NAME:
Mr. Michael Taylor
SCHOOL:
Meadowlawn Middle School
CLASS:
8th Grade Language Arts
SCHOOL PHONE:
727-570-3097
In 2011-12, my 18th year at Meadowlawn MS, I will explore teaching
methods using the technological advances our new school offers and revise an
8th grade curriculum to challenge my students to develop language skills
that will allow them to become more effective writers and readers.
I most enjoy seeing students make "real world" connections through
the study of Language Arts. In other words, I like to see students use what
they learn, and one of the best ways to put Language Arts skills to use is
to publish observations, stories, poetry, opinions, and essays. My
students will be encouraged to share their best-written work by trying to
get their writing published in the St. Petersburg Times, online, and in a
variety of other ways.
I also challenge my students to put their thinking skills to work in
Scholastic tournaments sponsored by the St. Petersburg Chess Club that can
be use as an extra credit opportunity. Students can participate in the
tournaments or attend and describe the event for an extra credit writing
opportunity that could be published.
My students will be asked to go beyond the classroom in efforts to
add to what they have learned by taking on extra credit opportunities to
make curricular connections at community events like art shows, fairs,
festivals, author appearances, musical performances, theater performances,
and academic contests or explorations of Florida's natural world.
What my students experience is fodder for stories, poems, and essays.
My teaching experience has taken me through a wide range of
education levels and is summarized below. Personally, I enjoy playing golf,
developing photography skills, reading, fishing, kayaking, spending time in
natural environments, listening to a variety of music, and exploring new
places.
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Click on the School House on my Home Page for Meadowlawn Middle
School's Web Site.
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Meadowlawn Middle School, St. Petersburg (08/94 - present):
8th grade Language Arts teacher.
FCAT stats 8th grade 2011 - 2012
State - 193,706 students
78% - 3.0+
52% - 3.5+
33% - 4.0+
School - 366 students
69% - 3.0+
34% - 3.5+
17% - 4.0+
Taylor - 103 students
89% - 3.0+
73% - 3.5+
46% - 4.0+
13.6% - 4.5+
7.7% - 5.0+
.97% - 6.0
(4) 3.8% - 2.5
(7) 6.7% - 2.0
2011/12 FCAT results:
8th grade writing scores:
School average: 3.0/Pinellas County average: 3.2/state average: 3.3
Average of my classes: 3.6
Of 103 student scores, only 7 scored 2.0 and 4 scorecard 2.5
1 student scored 6.0, seven (7) scored 5.0, and six (6) scored 4.5
Percentage of students 3.0 and above: 89%
For 2012, the state DOE radically altered the scoring standards. Comparing the 2011 - 2012
results to any previous year is pointless! Essays are again graded by two individuals which can
result in .5 scores.
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2010/11 FCAT results:
8th grade writing scores:
School average 4.1/Pinellas County average 4.2/state average 4.2
(Essays were graded by only one person again, so there were no .5 scores this year.)
Average of my six classes: 4.7
Advanced classes (3) average: 4.7 (1st 4.8/2nd 4.6/3rd 4.5)
Regular classes (1) average: 4.3
9th Honors English (2)average: 4.9 (5th 4.7/6th 5.1)
Of 123 student scores, 3 scored 3.0 and none were below 3.0. Fifteen (15) students scored 6.0,
fifty-five (55) scored 5.0, and fifty (50) scored 4.0.
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2009/10 FCAT results:
8th grade writing scores:
School average 4.2/Pinellas County average 4.1/state average 4.1 (All schools’ average scores
in the county dropped except for one that went from 3.5 to 3.6. Essays were graded by only one
person, so there were no .5 scores this year.)
Average of my six classes: 4.4
Advanced classes (4) average: 4.5
Regular classes (2) average: 3.97
Of 143 student scores, 14 scored 3.0 and none were below 3.0.
Twelve (12) students scored 6.0, forty-five (45) scored 5.0, and seventy-two (72) scored 4.0.
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2008/09 FCAT results: 8th grade writing scores:
School average 4.3/Pinellas County average 4.3/state average 4.0
Average of my six classes: 4.9
Advanced classes (3) average: 5.0
Regular classes (3) average: 4.7
Of 101 student scores, only 2 scored 3.5 and none were below 3.5. 100% met or
exceeded state expectations.
Seventeen (17) students scored 6.0, eight (8) scored 5.5, and thirty-two (32) scored 5.0.
Percentage of students 3.5 and above: 100%
2007/08 FCAT results: 8th grade writing scores:
school average 4.0 Pinellas County average 4.2
Average of my five classes: 4.61
Advanced classes (3) average: 4.86
Regular classes (2) average: 4.2
Of 95 student scores, only 3 scored 3.0 and none were below 3.0.
Eight students scored 6.0, eight scored 5.5, and twenty-two scored 5.0.
Percentage of students 3.5 and above: 97%
2006/07 FCAT results: 8th grade writing scores:
school average 4.0 Pinellas County average 4.2
Average of my five classes: 4.3
Advanced classes (2) average: 4.6
Regular classes (3) average: 4.09
Of 122 student scores, only 11 scored 3.0 and 3 were below 3.0.
