Craig Butz :: Teaching Portfolio

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE 2008 - present	THE BAY SCHOOL San Francisco, California Humanities Instructor and Class Dean Developed and taught courses on utopian/dystopian literature, the history of the future, and essay/memoir Co-developed curriculum for a team-taught, inter-disciplinary course on neighborhood dynamics and gentrification Co-developed and team-taught three-week immersive courses on the mathematics of democracy and atmospheric science Taught ninth-grade writing course and tenth-grade research skills course in which students engage in extended investigation of local issues and present their work to the community Played an instrumental role in a multi-year process of researching, designing, proposing, and ultimately adopting a new school schedule that includes 3-week, single-class immersive terms Coached students in taking healthy risks and developing their capacity for productive failure as supervisor of rock climbing phys-ed activity Coordinated eleventh grade class activities, discipline, and student support issues as class dean for six years Served groups of six to nine students as advisor Taught digital imaging class focusing on DSLR principles and ninth-grade humanities course focused on literature, geography, history, world cultures, and religions Led intersession camping trips to Joshua Tree and Death Valley
2007 - 2008	SABBATICAL Lived in Quito, Ecuador for five months Took intensive one-on-one classes to increase Spanish fluency Earned Spanish government intermediate level Spanish as a Foreign Language Diploma Traveled in Peru, Bolivia, and Chile
2005 - 2007	HIGH TECH HIGH BAYSHORE Redwood City, California Humanities Instructor Taught twelfth-grade English using college-level composition and rhetoric texts Explored introductory sociology with tenth-grade elective students Engaged students in ninth-grade humanities content through project-based learning Developed and taught a two-week course in basic photography Mediated conflicts and built respect within culturally diverse classes Represented teachers in decision making as member of school leadership council
2004 - 2005	ART INSTITUTE OF CALIFORNIA San Francisco, California Humanities Instructor Prepared first-year students for college-level writing and thinking Worked with native speakers and English learners to develop a fluent written voice Guided students through critical use of electronic resources for research Supplemented traditional coursework with online readings and multimedia assignments
2004 - 2005	SYLVAN LEARNING CENTER San Francisco, California Tutor Aided elementary, middle, and high school students working through personalized programs in reading, writing, and mathematics Motivated students and encouraged student confidence with individual attention Provided one-on-one instruction in standardized entrance exam skills and strategies
2003 - 2004	SPRINGFIELD-CLARK COUNTY JOINT VOCATIONAL SCHOOL Springfield, Ohio English Instructor Tutored struggling students during daily tutoring hour, in addition to teaching five eleventh-grade English classes Promoted real-world writing by assigning contributions to the then-new wikipedia Examined issues of patriotic duty and individual conscience through war literature
2001 - 2003	OHIO UNIVERSITY Athens, Ohio Visiting Instructor Extended formal writing skills in three sections of Freshman Composition per quarter Encouraged critical thought through popular and academic readings, response writing, and discussion Promoted visual literacy through examination and discussion of graphic texts Mentored graduate teaching assistants who were teaching for the first time
1997 - 2001	TRI-COUNTY VOCATIONAL SCHOOL Nelsonville, Ohio English Instructor Reviewed and extended basic writing skills for five composition classes Designed department website used in daily class work Strengthened students' comfort with written English through regular journal writing and reading to the class Explored issues of freedom and individuality with dystopian novels such as Ayn Rand's Anthem, Lois Lowry's The Giver, Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, and Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451
Summer 1996	INSTITUTO MEXICO AMERICANO DEL BOSQUE Guadalajara, Mexico English Teacher Taught half-day immersion English classes for third and fourth graders Diagnosed language acquisition needs of students on a variety of levels Adapted curriculum for native English speakers to TEFL by creating additional materials and activities Emphasized grammar and vocabulary development, literature appreciation, pronunciation practice, and oral comprehension
1996 - 1997 1995 - 1996	MOUNT VERNON CITY SCHOOLS Mount Vernon, Ohio ATHENS CITY SCHOOLS Athens, Ohio Substitute Teacher Replaced high school English teacher during four-month sick leave Discussed race and class issues using a simulation game based on The War Between the Classes Combined instruction in grammar and public speaking by having students research traditional usage rules and present them to the class with Power Point Covered six plays from Hamlet to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, as well as four novels, in a college-credit, Advanced Placement class Taught sixth through twelfth graders in a variety of subject areas on short notice Provided educational activities when specific plans were not provided