Sarah D.

Barnett
132 Caraway Road, Locust Grove, GA, 30248 w 678-873-1226
sarah.barnett@henry.k12.ga.us
March 29, 2016
To Whom it May Concern:
I am writing to express my interest in the Secondary English Teacher on Special Assignment
position. I am a current high school English teacher at Woodland High School and am excited
about the possibility of moving out of the classroom and into a role that allows me to work
collaboratively with classroom teachers to improve literacy instruction both in the English
language arts classroom and across the curriculum.
As an English teacher, I approach reading and writing instruction with a mix of creativity and
logic. I first offer students a variety of basic templates for strong writing in various contexts and
then layer those templates with artistic and creative elements that allow student voices to shine. I
am both gifted and Advanced Placement certified, but I also work with Woodlands Personalized
Learning Academy, a cohort of students identified as struggling learners who may be off-track
for graduation. This unique combination of student groups affords me the opportunity to scaffold
complex AP-level close reading and writing skills in a manner that is accessible for even
reluctant and struggling readers and writers. Moreover, by making literature relevant and real to
students through a variety of contemporary connections, I am able to achieve much success in
the classroom.
I have also worked diligently this past year to help establish a Literacy Focus team at my school.
Our primary goal was to establish an expectation of writing across the curriculum, a goal we
achieved by training teachers in social studies, science, modern language, math, and career/tech
in close reading and text-based writing methods. Students have been asked to use the same
writing strategies in all of their content areas, thus allowing students to see how reading and
writing skills pervade all topics of learning and such should not simply be confined to the
English language arts classroom.
Still, while I enjoy working with high school students, my education, I believe, has uniquely
prepared me to serve in the capacity of Teacher on Special Assignment. My coursework for my
masters degree first sparked my interest in leading professional development as I learned and
then implemented educational theories related to adult education. Furthermore, my specialists
degree was firmly rooted in technology coaching, emphasizing not simply acquiring knowledge
about emerging instructional technologies, but rather developing the skills to coach teachers and
administrators in ways to use these technologies for improved student outcomes. I have
employed these skills by serving as POINT representative for my school and leading numerous
professional learning sessions related to its features. Likewise, I am routinely called upon to
provide Infinite Campus assistance and to offer other school-level training on research-based
practices, including most recently training on various formative assessment strategies, both those
that are and are not technology-based. I presented at the Henry County Schools Technology
Conference in 2014 and was selected to serve on the ELA District Content Support Team,

through which I have developed and delivered multiple times a professional learning session
focused on creating a paperless classroom using Google Drive resources. As a department chair,
I routinely mentor and coach both new and experienced teachers on my team, encouraging them
to try new strategies and use data to guide their day-to-day classroom decisions. Additionally, I
am a graduate of the second ASPIRE cohort, a leadership training program that has required of
me to facilitate professional conversations and lead professional development at the school and
district levels related to personalized learning in the English classroom and increasing rigor
through depth of knowledge task analysis. I have worked collaboratively with the teachers in my
department and school to analyze and revise tasks so that students are provided opportunities to
exercise greater cognitive demand, and I have steered planning sessions for some personalized
learning initiatives that will be implemented in our department next year.
Therefore, what I think sets me apart from other candidates for this position is the unique
combination I can offer to the ELA department: a love for literacy and writing instruction and a
solid foundation in adult education and coaching models. As a professional learning leader, I
firmly believe that relationships are central to effective change. Teachers must feel that they are
respected, that their expertise is valued, and that their needs are being addressed in order to
provide the buy-in necessary to enact change. One-shot professional learning without
appropriate follow-up seldom leads to any changes being implemented. As a Teacher on Special
Assignment, I aspire to provide ELA teachers with the individualized support necessary to
strengthen and enhance district initiatives towards personalized learning and graduation
competencies.
I am excited to discuss the possibilities of expanding my work outside the classroom to a
position that would allow me to focus on providing Henry County teachers with effective
professional learning related to literacy in the English language arts classroom and across the
curriculum. I look forward to speaking with you soon.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Sarah Barnett
Woodland High School
Sarah.barnett@henry.k12.ga.us