Caleb Smith

I was born on October 25, 1993 to Scott and Janis Smith in Hickory, North Carolina. I grew up in Valdese, NC and graduated from Jimmy C. Draughn High School in 2011. I moved to Boone to attend Appalachian State University in the Fall of 2011. I am part of the last class of North Carolina Teaching Fellows, a scholorship program that requires students to participate in enrinchment opportunities and proffesional development confrences. During my time at ASU, I have been committee chair of Public Relations for ASU Teaching Fellows (now Appalachian Educators), and Vice President of Appalachian Educators. I have also been a part of ASU Higher Ground, the campus' oldest all-male acapella group, and also served as the Vice President.

 

I have been priviledged enough to be able to work in many different schools during my college experience. Through Teaching Fellows, I participated in two different internships early on in my college experience; one in Burke County and one in Watauga County. During these internships, I had my first observations in actual classrooms and even was able to teach lessons to the classes.

 

All education majors at ASU are required to take Psych 3010, which also has a field experience requirement. I completed my field experience at Mabel Elementary School in Watauga County and I tutored students during their afterschool program. This opened a door for me in becoming a site coordinator of other afterschool programs that ASU participated in. I have been a site coordinator at Hardin Park Elementary, Crossnore Elementary, Freedom Trail Elementary, and Cranberry Middle School. During this job expereience, I monitored ASU students while they tutored students in these schools and also was able to tutor students myself.

 

For Block 1 practicum, I spent 65 hours in Mr. Davis's third grade classroom at W.A. Young Elementary School in Morganton, Burke County. During my internship, I completed several case studies with individual students. I also led guided readings and discussions, observed what a full school day was like, prompted WIMBA tests, and lead the class in a variety of activities.

 

Through Teaching Fellows and other education classes, I have been able to have many volunteer experiences. I did a serving learning project, in which I helped out at the Hospitality House by serving in the kitchen and tutoring any children who asked for help. I also participated in a junior service day at Bethel Elementary School in the Fall of 2013. During this, the junior class of Teaching Fellows cleaned up the grounds surrounding the school and painted different classrooms.

 

After I graduate in the Spring of 2015, I plan to move to a coastal community for a few years to gain some experience as a beginning teacher. I then plan to attend graduate school to gain a master's degree in either Curriculum and Instruction or Administration. After achieving a masters degree, I plan to teach in local mountain communities.

 

I have many technological skills that will be useful to me in the classroom. I am confident in using a SmartBoard and love how creative one can be when creating SmartBoard lessons. I know how to operate Apple and pc products, which are being integrated more and more into the school systems. I understand how to use basic programs such as Microsoft Office, but also am very skilled in creating and editing movies, which can be fun tools in the classroom. I have produced a variety of technological lesson plans and am confident in my abilities to continue to integrate technology effectively into instructional activities.