David William Stutz

American School of Bombay (2007 - present) - Web Page, contact information

Student Population: 700+ students representing over 50 nationalities.

Extracurricular Activities: ES soccer coach, HS and MS volleyball assistant coach, Mathcounts sponsor.

Comments: Set in India's booming cultural center, the school reflected the rapid changes that are remolding this country. A one-to-one laptop school, ASB modeled and utilized the very best in both new technology and best practice to provide a forward looking education for the students. Led grade level team - coordinating advisory program activities, planning and facilitating team meetings, supervising cultural and service activities - in a fast-paced new middle school environment.
 

Working on the tablets in the hallways. Click here for more photos of India.

International School of Belgrade (2003 - 2007) - Web Page, contact information

Subject matter and age group: Mathematics (6-9th grade, Everyday Math, UCSMP math), Humanities 6-7th grade (Geography/Western Hemisphere and Ancient History).

Student Population: growing from approximately 100 students grades pre-K to 9 to 370 students pre-K through 12 in the four years I was there. Population was 30% Serbian, 30% US, and 40% citizens of other countries.

Extracurricular Activities: MS soccer and volleyball assistant coach, Mathcounts sponsor, chess club sponsor, speech/debate and cultural arts assistant sponsor.

Comments: A smaller international school going through explosive growth in post-sanctions Serbia. Belgrade was quickly expanding its economic base, and this was reflected in the surging numbers of students attending the school. With this growth came challenges in terms of board policy reform, financial stability, and facilities. I became Assistant Principal at the new middle school campus, acting as directing administrator at the newly rented and refurbished location, as well as taking on the duties of Activities Coordinator.
 

Creating a burial fit for a pharaoh. Click here for more photos of Serbia

John Marshall High School (2001 - 2003) - Web Page, contact information

Student Population: approximately 1600 students with 56 different languages spoken at home.

Comments: A large, well established urban/suburban high school, JM was unique in that the student body contained many members of refugee populations that had come to Minnesota, including Somali, Ethiopian, and Laotian.
 

Hanging out in the student commons area....

Escuela Internacional Sampedrana (2000 - 2001) - Web Page, contact information

Student Population: approximately 1700 students - 1% U.S. citizens, 95% host country nationals, and 4% from other countries.

Comments: The school was in an era of transition. There had been 3 different administrations in the previous 3 years, and the constant shifting of priorities and philosophies was a major source of strain on the students and community. The computer lab underwent a complete physical remodel during the school year, which afforded the students the opportunity to get some 'hands-on' experience with the electrical and physical systems that support the software they used in class. I also took over as head of the yearbook staff following the first quarter.
 

Working hard in the computer lab. Click here for more pictures from Honduras

Indian Trail Academy (1998 - 2000) - Web Page, contact information

Student Population: approximately 1000 students - 100% U.S. citizens.

Comments: Actively involved with the inauguration of a new type of school - a thematically integrated series of houses. I acted as Team leader for the House of Biotechnology/Environmental Studies, overseeing staff development and budgeting. As ITA Cabinet representative from the House of Biotech during the first and second years of the school's existence, I was engaged in establishing many of the long terms plans and practices for the institution. I also served as Social Studies Department Chair, administering staff and accompanying budget.  

Presenting a lesson in class. Groups of students were assigned topics throughout the year and took turns teaching their peers.

Saline Area High School (1997 - 1998) - Web Page, contact information

Student population: 1000 pupils, nearly 100% US citizens with a few foreign exchange students mixed in.

Comments: After spending the first semester observing my mentor teacher and other faculty members and student teachers in and out of the classroom 2 days per week, I  spent the second full semester directing all classroom activities in 3 class sections. This intensive involvement with one body of students allowed me the opportunity to work through a professional, full-year schedule during my practicum experience. 

Sogang Language Program (1995 - 1996) - Web Page, contact information

Student population: 500 students, 100% Korean in ethnicity. 

Comments: The primary focus of the institute was to foster development of English speaking ability among Korean students. The majority of those above 3rd grade have had repeated exposure to English grammar lessons, but very little practical experience in using the language orally. In our classrooms, team teaching was the norm, and efforts were directed at engaging the students in active, participatory conversations. Naturally we utilized a number of role-playing techniques and encouraged the use of English outside the classroom (arranging camping trips, business and park visits, etc.). Adapting technology was becoming a prime objective at this point in the institute's history, and I was responsible for organizing and integrating the various computer, video, and audio hardware and software packages that the school had purchased.

Saying "Hi!" in class....  Click here for more photos of Korea

The International School of Choueifat (1994 - 1995) - Web Page, contact information

Student population: 900 students, 90% Pakistani, other nationalities represented included Korean, British, and US citizens. 

Comments: The guiding philosophy behind the Choueifat School system is that each student needs to acquire essential building blocks of information and that only once a foundation of core, concrete knowledge exists can advanced learning take place. To this end, the school focused primarily on providing these 'bytes' of information to the students and ensuring that they were, in fact, retained. The students had weekly standardized exams designed to illustrate to the student, teacher, and administration where any  'gaps in learning' might be. Naturally, as there are a number of students who will have difficulty in adequately internalizing hard facts in such a rapid method, my position was designed to provide such students with personal attention. Roughly 70% of my students had recognizable impediments, either physical or mental, and the remainder needed help because of disciplinary concerns, language problems, or unease with the standardized test format. 

Playing cricket during recess.  Click here for more photos of Pakistan

The American School of Tegucigalpa (1992 - 1993) - Web Page, contact information

Student population: 350 students, 80% Honduran, 20% US citizens. 

Comments: The American School is designed for the dependents of embassy personnel and those Hondurans who wish to have their children obtain a US diploma and prepare to attend university in the US. The students receive an education comparable to that available at a typical US high school, including US history and government. In my History sections, I had a total of 4 non-Honduran students, which led to some very interesting discussions and research projects concerning the perception of US foreign policy abroad. Outside of the classroom, I established an American football club, in which we taught the students the fundamental rules and strategies of the game and coached the Knowledge Bowl team. With other faculty we took the students on several trips to local orphanages, set up a career day presentation with guest speakers and workshops, and went to a number of local embassies on field trips. 

The Mayan ruins at Copan  Click here for more photos of Honduras