Five students scored 6.0, nine scored 5.5, and twenty scored 5.0.
Percentage of students 3.5 and above: 88.5%
2005/06 FCAT results: 8th grade writing scores:
school average 3.9 Pinellas County average 4.2
Average of my five classes: 4.2
Advanced classes (2) average: 4.5
Regular classes (3) average: 4.1
Of 129 student scores, only 6 scored 3.0 and none were below 3.0.
Five students scored 6.0, six scored 5.5, and fifteen scored 5.0.
Percentage of students 3.5 and above: 95%
2004/05 FCAT results: 8th grade writing scores:
school average 3.8 Pinellas County average 4.0
Average of my five classes: 4.3
Advanced class average: 4.9
Regular classes (4) average: 4.0
Of 139 student scores, only 10 were below 3.5.
Seven students scored 6.0, six scored 5.5, and fourteen scored 5.0.
Percentage of students 3.5 and above: 93%
Team leader for two years. SAC chair for two years.
1997 - 2003 Developed and implemented the D.E.A.R. program (Drop Everything
and Read) which became a 20 minute segment of the school day for every
student for 4 years. At the end of the 2002/2003 school year, a majority of
the current and outgoing faculty decided giving students the opportunity to
read in school 100 minutes a week was too much personal trouble and
sacrifice of class time (4 minutes a period) and voted to eliminate the
program.
Currently, PCTA faculty rep 10+ years.
Pro-Ed facilitator 5 years.
Summer fellow at the Poynter Institute Writers Camp '95, '96, and 2000.
Girls' basketball coach for 5 years(1995 - 2000).
Developed and implemented a chess curriculum. Chess team coach.
Meadowlawn's chess team won the St. Petersburg Chess Club's March 22nd, 2003
Scholastic Chess tournament team event placing first out of 40 teams, and in
the April 19th Scholastic tournament, place 2nd out of 46 teams.
Short story published in the "Sunday Journal" of the St. Petersburg Times
December 3, 2000:
http://www.sptimes.com/News/120300/Floridian/One_gunshot_s_long_ec.shtml
Fellow and Teacher/Consultant with the Tampa Bay Area Writing Project 2001.
PCS Journal television segment 02/02.
Coordinated the St. Petersburg Times Summer Reading Series story,"Boomerang
Bully."
http://www.sptimes.com/2002/07/01/Xpress/Summer_reading__Boome.shtml
Named an Outstanding Educator of 2002 by the Pinellas County Education
Foundation
Summer fellow of the Tampa Bay Area Writing Project Young Writers Camp 2002
Awarded $2000 mini grant to develop Florida Studies curriculum 9/2002
("Seeing Florida" project pages)
Honored in Who's Who in America's Teachers 7th Edition 2002
http://www.writingproject.org/cs/nwpp/print/nwpr/427
This is a web address to the National Writing Project's The Voice, the bi-
monthly journal issue for September-October 2002, which features an article
entitled "Essay Makes Real-World Connections for Florida
Classroom."(summary): Middle school teacher Michael Taylor asked his
class to write about the events of September 11 and to then send their
papers to the local newspaper, an assignment that unexpectedly landed one of
his students on the Oprah Winfrey Show.
See Audrey's original essay at:
http://www.sptimes.com/News/092401/Xpress/Xpressions__The_day_t.shtml
Presented "Building a Community of Writers with Progressive Stories: Using
Boomerang Bully in the Classroom" at the Tampa Bay Area Writing Project Fall
into Writing Conference September 21, 2002
Presented "Writing Progressive Stories...Spinning the tale of 'Boomerang
Bully'" at the Janie Guilbault Writing Conference October 18, 2002
National Board Certification November 22, 2002 Early Adolescence/English
Language Arts
Summer fellow/facilitator of the Tampa Bay Area Writing Project 2003
Presented "Building a Community of Readers and Writers with Progressive
Stories: Using Boomerang Bully in the Classroom"at A Big, Fat, Greek Reading
Conference, Tenth Annual Spring Conference of the Florida Secondary Reading
Council on April 12th, 2003
Published personal experienced story, "Classroom Assignment: Get on the
Oprah Winfrey Show" in: Powerful Classroom Stories from Accomplished
Teachers. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, 2003.
Edited by: Adrienne Mack-Kirschner.
Poetry published online:
http://poetry.com/Publications/pubsmain.asp
Look under Taylor, Michael Arthur as there are many Michael Taylors
- Fiction of Youth
- Fleas
- Frequent Degrees of Dilemmas
- Geometric Attack
- In response to a 92 year-old's philosophy
- Solstice Considered
Presented ""Developing Literacy by Seeing Florida Through Different Eyes and
Perspectives." at FCTE state convention in Tampa in October 2003.
