Haifaa Candra Benkhadra-White ShortList 78 views

Haifaa Candra Benkhadra-White

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ZIYA GOKALP MH. AGAOGLU MY WORLD, A6 BLOK, DAIRE 12
turkey-90
5315441359
I am a native Californian, who studied at CSU Sacramento. With many years of teaching students, and providing teacher training in the MENA region, as well as holding administrative leadership positions, I have learned the weaknesses of the students in the MENA region and focused on helping the students get into the university of their choice. I am an IBDP coordinator and an SAT coordinator. As an expatriate who has lived abroad for 18+ years, I have learned many things about the students in the Middle East and in Istanbul. The environment in Turkiye is very international, having students from over 45 countries. I, myself, am a polyglot. My first language is English, my second is French, my third is Spanish, my fourth is Arabic and my last is Turkish. Learning multiple languages has given me insight into different cultures which makes teaching very rewarding. Throughout my leadership positions, I have found that the more you are able to understand languages, the more you are able to understand people and their way of thinking which makes the world a smaller place.

General Information

  • First Name Haifaa Candra
  • Last Name Benkhadra-White
  • Date of Birth December 2, 1969
  • Place of Birth San Bernardino, CA USA
  • Gender Female
  • Nationality United States of America (USA)
  • Current Address Ziya Gokalp Mahallesi, Karacaoglan Sk. Agaogulu, My World Europe, Blok A-6, Daire 12 Basaksehir, Istanbul, Turkey
  • Marital Status Married
  • Highest Degree Level Bachelor's
  • Language English, Arabic, French, Spanish
  • Total Years of Experience 12+
  • Job Locations  BahrainCanadaKuwaitOmanQatarSaudi ArabiaUAEUSA
  • Job Category  Leadership Jobs
  • Desired Job Vice Principal/Principal
  • Desired Net Salary Monthly 4000 $ - 5000 $

My name is Haifaa Candra Benkhadra-White, a native English speaker interested in a challenging position with your institution. As an expatriate, I have vast experience in teaching in international schools in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Turkey. While living in KSA, I was an English coordinator for Cedar International School where I coordinated the scope and sequence from grades 4-12 for three years where I introduced differentiation into lessons and assessments. Afterward, I traveled to Turkey where I was the English coordinator for grades 1-12 at Istanbul American school and later became the interim assistant vice-principal. A year later, they made me Assistant Vice Principal for high school, and I was in charge of establishing the IBDP accreditation. I am a certified DPC for IB World Schools. Currently, I am the High School Principal at Milestone International School in Istanbul. I review the curriculum, oversee the lesson plans, have weekly meetings with the HODs, make class observations and give constructive feedback for the betterment of my teachers.

When needed, I give a PD workshop to help the teachers better their teaching methodology. I love what I do and where I work now, but the situation for foreigners is difficult in Turkey. The bureaucracy in Turkey has caused me to look outside of the country. While in KSA, I also worked part-time training teachers on how to teach the various writing genres at Educational Insights. At Educational Insights, I gave many different types of workshops, such as descriptive/creative writing, persuasive/and argumentative writing, how to teach research writing to students, enunciation workshops, as well as how to teach creative thinking which is for all subject teachers.

 

I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish with a French minor and a TESOL Certificate from the California State University of Sacramento. My multi-lingual background has helped me to relate to my students, wherever they come from. I speak English, Spanish, French, Arabic, and some Turkish. I understand how hard it is for 2nd language learners to learn another language. I have been teaching in the Middle East for the past 13 years. I am fully aware of the weaknesses of the students from the Middle East. I understand the culture, and their languages which makes me a very tolerant teacher. My TESOL Certificate, from 1999-to 2001 classes, encompassed master’s pedagogical grammar, teaching college composition, English curriculum courses, SLA, as well as research, which were part of the Master’s TESOL program given by face-to-face classes only to students who have an undergraduate degree. In the university, I took second highest honors (Magna Cum Laude), I was a member of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society, and I was on the National Dean’s List for four years in a row.

 

I started my teaching career in the United States while I was in college. I also taught the writing process to ESL students at California State University, Sacramento (Sac State for short) in the writing lab for one year. Sac State has a writing proficiency exam that every student must pass in order to graduate regardless of his/her major. This exam requires the writer to critically examine an issue and persuade the reader. Moreover, this exam is difficult for native speakers also. Having said that, you could only imagine how difficult it must be for ESL students. During the summer I ran into one of my students who knew my other students and told me that they had all passed the exam. I was very happy for them and at the same time, I felt that I had helped them grow as writers and thinkers which was very satisfying.

