EDUCATION:2005 Masters in Education, San Jose State LETTER OF INTRODUCTIONDavid Gerster I am a committed Educational Professional who is thrilled to be working at Whitney High School. My wife of five years and I have just relocated from Santa Cruz to settle near family and friends as we start a family of our own. I have found Whitney High School to be a proactive and invested community where I can share and contribute my educational skills, experience, and dedication as an advocate for student success. For the past three of my nine years as a teacher, I have worked at Branham High School in San Jose. At Branham I serve with a multi-disciplinary team of professionals to create a collaborative environment for my students. With the aid of other teachers and support staff I prepare and problem-solve transition opportunities, social growth, and academic success. Successful collaboration takes communication, commitment, and a positive attitude. As a professional in special education my students’ success is dependant on my ability to create strong relationships with students, parents, and other staff. This is accomplished by building trust, mutual respect, and mutual understanding. Building and maintaining these relationships makes me a catalyst for change with my student population and within the campus community. My strength as an educator is derived from a strong foundation of professional education and a unique teaching experience. During the course of teaching, I have pursued new skills and strategies as I worked towards my Masters Degree at San Jose State. I understand that student success is dependant on my ability to apply proven methods of assessment and instruction. Successful instruction engages student interest, accesses their background knowledge, and builds self-esteem as well as self determination. My five years of experience working with an extreme student population at a non-public school has given me the patience and creativity to work with the most challenging of behaviors that interfere with learning. I believe any student can make progress academically and socially when goals are mutually set, supported by a team, and all are held accountable. LINKS:
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