Work experience

Teddi L. Benson

Phone: [phone] LaPrele St.

E-mail: [e-mail] Laramie, Wyoming 82070

WORK EXPERIENCE

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Montgomery County Schools
Teacher Full Inclusion Mt Gilead, NC

Virtual Public Schools Classroom teacher

Biology, American History, Math August 2013-June 2015

West Montgomery High School

Albany County School District #1
Teacher Full Inclusion Laramie, Wyoming

Laramie High School August 2010-June 2013

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  Full inclusion means that all students, regardless of handicapping condition or severity, receive instruction in a regular classroom full time. I co-teach with general educators to provide this instruction to students with identified disabilities, as well as any other students requiring special instruction in their classrooms; classes have included Modern American Studies, Basic Math Review, Applications of Biology, Survey of Fiction, Writing Skills, Conceptual Physics
  
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  Make sure accommodations and modifications of individual educational plans are met for 18 students on my caseload, e.g. reading tests aloud in a separate location, providing extended time, breaking assignments into smaller chunks, providing needed technology
  
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  Supervised three Master’s level graduate students during practicum experiences in regular high school classrooms
  

University of Wyoming
Assistant Instructor/Liaison Between Regular Laramie, Wyoming

Education Faculty and Special Education Faculty August 2008-2010

• 
  The University of Wyoming received a major grant from the U.S. Department of Education to bring Response to Intervention (RtI) to schools across the state. RtI is a process of academic and/or behavior intervention used to provide early, systematic assistance to children who are having difficulty learning. RtI seeks to prevent academic failure through early intervention, frequent progress measurement, and increasingly intensive research-based instructional interventions for children who continue to have difficulty. I worked with university faculty and the Wyoming Department of Education to assist schools in implementing RtI and Positive Behavior Instructional Support across the state
  
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  Guest speaker in regular college classes explaining co-teaching models, full inclusion model, accommodations and modifications in the regular classroom, participation in IEP meetings, Response to Intervention and Positive Behavior Instructional Support
  

Albany County School District #1
Teacher of Students with Emotional Disabilities Laramie, Wyoming

Laramie High School August 2006-2008

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  Used the principles of structured teaching, positive discipline, and behavior management to facilitate students (identified with a primary or secondary eligibility of emotional disability) in completing academic assignments and learning social skills and anger management
  
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  Worked with social service organizations and legal system in transitioning students between the high school environment and any outside placement
  
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  Member of School Based Intervention Team
  
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  Member of Staff Development Committee
  
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  Facilitated book study on the works of Ruby Payne
  

Montgomery County Schools
Lead Teacher/Director Troy, North Carolina

Child Development Center December 1999-June 2006

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  The Child Development Center (CDC) was a separate special education preschool program, housed in its own facility, serving preschool children, age 3 to 6 years, who were identified as having special education needs or were developmentally delayed.
  
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  Supervised three additional teachers, four paraprofessionals, a full-time speech therapist, a part-time physical therapist, and a part-time occupational therapist
  
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  Each of the four classrooms had between ten and sixteen students, as we added new children when they reached their third birthday
  

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  Used the principles of structured teaching, positive discipline, phonemic awareness and brain compatible learning to design, write and implement curriculum
  
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  Designed and implemented individualized educational programs (IEPs) for children with various developmental delays, multi-handicaps, visual impairments/blindness, hearing impairments and autism
  
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  Worked with social service organizations to transition identified children into the program and coordinate testing for children not yet identified
  
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  Chaired all meetings – referrals, intake, IEPs, annual reviews, reevaluations
  
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  Lead mentor for CDC and Troy Elementary School – supervised all mentors
  

Teacher of Resource Classroom Mt. Gilead, North Carolina

West Middle School August 1994-December 1999

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  Classroom teacher for students identified with learning disabilities in grades 6-8 math and language arts
  
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  Chairperson of Exceptional Children’s Department
  
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  Teacher of academically gifted students in grades 6-8 before school and during teacher planning block
  

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Teacher Charlotte, North Carolina

Irwin Avenue Elementary School August 1993-1994

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  Taught 3^rd/4^th grade combination class with a partner teacher in a school with an “open” philosophy
  

Teacher Charlotte, North Carolina

A Child’s Place August 1991-1993

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  Taught a classroom designed for homeless children ages 5 to grade 6. This was housed in a downtown church the first year until I advocated the classroom be moved to Irwin Avenue Elementary School. The children for this classroom came from homeless shelters for battered women, Salvation Army Shelter, and families living in cars or parks. Children came for two days or six months. Some days I had 6 children, but mostly I had between 10 and 20 students.
  
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  Responsible for designing assessment and curriculum that could quickly be implemented
  

Private Preschool
Assistant Director Charlotte, North Carolina

Myers Park Baptist Through-the-Week School August 1989-June 1991

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  Responsible for registration, billing, supervision of seven half-day preschool classrooms and three full-day classrooms, teacher training, onsite administrator of afternoon daycare and morning preschool
  

Preschool Teacher Charlotte, North Carolina

Myers Park Baptist Through-the-Week School September 1985-August 1989

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  Taught Toddlers through age 4 at various times
  
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  Designed and implemented curriculum for 2 day, 3 day and 4 day morning preschool program
  

Southwestern City Schools
Resource Teacher Grove City, Ohio

Prairie Lincoln Elementary School September 1973-October 1977

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  Taught self-contained class of elementary students identified as learning disabled
  

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EDUCATION

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Miami University, Oxford, Ohio; Bachelor of Science in Education, August 1973
The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio;

Coursework concentrating in special education 1976

University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming; Master of Arts in Education, May 2008
University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming; Doctor of Philosophy in Special Education, May 2012
Additional Training/Certification
National Board Professional Teaching Standards

National Board Certification

Middle Childhood Generalist 1999, renewed 2008
Greensboro College, Greensboro, North Carolina

Coursework leading to add-on certification in preschool education 2003

North Carolina Central University, Durham, North Carolina

Coursework leading to certification in visually impaired 2002

Division TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and Communication-handicapped Children) Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Training in CARS and PEP-R Assessment Tools January 2001

Training in classroom strategies 2005
North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching

Cultural Immersion on Ocracoke Island March 2000

Brain Compatible Learning, Chicago, Illinois

Studied with Eric Jensen 1998

Various North Carolina conferences, workshops, and trainings

Culminating in certification in academically gifted 1996

North Carolina Teacher Academy, Raleigh, North Carolina

Mentor Training 1995

Technology and advanced technology 1994, 1996


Certifications

Learning Disabilities Pre K-12

Academically Gifted Pre K-12

Visually Impaired Pre K-12

Regular Education Pre K-6

Other Professional Experience
National Board of Professional Teaching Workshops Laramie, Wyoming

Ellbogen Foundation July 2006 – present

• Through the Wyoming National Board Certification Initiative the Ellbogen Foundation offers support for statewide actions designed to strengthen the quality of classroom teaching in Wyoming’s public schools by increasing the number of national board certified teachers to a level of national leadership

• I am a consultant to the Ellbogen Foundation and present two Running Start Workshops each year training Wyoming teachers how to successfully complete portfolios and prepare for the assessment center portion of the process

• Provide support and consult with Wyoming teachers at 3 work sessions each year; read portfolio entries, view classroom videos, analyze student work