Resume / Portfolio Brainstorming

 Resume:
I've done some looking into resumes with unique formatting.  I have a while to decide, but I do think it would be a positive.  I feel like I don't have much to say on a resume.  I only taught for five years and I used that time to discover myself as a teacher, including getting my master's.  I did not do any extra committee work or advising.  Anything to say about my classroom, I feel is redundant.  Superintendents and principals know what it means to teach a full course load, do I really need to itemize it into bullets? 


Portfolio:
I'm a bit jaded about portfolios.  I went through A LOT of work to make one right out of college, and when I was interviewed it wasn't even handed to the interviewer. 

I'm also going back and forth about a traditional binder or digital.  I like the idea of digital quite a bit, especially if it is published for prospective employers to see before interviewing, but I think that it being digital might be hard to deal with during an interview.  I wouldn't be able to just flip to a page and slide it across the table. 

I also think I need to work on making my portfolio items more visual.  I like how my current writing about what I do with Natalie is embedded with pictures.  I don't have that for my teaching experinces. 

I'm strongly considering adding a section for my work with my kids and our mom's group.  It would show what I've been doing while away from teaching, and it would show the direction I want to take for blogging in my classroom for transparency with parents and a reference system for students. 

I'm wondering what to do for a section that represents my education - particularly my master's and the special ed course I just finished.  Also, it could include where I want to go with my education: A second Master's from USM in special education in the program that blends gifted and talented with special education courses.  I also am interested in teaching teachers.  This section might be able to be a document or two rather than artifacts. 

The one traditional piece I know I need is a philosophy statement.  I worry about this though, because I want to be honest, yet I don't want to alienate myself from getting a job. 


I want to give an accurate picture of myself.  What would the items I want to include show as a picture of me?  My blog shows I write myself avidly and wanting to communicate what I do with others (be them parents, absent students, administrators, or other teachers).  Information about what I've been doing recently shows that I haven't been letting my craft get rusty, and my interest in education in general - in life long learning.  I also think that my presented work would show interest in using technology.  But a large part of who I am as an educator is my belief in how I want to run my classroom to best benefit students individual needs.  I am at present fully dedicated to standards based assessment and would prefer to not give traditional scores at all.  I believe in student directed learning in a workshop setting.  I no longer believe in homework, excepting reading and completing writing from class.