 

Most of my experience has been dealing with college-level students and high school students preparing them for research, IELTS,

and TOEFL. I am proud to say that all my students were admitted to universities without taking any foundation year program.

 

As a teacher and educator, I believe learning is interactive. We must listen and learn from our students and colleagues so that we can reach the students by using proactive approaches to inspire creative learning experiences for them. Teachers should always find a way to reach their students. Through experiences, I have learned how to adapt to those who are special needs learners. Each student is an individual and should be treated as such.

 

I believe that there is always something new to learn and as educators, we, ourselves, should always be open-minded and try to learn the latest teaching techniques so that we can be innovators offering proactive approaches to curriculum development and assessments.

Education

01/2001
CSU OF SACRAMENTOBA

·   rnMajor: Spanish Literaturerngraduated Magma Cum Laude

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·   rnMinor: French

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·   rnRelated coursework: Englishrngrammar for Teachers, Masterclass at TESOL Arabia 2013

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·   rnMember of the InternationalrnHonor Society Phi Theta Kappa

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·   rnOn the National Dean’srnList four years in a row


1.5 YEARS GRADUATED 01/2001
CSU OF SACRAMENTOTESOL CERTIFICATE

  Major: SLA, linguistics

  Related coursework: Mastersrnclasses in pedagogical grammar, research in SLA and bilingual education, teaching college composition


03/2021-04/2021
INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE ORGANIZATIONIBDP LEAD THE LEADING

IB DPC Cat. 1 coursernfor Lead the Leading

  Course focused onrnleadership duties needed to be a successful Diploma Programme Coordinator


03/2022
COLLEGE BOARDSAT COORDINATOR CERTIFICATE

Coordinate the SAT testrncenter for the College Board

Control exam rooms, trainrnproctors, and hall monitors, and return the used and extra exams to the Board.

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·   rnSend vouchers to thernHonoraria


Work Experience

08/2021-11/2022
Milestone International SchoolAcademic Principal

·   rnInterviewing, hiring, andrntraining qualified staff

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·   rnSet up weekly agendas, andrnlesson plans to be submitted by all teachers

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·   rnInterview new students uponrnmatriculation to understand how we can make an individual learning plan forrnthem

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·   rnReviewing curricula,rnsyllabi, and books to make sure they follow the standards for the Common Core

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·   rnResponsible for the gradingrnsheets, and report cards for the school k-12

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·   rnIn charge of high schoolrntranscripts for the students

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·   rnGive teacher training forrnimproving their teaching methodologies

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·   rnReview lesson plans andrncurriculum for American Common Core, Cognia

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·   rnHelp to edit, proofreadrnpolicies and give feedback

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·   rnMeet weekly with the HoDsrnto discuss pedagogical issues within their departments

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·   rnReview, edit and proofreadrnexams, and summative tests

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·   rnEvaluate teachers using thernELEOT/IB standards

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·   rnGuide the strong teachersrnto co-teach/mentor their colleagues   

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·   rnMeet with the disciplinerncommittee to ensure a coherent and safe environment for all

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·   rnHandle disciplinary issuesrnonce the committee has met to give a final decision on difficult problems


06/2020-08/2021
Istanbul American School Assistant Vice-Principal for High School

·   rnResponsible for the gradingrnsheets, and report cards for the school 9-12

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·   rnMade high schoolrntranscripts for the students

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·   rnGive teacher training forrnimproving their teaching methodologies

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·   rnReview lesson plans andrncurriculum for American, Cognia, and IB system

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·   rnWrote school policies forrnthe IBO

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·   rnPrepared the school tornstart the DP in six months while managing the American Common Core system

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·   rnReview curriculum to bernsure they follow the common core

·   rnReview, edit and proofreadrnexams, tests, and quizzes

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·   rnEvaluate teachers using thernELEOT/IB methodology

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·   rnGuide the strong teachersrnto co-teach/mentor their colleagues

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·   rnGuided the process as DPrnCoordinator from candidacy to full authorization as an IB World School for thernIB Diploma Programme


10/2019-6/2020
Istanbul American School English Coordinator/Deputy Vice-Principal

·   rnTeach high school Englishrnliterature, and writing

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·   rnProvide equal opportunityrnin the learning environment by differentiating according to their levels

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·   rnGuide teachers on properrnlesson plans

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·   rnGive teacher training forrnteaching research writing, as well as other genres of writing, and teachingrnmethodologies

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·   rnReview curriculum to bernsure they follow the common core curriculum

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·   rnReview, edit and proofreadrnexams, tests, and quizzes

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·   rnBecame ELEOT-certifiedrnevaluator


8/2016-1/2022
EDU INSIGHTS TRAINER

·   rnTeach teachers in therncommunity how to teach different genres of writing from elementary-high school.rn

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·   rnPrepare PowerPointrnPresentations with handouts to explain how to teach writing skills to students,rnsuch as: Descriptive/Creative Writing, Persuasive/Argumentative Writing,rnResearch Writing, Literature Analysis, Enunciation workshop, and how to TeachrnCreative Thinking to Students (all subjects).

