About me...
My philosophy for developing this website:
I began this site for a graduate class I was taking in the spring of 2011 but it has become so much more. I am a firm believer in 21st century skills with a strong foundation in an old-school love of books. I am convinced that we teachers can do a much better job of reaching you, our students, if we combine our passion for our subject with the tools offered to us in the new century. Students today learn differently than they did even ten years ago. We no longer learn two-dimensionally, from left to right, but three-dimensionally, linking ideas together from many depths and many sources. We must recognize that the old tried and true methods need rethinking and reorganizing in order to access young minds. To do that we must ALL become learners! For me, that means constantly adapting and reinventing strategies and methods to teach while keeping true to my passion for reading.
My Background:
To say that I love books is the kind of understatement usually saved for definitions and examples. I LOVE books! My mother tells me that I was reading at three (she taught me to read soup and vegetable cans while grocery shopping in the aisles of the local A&P). I suspect that as a shy only child I loved reading so much because I had discovered early that books offer adventure, excitement and new worlds within their pages. If I can share this joy with just one of you I will count myself successful.
After college, I spent a few years working when I decided to see what else the world had to offer. My father had been a pilot in the Navy and so I was used to travelling and exploring. So I left to be a ski-bum in the Grand Tetons at Jackson Hole, Wyoming for "just the winter, Mum, I promise!" Well, that winter turned into half a decade. I loved the mountains, the snow, the skiing... but the summers were overwehelmingly beautiful: wild flowers, blue skies, wildlife. Everyday was like being in a big adventure park. During the winters I worked as a detail painter for a house painting company and during the summers I worked a caretaker for the president of the World Bank (he kept a summer home there). This was fine for a few years but soon I realized that I wanted to be more. So I returned to Connecticut to begin work on the next phase of my life.
Once home, I decided to get my teaching certificate and in 2002 began working at our high school. I have been here ever since and have loved every minute (even the tough minutes!). Lately I have decided to extend myself as both teacher and learner; thus, I am beginning my new journey.
After college, I spent a few years working when I decided to see what else the world had to offer. My father had been a pilot in the Navy and so I was used to travelling and exploring. So I left to be a ski-bum in the Grand Tetons at Jackson Hole, Wyoming for "just the winter, Mum, I promise!" Well, that winter turned into half a decade. I loved the mountains, the snow, the skiing... but the summers were overwehelmingly beautiful: wild flowers, blue skies, wildlife. Everyday was like being in a big adventure park. During the winters I worked as a detail painter for a house painting company and during the summers I worked a caretaker for the president of the World Bank (he kept a summer home there). This was fine for a few years but soon I realized that I wanted to be more. So I returned to Connecticut to begin work on the next phase of my life.
Once home, I decided to get my teaching certificate and in 2002 began working at our high school. I have been here ever since and have loved every minute (even the tough minutes!). Lately I have decided to extend myself as both teacher and learner; thus, I am beginning my new journey.
A little bit more about me...
|
-I love animals, especially horses. I used to ride competitively and had my own horse for many, many years.
-I can draw and paint, but never became a full-fledged artist -I love nature and believe that everyone should have recess every day. -I am a pro napper (just ask my husband). -I have been married for over 20 years. -I am a book hoarder (really, I could have my own show). -I love the ocean as much as the mountains. -I enjoy classical music and punk , blues, grunge, rockabilly and alt music too. -I have a pitbull and two cats - the littlest cat rules the other two. UPDATE: This past year, we lost all three of our pets. They were all wonderful family members who lived long and happy lives with us. Sadly, they also all got old together too. Maybe, sometime soon, we will feel strong enough to adopt another animal family member... :'-( UPDATE # 2: Famous last words! We now have a kitty named Peanut whom we adopted in October 2015. She was a feral kitten living at a very posh marina in the Hamptons on Long Island. Now she lives very humbly with us... :-) AND, this past summer (2017) we adopted a Pitbull/Labrador Retriever mix from Tennessee! He is a 64 lb. puppy! We named him Jackson after our years living in the Grand Tetons. He really, really loooooves Peanut. Peanut: not so much. Not sure who is the boss in this relationship yet! -My daughter turned 15 this summer and rules all of us. |
|