Awarded the 2003 Jean Stallings Grant by FCTE for presenting "an innovative
classroom idea" at the Fall 2003 Conference: "Developing Literacy by Seeing
Florida Through Different Eyes and Perspectives." The award "honors Master
Teachers who possess and demonstrate extraordinary vision, insight,
integrity, imagination, dedication, and talent." October 17, 2003
Facilitator of "For Love of Poetry" Tampa Bay Are Writing Project 12 hour
workshop, March/April 2004.
Published article, "Beyond I Am," in the National Writing Project's The
Voice, the bi-monthly newsletter/journal, Volume 9, Number 2, 2004. The
article details a summer institute writing experience using the "I Am" poem
frame and the evolution of the poem when the summer fellows revisited and
creatively revised their efforts.
http://www.writingproject.org/pub/nwpr/voice/2004no2/taylor.html
June 2004 attended Florida Humanities Council's Florida Center for Teachers' "Searching for a
Sense of Place" lead by Dr. Gary Mormino, professor of Florida history at the University of South
Florida.
December 2004 Completed EETT grant requirements which included designing a
student project that was subsequently completed by 18 pairs of students
during which the students researched a FL author and produced a PowerPoint
presentation.
March 2005 Faculty Advisor to student produced school newspaper, "The
Meadowlawn Pulse."
August 2005 Presented "Developing Literacy by Seeing Florida Through
Different Eyes and Perspectives" as a Tampa Bay Area Writing Project fellow
at Dowdell Middle School.
July 2006 attended Florida Center for Teachers of the Florida Humanities Council's seminar,
"Asian Religions in Florida" lead by Dr. Nathan Katz.
March 2007 Participated as an Anglo at Pueblo Inges, La Alberca, Spain 3/23 -
3/30/07. Taught conversation English to Spanish participants and
presented "The Poetry of Robert Frost: An Ambassador for the Beauty of the
English Language."
July 2007 Tampa Bay Area Writing Project summer retreat facititator for a
weekend seminar on Professional Writing: Writing in the Teaching Profession
September 2007 presented Comic Strips as Literature: How to Make Classroom
Connections at the annual Fall Conference of the Tampa Bay Area Writing
Project
July 2008 Participated as an Anglo at Pueblo Inges, Valdelavilla, Spain, 7/10
- 7/18/08. Taught conversation English to Spanish participants.
September 2008 Presented "Seeing Florida Through Different Eyes and
Perspectives" at the annual Fall Conference of the Tampa Bay Area Writing
Project at the College of Education of the University of South Florida.
July 2009 Participated in the eighth annual Poetry Institute for Educators
produced by The Favorite Poem Project at Boston University, July 13-17 and
led by poet, Robert Pinsky; Professor Lee Indrisano; and poets, Louise Glück,
Maggie Dietz, Major Jackson, and Frank Bidart.
June 2010 Participated in a 3-day training seminar for teaching 9th grade Honors English
offered to 8th grade students for high school credit.
August 2010 - June 2011 served as PCS Mentor
June 2011 Participated in the St. Pete Audubon's Ecology Summer Camp June 21-24
August 2011 Participated in the National Literacy Project workshop August 3rd and 4th at NEHI
March 2012 attended La Florida: An Exploration of Spanish Florida
Florida Humanities Council Teacher workshop March 30 - April 1, 2012
Flagler College in the Gamache-Koger Theater in the Ringhaver Student Center
Presenters: LeadScholar - History Professor from North Florida, Dr. J. Michael Francis; architect,
Hershel Shepard; and the city archeaologist, Carl Halbirt
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B. A. in Speech Communication/English/Education from University of South
Florida, Tampa FL (1977)
Triple major in Communication, English, and Education.
Completed course work for M.A. in Speech Communication.
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Gibbs High School, St. Petersburg (08/92 - 06/94)
Multi-discipline teacher in ESE department. Asst. football coach. Asst.
track coach.
St. Petersburg High School, St. Petersburg (09/90 - 06/92)
English teacher. Asst. Head football coach. Head Softball coach.
St. Petersburg High School, St. Petersburg (03/90 - 06/90)
Permanent substitute teacher in the International Baccalaureate Program
teaching 10th grade English.
Pinellas Marine Institute, St. Pete Beach (04/88 - 11/89)
Teacher/counselor. Taught GED preparation courses and acted as primary
counselor to groups of 10-12 advisees. Served as education coordinator
responsible for scheduling, curriculum, and training of new education
personnel. Coached softball and biannual Olympic teams.
Teacher of the Year for '88/'89 for Pinellas Marine Institute.
St. Petersburg Vocational Technical Institute, (1979 - 1984) GED instructor.
Taught GED Prep to adults aged 16 to 60+.
University of South Florida, Tampa (1977 - 1979) Graduate Teaching
Assistant. Taught undergraduate speech communication course for eight
quarters.
My Personal Mission Statement: In the 2011-2012 school year, I will support
my students efforts by developing and implementing effective lesson plans,
by celebrating students’ successes, and by challenging students to think, to
become effective writers and critical thinkers, and to develop positive
attitudes.