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·   rnExplain how to prepare arnlesson plan for a particular genre of writing and teach the teachers how to usernrubrics, scaffold their lessons and understand the different types of learnersrnwithin the classroom.


10/2015-09/2018
CEDAR INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHER/COORDINATOR HOD

·   rnHigh School English teacher/coordinator.rnMake weekly agendas, quizzes, tests, and Mid-terms according to the common corernstandards.

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·   rnProvided differentiatedrnexams for learners with learning disabilities and special needs

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·   rnImproved the quality ofrnwriting by teaching the students how to do research papers, expository writings,rncompare and contrast, and literature analysis among other forms of writing.

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·   rnTeach students how to dornprojects, and PowerPoint presentations with references cited.

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·   rnScaffolding techniques forrndifferent levels of learners.

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·   rnCoordinated between the boys’rnand girls’ sections to make ensure that both were taking the same curriculumrnand monitored the results between the two sections.

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·   rnTaught cross-curriculumrnprojects

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·   rnLiterature analysis, poetryrnanalysis, and research synthesis


07 AND 08/2016 & 07 AND 08/2017
GREEN LEAVESENGLISH TEACHER/DRAMA

·   rnI taught English tornchildren summer school camp for ages 3-12

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·   rnDrama: We did differentrntypes of dramas, The Sound of Music

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·   rnTaught survival skills, howrnto use a first aid kit, and understand how to tell where they need to go byrnlearning their cardinal directions

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·   rnScavenger hunts using maprnskills and learning how to work in a team.

·   rnTaught them how to chooserntheir diet, understand what diabetes is and how we can avoid it


2006-2017
PRIVATE TEACHERSHADOW TEACHER/SPECIAL NEEDS/TEACHER

·   rnI worked with students whornare dyslexic, ADD, and ADHD using modern teaching methods to help them learn

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·   rnThese students passed theirrngrade levels while I was teaching them

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·   rnI make my students take anrnassessment, then I make my specific lesson plans to have them reach the commonrncore standards within a specified time frame

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·   rnSpecialized in teachingrnstudents for collegial entrance exams IELTS, and TOEFL

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·   rnTeaching the APA format forrnresearch writing to Master students at British University


2006-2007
GREENHILLS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLENGLISH CONSULTANT

·   rnObserved the classes andrnstyles of teaching from 1-12th grade to see the weaknesses andrnstrengths

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·   rnConsulted with the ownerrnDr. Sabban about how their curriculum lacks the Common Core Standards andrnexplained with a full report on what needs to be changed in order to achievernthis goal

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·   rnTaught teachers how tornteach the writing process by teaching their classes while they observed

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·   rnAlso did teacher workshopsrnto help teachers use a more practical approach to learning

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·   rnPrepared high schoolrnstudents for their SATII exams

rnrnSet up workshops for TOEFL, IELTS, and SATs (commercial services for the school)


3/2006-6/2006
JEDDAH KNOWLEDGE SCHOOLENGLISH TEACHER

·   rnTaught private writingrncourses for the weak students

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·   rnTaught spelling to gradesrn4-6th


2000-2001
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY OF SACRAMENTOENGLISH WRITING TUTOR

·   rnTaught native Americans andrnESL students how to write so they can pass the WPE (writing proficiency exam)

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·   rnWorked extensively with ESLrnstudents to learn the western approach to persuasive, argumentative, andrnexpository writing


1996-1997
AMERICAN RIVER COLLEGE, SACRAMENTO, CATUTOR

·   rnTaught special needsrnstudents Spanish, Political Science, English


Summary of Skills

Knowledge of Microsoft Word, EXCEL, Microsoft Office 365
90%
Leadership skills with a lead by an example attitude
100%
Team work with excellent communication skills
100%
Zoom, Skype, and Google Workspace platforms as well as LMS
90%

Portfolio

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