(612) 242-5588 Cody Pratt cpratt0406@gmail.

com

EDUCATION

Technology Education B.S. & Mass Communication B.S. (In Progress) 2017-2021
Saint Cloud State University ~ Saint Cloud, MN
Video Production Specialist A.A.S. 2014-2016
Hennepin Technical College ~ Brooklyn Park, MN

WORK EXPERIENCE

Marketing Specialist ~ Zeplay LLC ♦ Bloomington, MN May 2019 –

Present
♦ Collaborated to develop plans for videos and other media
♦ Contributed to redesigning of website and web media presence
Video & Stagehand Contractor ~ Hay Creek ♦ MN July 2018 –
Present
♦ Provided technical skills for events throughout the Twin Cities
Operation Technician ~ BEC-TV ♦ Bloomington, MN Dec
2014 – Aug 2017
♦ Took the lead on various station management tasks.
♦ Managed volunteer recruitment, training, and retention
♦ Setup, directed, and edited video productions
♦ Developed basic engineering skills
Media Specialist ~ CLC ♦ Lausanne, Switzerland Oct 2016 –
Dec 2016
♦ Headed up general technical support for the school
♦ Designed new ways of communicating with students
♦ Created animated logos, graphics, and other promotional content

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

FLL Robotics Coach ~ St Cloud Christian School ♦ Sept 2018 –

Dec 2019
♦ Helped establish a First Lego League Robotics Team
 ♦ Assisted in coaching the team through its first few seasons
Observation Hours ~ Sauk Rapids-Rice High School Spring 2020
♦ Observed and assisted with classes
Observation Hours ~ Sartell High School Fall 2018
♦ Observed how a teacher ran her classroom
 There once was a student who felt more like a fly on the wall, then a student in a class.

He didn’t speak much and was rarely called on. He had okay grades but didn’t excel at any of

his classes, and he felt no one cared if he succeeded. He had several good teachers over

the years, and oftentimes did well in their classes. Yet, he struggled to feel connected to them or

his peers. He was quiet, enjoyed sitting in the back of the class, and read books during lunch.

Then during his senior year of high school things changed. He had several teachers that started

to push him. His English teacher, in particular, forced him out of hiding. She required her

students to do several speeches a semester, and nothing was worse than public speaking. Yet,

she allowed her students to write and speak on just about any subject they wanted. That year

the student gave a presentation on penguins, gave a silique on whether to pie or not to pie, and

performed as Macbeth in front of the class for all five acts. He was forced out of his comfort

zone but was still given the freedom to succeed. His confidence in himself grew, his grades

improved, and he made more friends during his senior year than any other year he’d been in

school. That student had been me, and I wouldn’t be the same if it were not for the teachers that

pushed me during my life. 

Though the decision to become a teacher wasn’t concocted while I was in high school,

but several years later when I was working at a local television station. I had pursued a career in

video production after high school and had been hired on within a year of graduating. While I

was going to a tech college and working at the television station, I found I really enjoyed video

production and was getting better at it. Though the thing I found even more enjoyable

was working with the volunteers our television station took in. The television station I worked for,

BEC-TV, worked with the public schools in Bloomington to allow high school and middle school

students the opportunity to volunteer and help film the district’s sports games and concerts. For

a couple years I had been the staff member in charge of volunteer training, development, and

retention. It was amazing to watch how over the years the students grew in confidence, skill,

and passion.  

Among our volunteers, we had students of many different levels of ability. One student

that stood out from my time working there didn’t stand out because his skill or

ability, but instead due to his dedication and love for running camera. He was a student that fell

along the autistic spectrum, that I will call Tony. He spent over a year volunteering at our station

and oftentimes came to several productions a week. He really enjoyed the work, but his skill at

understanding video concepts and his attention to detail was lacking. Especially

when compared to many of the younger students who had been doing productions for a much

shorter amount of time. One day my coworker asked my boss why we continued to let him

volunteer so much when our productions suffered in quality due to his efforts. My boss at the

time replied with a question that really stuck with me. “Our productions may be better without

Tony, but would Tony be better if he wasn’t in our productions?” 

Moments like these have made me believe that its oftentimes less important that all our

students succeed at the same rate, and more important that we continue to offer them chances

to improve themselves. Along with letting them do things that they enjoy, when we can. I want to

become an educator that can help my students succeed in a student-centered approach. I don’t

see it as my job to try and mold my students out of clay into the shape that I desire. Rather, my

job is to be one who can spark a fire in my students, so that they can use that fire to shape

themselves.  

This is one of the reasons I chose Technology Education for the classes to teach, as it

allows the freedom to teach skills in a student-centered way. Students are oftentimes allowed

to choose Tech Ed classes that they feel would best fit their interest and fit their own growth.

Along with the focus on more hands-on project modeled learning. My love for teaching started in
video production, but my time at St Cloud State has helped me learn to enjoy that same growth

in students in robotics, woodworking, and more. 

The instructors at St Cloud State have helped me learn how to shape my own

desires. They’ve provided me with instruction on project-based learning and co-teaching.

They’ve helped me discover educational philosophers that I can align myself with, such as John

Dewey, and reminded me that I don’t have to create a way of teaching from scratch. Other

instructors have pointed out that every student that enters the classroom will be at a different

point in their education level, ability level, and motivation to succeed. Though ultimately, it is still

my job to help them succeed to the best of their ability. 

In another set of words, students like Tony have led me to believe that even though

every student is at their own starting point in the race, every racer can make it to their own finish

line as long as the referee is willing to help them run.