Dear School Administrator:

I would like you to consider my request to teach in your district. I am a fifth year student
at Dakota State University. Im majoring in Elementary and Special Education, with minors in
technology and PreK-12 reading. I hope to work with a primary grade level or in a special
education position. I sincerely hope to work with students who are considered mentally and/or
physically challenged. I feel both of these environments would enrich my teaching purpose.
My professional goals are to be placed in an elementary special education classroom or
elementary classroom. Assisting students in reaching their full potential is my main goal. That
full potential is different for each and every student. As an educator, it is my desire to work with
students to ascertain their needs and abilities, which will help them to maximize their education.
While at DSU, I have learned several causes of misbehavior in the classroom, and one of the
ways to prevent misbehavior in the classroom is to understand that each and every student can
have a bad day and I want to figure out what caused it. Students can have trouble handling those
emotions while they are in the classroom. So, in my classroom, I want my students to be open
with me and share if they are having a bad day, in that way I can find a way to help them to
handle those emotions in an educationally constructive way. In addition, I feel comfortable using
constructivism learning theory because students can become motivated when they can relate to
what they are learning from previously learned lessons or their own experiences in life. This
makes lessons more meaningful for the students. This can be done by roleplaying a historic event
or time period, debating current event issues, and utilizing cooperative learning groups. This
theory also can help teach higher order thinking skills. This theory is used to best meet students
needs, both gifted and ones with exceptionalities. Plus, throughout my special education degree,
I have learned the different types of disorders and how to diagnose them with a disability. I not
only learned what the typical behaviors of several different disorders are but also learned that not
all students are the same; some students might need individual differentiation to reach their full
potential. I feel my education has equipped me with the necessary skillset to understand and
assist students with special needs. Along with what I learned at DSU, I have a personal
experience with special education. My brother is mentally and physically challenged, so he was
in self- contained classroom throughout his education. I was placed in a resource room and was
on an IEP when I was in elementary and middle school as well, which has given me an insight
into being a student in special education.
I am interested in teaching in this district because of its size and proximity to where I
grew up. I like the size of the school because it is an appropriate environment for me to work.
Though Im originally from Iowa, I hope to be able to stay close to friends and family that I have
made while I was at the college.

Sincerely yours,

Danita Van Regenmorter