Bradley McCormick
Hi! Welcome to my DP.
I’m a San Diego local, from North County in Fallbrook! I graduated from Cal State Long Beach with a BA in History with an emphasis in education. I had it in my mind that I wanted to be a teacher from a young age, but when I graduated in 2015 I wasn’t ready to jump into a career right away. Instead, I looked into teaching opportunities abroad and found a TEFL program in Prague, Czech Republic. After being there for a year, I moved to Hanoi, Vietnam, stayed for 2 years, and then made a move to Mérida, Mexico. I’ve had the opportunity to teach English and history and really enjoy being in the classroom. After being abroad, I made my way back to San Diego to complete the San Diego Teaching Residency Program with the High Tech High Graduate School of Education. I completed my student teaching at the Gary & Jerri-Ann Jacobs High Tech High in Point Loma under the guidance of my cooperating teacher, Juli Ruff, and supervisor, Dr. Michelle Pledger. I'm so excited to be working at the Chula Vista Learning Community Charter high school for the 2022-2023 academic year as a 12th-grade Government & Politics teacher!
In my free time, I almost always have headphones in, music blasting. I really enjoy driving, especially if it’s a road trip to a national park, the beach, or a music festival. I’m a foodie and love the diverse culinary experiences of SoCal. I’m always down to grab a bite or try a new recipe and share it with others. I recently took up film photography, though I’m by no means a professional!
Teaching Experiences Abroad
Gran Museo del Mundo Maya
For the 2019-2020 school year, I had the pleasure of teaching 6th grade at Madison International School in Merida, Mexico.
Seen here are students at the "Mayan World Museum," exploring what the life of local ancient civilizations was like. Specifically, student were in the midst of a unit about the social structures of ancient civilizations. We had so much fun exploring artifacts that were showcased from Mayan civilization.
Habla: Spanish Language School and Education Center
Habla, in Merida, Mexico was my first introduction to project based learning. Here, I taught local kids and adults English through literature and art.
This was our exhibition at the end of a unit surrounding a mentor text, "The Important Book" by Margaret Wise Brown. For this product, students chose their own topic, created a collage, and wrote a poem to perform for their family.
Intermediate Adults Class, Virtual Learning
In 2020 and 2021, I had a small group class for local adults. We had virtual Zoom classes that were focused on conversation building skills. Through these lessons, students honed their grammar, vocabulary, and conversation skills!
Apax English
After receiving my TEFL certification in Prague, Czechia, I moved to Hanoi, Vietnam. The language center operated in the evening after my students were in their traditional Vietnamese schools during the day. The center prided itself on their use of technology.
Lessons were facilitated on a touch screen "smart board," where student were able to engage with the screen as we moved through a lesson.
The level of excitement and joy in learning was palpable and a pleasure to experience.
Apax English 4.0
From 2017-2018, I moved to a new program that was introduced specifically for teenage level students.
My students and I had tablets that were linked to the screen up front. Lessons were designed by the language center and facilitated by myself.
Side note: Our language center didn't allow shoes in the school, so I almost exclusively taught barefoot or with socks on!
Apax English 4.0
Seen here in our "London" classroom, students are working on their tablets. I could monitor their progress on my own tablet that I used to facilitate lessons.
Lessons were designed for students to practice reading comprehension, vocabulary, listening, speaking, and writing. Often times, the lesson culminated in some sort of mini-product, like a drawing, poster, or comic.