Hi! I'm Mr. Altizer
Thanks so much for taking the time to visit my online portfolio. Here, you'll see a quick snapshot of my diverse experience in international education. It is my sincere hope that this portfolio not only provides you a look into my life as an international educator but also a glimpse of who I am as person and citizen of this world.
TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
Dedicated to shaping thoughtful and compassionate change-makers
My teaching philosophy stands firmly on the cornerstone of nearly 15 years of diverse experience in education that spans outdoor education, mentorship of developmentally disabled youth, ESL, college counseling, research, and history in the international classroom, all strengthened with countless personal and professional development projects. My philosophy is simple: be prepared, be active, be supportive, be flexible, have fun, and do good work.
I also feel it is my goal as a teacher to maintain a classroom environment that inspires students to find power in knowledge. Creating an environment that encourages my students to be courageous, confident, creative, and compassionate is a mission that inspires me personally to be bold and courageous in the classroom, which is exactly how I want my students to feel.
I believe as a teacher my job is not just guiding students to find joy in learning but also encouraging students to find passions outside of the classroom. Various personal pursuits outside my professional career have also enhanced my productivity and philosophy as an educator.
As with my own activities, I believe that students must find outlets outside of the classroom. I have been an editor of two magazines, assistant coach for a state champion high school cross-country team, and have played competitive soccer my whole life. I feel qualified to guide and coach students in soccer, cross-country, or writing; and I’d love to share those personal passions and experiences with students at your school.
Portfolio in Education
I’ve been an elementary school teacher, ESL camp director and a college professor. Currently, I am a International School Counselor, Model United Nations Advisor, and AP Research and US History teacher. Here are some highlights from my career.
SIS Website
I found that the website did not capture the school that I arrived at in August of 2018. With my wife’s beautiful pictures, we remade the look of Saipan International School’s website to better represent this school that my whole family has fallen in love with in two short years. I continue to maintain and update our website. I also have written 100% of the blogs.
SISMUN
Last spring, after a couple of Model United Nations conferences were canceled abroad, my MUN club at Saipan International School held our own virtual conference. Their perseverance and enthusiasm are on full display here. Old members mentored new, we gave out awards, and everyone had a great time.
GECMUN
Some enterprising students and I attended our school’s first ever Model United Nations conference in Jeju, South Korea in the spring of 2019. This is a recap of our trip I put together to help show our sponsors where their money went and to recruit new members to our dynamic club.
Child Protection
I consider a major part of my job is to ensure that our students are safe on and off campus. I used my video skills to put this video together so students and parents were well-informed on what protocols would be in place when we returned to school in August 2020.
How to Instagram your Winter Vacation
It's no secret the whole world loves to snap photos of their everyday life and share for the world to see. And I'm no exception! I decided to bring this everyday technology and behavior into a winter break assignment for my students. A way for them to document their days, share their passions, and get to know each other (and me) a bit better. We used themes to guide our posts and we would hashtag those themes. This post was about #mypersonality. See all of our posts on Instagram at #yuwinterenglishcamp2016. You can also check out my Instagram account here.
Gecko Alumni Talk
As a way to bridge the gap between high schoolers and alumni, I’ve started working on developing an alumni network where students can learn from SIS graduates. One initiative I have taken is putting together a 7 minute interview with alumni about life after SIS.
SIS Virtual Musical
In April, Saipan International School holds a musical where each class performs a dance to music. Due to COVID restrictions the event was canceled, but instead I asked for submissions from our students, school families, and alumni. Did they ever deliver! Here is a highlight reel from one of my favorite events that I had the pleasure of hosting.
Kimchi and Crackerjacks
My Korean elementary students spoke English almost like native speakers. But how could I provide them a direct connection to this culture so different than their own? I decided to partner with two schools – one in Canada and one in the United States and create a blog together via EduBlogs. We picked a new topic each week and students from each of our schools across the world shared their feelings on the topic.
A skit: An escape from West Virginia
In a four week language camp in South Korea, I spent time with my students teaching English and American culture. I created a project where my young students had to come up with a skit to perform for the other classes. Their only requirements? Including these two songs: “Country Roads” and “Going to the Zoo.” What ensued was silly, imaginative, and creative. Here's the end result.
Reporting Live from Korea
My wife and I love to write. When we moved to Korea, we made it our mission to keep our family members updated via our blog. Then it turned into something bigger as more and more people read it. It turned into an informational blog about Korean life in general featuring great places to travel and eat and how-to articles on everyday tasks in a foreign country. Over the last 10 years, it's been named a top 50 expat blog and in the top 100 blogs about Korea as decided by the Korea Tourism Organization.
A family who believes in the international community
I don't travel alone these days. In fact, I have a little team of world citizens. My wife, Lindsay Nash, works remote (from home) at a global tech company and seeks to volunteer her creative and marketing services to contribute to and serve the community where we land. You can see her website here. My two children, Finn and Poppy, are fluent English and Korean speakers and are certain to be positive additions to the school community as strong, thoughtful students and warm, caring friends.
Today’s students.
Tomorrow’s leaders.
All students can be reached with a little love, compassion, patience, and understanding. I bring all of these qualities to the classroom. This enables me to build relationships, motivate, and empower my students with knowledge and the confidence that nothing is impossible.
