significantly.

 

MCPS is a highly regarded suburban public school system. The science curriculum emphasizes inquiry-based learning and the teaching of process skills through real-world applications. I have enjoyed developing and adapting lessons to meet the rigorous county and state learning objectives. I have also appreciated the opportunities to participate in the county’s many continuing education opportunities, taking coursework emphasizing formative assessment, differentiation, and reading across the curriculum.

 

Middle School Science Teacher and Technology Coordinator, The Rashi School (Newton, MA), September 1997 – September 2000.

 

In my capacity as science teacher, I developed and taught the science curricula for both the seventh and eighth grades. I designed each course as a series of six- to eight-week units (chemistry, science of measurements, engineering of gears, complexity, genetics, infectious diseases, etc.) in which students came to know one topic in depth while developing general skills of scientific inquiry. I inherited a similar curriculum for the sixth grade and taught that class for two years (97/98 and 98/99). I also taught five months of fifth grade science when an emergency staffing deficiency occurred at the school. In addition to standard tasks such as monitoring the lunch room, my general responsibilities at the school included being an academic advisor for six to eight students a year, teaching two forty-five minute electives a week (I often offered courses in computer programming but also ran a chess club one term and coached Odyssey of the Mind for two semesters), writing extensive narratives for each student’s report card, and communicating with parents on a regular basis. In addition, as the middle school science teacher I coordinated an acclaimed annual science fair in which each middle school student was paired with a mentor from the school community and produced an original science fair project.

 

In my capacity as technology coordinator, I administered the school’s computer network, maintained its computers, trained staff, evaluated and purchased software and hardware, developed an annual technology budget, and maintained the school’s website. I provided support and guidance to the school’s faculty as they worked to integrate computer technology into the curriculum of their classrooms. During my tenure at the school, I also chaired a technology committee of parents and staff which produced a technology plan for the school.

 

My position was full-time in 1997-98 and 1998-99, with the hours split evenly between the two positions. In 1999-2000, the hours of my position were still split evenly, but the position was considered 80 percent of full-time (at my request).

 

Biology Teacher, Somerville Comprehensive High School (Somerville, MA), September 1996 – June 1997. Engaged in all classroom responsibilities for two sections of general biology. This job was a contracted position, considered to be 40% of full-time.

 

Associate of Chemistry, Earlham College, January 1993 – April 1993. Co-taught an introductory chemistry course and contributed to the design of a lab manual to accompany the college chemistry textbook, Chemistry in Context.                

 

 

Additional Life/Work Experiences

Participated in a project at the University of Maryland to develop a series of written and video case studies of student thinking in physical science. September – December 2001.

 

Volunteered at Big Bend National Park in Texas. September – November 2000.

 

Co-authored a research paper on my experience teaching eighth-graders a unit on complexity using the StarLogoT programming language. The paper was presented in September 2000 at the annual meeting of the Spencer Foundation in New York.

 

Traveled through Mexico to Guatemala and Belize. Studied Spanish in Guatemala. April – June 1996.

 

Worked as an administrative assistant in Washington, DC. November 1995 – March 1996.

 

Traveled throughout Vietnam. September – October 1995.

 

Administered loan fund for conscientious objectors and assisted in advocacy work at National Interreligious Service Board in Washington, DC. September 1994 – August 1995.

 

Drove truck on time-sensitive interstate deliveries for Roberts Express, Inc.  April 1994 – August 1994. 

 

Bicycled from Kentucky to Belize with three friends. September 1993 – March 1994.

 

Cared for residents as a Certified Nurses Assistant at Greencroft Nursing Home in Goshen, IN. April 1993 – September 1993.

 

 

Professional References

Todd Tunnell, Assistant Principal, Takoma Park Middle School, 301-650-6444.

 

Donna Matthews, Science Instructional Resource Teacher and Eighth Grade Team Leader, Takoma Park Middle School, 301-650-6444.

 

John Weinshel, Staff Development Teacher, Takoma Park Middle School, 301-650-6444.

 

David Hammer, Associate Professor of Physics and Associate Professor of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Maryland at College Park, 301-405-8188.

 

Andrew Snyder, Middle School Head, The Rashi School, 617-969-4444.

 

David Passer, Business Director, The Rashi School, 617-969-4444.

Uri Wilensky, Professor of Learning Sciences and Computer Science, Northwestern University, 847-467-3818.