Kara Caton-Searls Email and Phone Number

I have 17 years of experience in education. I have taught Spanish for 14 years, taught English for Speakers of Other Languages for 1 year, and I was a substitute teacher for 2 years. The many skills that I have acquired through my time in education will translate to other areas as well. My experiences in the classroom include developing passion within my students to want to learn a foreign language; dissecting state standards, developing curriculum, instruction, and assessments through backward design; creating interactive professional development sessions for colleagues on how to effectively use Twitter in the classroom, how to provide students with effective feedback, and how to implement formative instructional practices within instruction; and analyzing data to inform instruction. The leadership skills that I have attained over the course of my career have allowed me to be on several committees at Crooksville and Lakewood schools such as the Building Leadership Team, interview committees, the Building Advisory Committee, and the Professional Development Committee. I was also chosen to be a member of the Teacher Leadership Framework group through the Ohio Department of Education. This group created a framework for what teacher leadership looks like in schools and how to cultivate these positions in school districts in Ohio. I have been a Spanish Club Advisor for several years where I help students connect more to the culture aspect of the target language they are learning and develop leadership skills. I also am in charge of fundraising for the program and have helped our club raise a few thousand dollars. Through Spanish Club, I have been able to help my students fundraise to help pay for a trip to Spain. I was a co-leader in 2017 and now I am the group leader for the trip. I am a Mentor for the Resident Educator Program in Ohio. I mentor first and second year teachers by helping them acclimate to the school, make connections, and support their development of instructional plans through the use of self-assessment, goal setting, and data analysis.