Introduce yourself by telling a little about yourself. Include (1) your home town, (2) where you teach and a little about your school, (3) your bachelor’s degree and where you earned it, (4) your content area and classes you teach, and (5) any other information you would like about your family, hobbies, pets, etc.
Hello, my name is Heidi Albin. I grew up in Brush, Colorado and then mooved to Hays, KS two years ago after marrying my husband, John. I completed my bachelors degree at Fort Hays State University. My major was Cellular Molecular Biology and my minor was Chemistry. I am now teaching all the science at Maize Complete High School. I absolutly love my job but I am super busy and I'm a little worried about finding the time to work on this class. ~Heidi Albin
My name is Nathan Parker. I grew up in Lincoln, NE and moved to Manhattan, KS 2 years ago to pursue graduate work in English at K-State. I did earn my M.A. in English and Cultural Studies there, as well as a B.A. in English and American Ethnic Studies at the University of Nebraska. I teach Senior and Freshman English, and coach speech/debate at Riley County High School in Riley, KS, just outside Manhattan. My wife's name is Katie and we have a dog named Ella. We're expecting our first kiddo in February as well, so that should add to the excitement. When I"m not in school, I like to read/write (big surprise), hike, climb, bike, and generally goof around outside. So far, my transition from teachign at K-State to teaching at the high-school has been smooth, but I'm hoping to work ahead a bit in this class, because once debate season starts I"m going to be busy as hell.
Hello, I am Maria Sandiego. I am originallly from the Philippines. I finished my B.A. in English with Creative Writing as a major area of concentration which was also my major for M.A. My first teaching job was when I was a teaching fellow in Silliman University, an American university in the Philippines. It was nice to be an instructor in a university but I spent more years as a journalish than as a teacher. This is why I need to be in a transition to teaching program aside from not having enough education units. My first trip to the United States was in 2002 to avail of a two-month writing grant in a writers colony in Washington. It was a beautiful gift of time and place. In my second trip, in summer 2003, I came to get married and we were based in Indiana for about 3 years. Then we moved to L.A. where I taught in an inner city high school. We relocated to Garden City, Kansas to accept a teaching job here in the high school where I still teach English. However, a few months after we got here, my husband passed away unexpectedly. It was touch and go for awhile having to go on living without my husband in a place that I was still adjusting. But with the help of good friends, colleagues and administrators as well as understanding professors in FHSU, I was able to move on and have started to heal. I love to write poetry and I am a published poet with two books: one published by the Philippine government's National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the other in Canada. I still try to find time to write although juggling teaching and the T2T courses has been quite draining. I look forward to being able to finish the T2T program.
My name is Kelly Glasscock. I grew up in Manhattan, KS and received my bachelor's degree at Kansas State University. My major was Mass Communication and Journalism. I ended up becoming a photojournalist and now teach photojournalism at Andover High School in Andover, KS, just outside of Wichita. I still freelance as a photographer so my weekends are usually filled with assignments. When I'm not teaching, taking pictures or working on T2T assignments I'm playing with my 2-year-old daughter. Once T2T is finished after this year I'll have more time for the latter. I'm really enjoying teaching at the high school level. I think I have a great subject to teach. Students are usually excited to take the class.
Bonjour! My name is Jennifer Bagby. I am a born and raised Wichitan, although I went to high school in Newton, KS. I currently live in Wichita with my husband Darren. I teach in Augusta, KS at the high school. I teach all levels of French. We are a 4A school and have a good variety of activities as well as sports, but we don't have a hs swim team. I would have loved to be involved in that. Along with teaching I am the French Club sponsor, the Freshmen class sponsor, the Asst. Drama Director, and am on the Green Team committee. Oh I think I also represent my dept. for NCA. I have a Bachelor's Degree (BA) in Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Specialty of French from Wichita State University. I am starting my third year of teaching but have lived, ate, and slept French since I was 13. I have been to France 6 times, 2 of which I lived there, worked there, and went to college there. My greatest accomplishment to date is taking my first trip to France with 8 students this past summer just like the first time I went when I was 18. We have been married for one year and love to travel!
¡Hola compañeros! I was named after a Barry Manalow song. I know the suspense is killing you to find out what song it is, but you'll have to read on to find out! I was born in Topeka, KS, but consider Wichita my home. I moved here when I was three years old, and cannot imagine living anywhere else. I have lived in the sparseness of Wyoming and the mountains of Mexico, but always yearn for home when I move away. Alright, I'll tell you my name...Amanda, but it's Mandy for short from the song! After graduating from Wichita State University with a BA in Modern and Classical Languages (Spanish) and a BA in History, I had no idea what I wanted to do. Luckily, I was able to move around a bit with my husband and we welcomed our first child, Isabel, in 2005. I was a stay-at-home mom for two and a half years before I needed to get out of the house, and have wonderfully found my place as a high school Spanish teacher. I enjoy teaching Spanish I, II and III at Circle High School. I am also a co-sponsor for National Honor Society and the sponsor of Spanish Club.I try to attend at least one event for each team each season and at least one fine art's program. I believe my students really appreciate it when they see me there supporting them! I remember when my teachers did that for me. CHS is located in Towanda, KS, a small town between Wichita and El Dorado on highway 254. You might not know about us because of our athletic talents like many other high schools, but we pride ourselves on our high test scores and wonderful students. This is my third year teaching, and I am so excited! I have a wonderful connection with my students, and every year gets so much easier because I know their personalities so well. The biggest challenge for me this year is that I am expecting our second child in late January! Although it is so exciting for my family, it makes school and teaching much more difficult. I am ready for the challenge, but wish that my timing would have been a bit better. Lastly, I am so glad that this is the final year of certification! I think we all are excited about that! All of the overwhelming class work, Praxis exams and the pressure of it all can get a bit heavy, but I'm so proud that we are all going to be able to say that we've made it, come May!
Hello, I am a mathematics teacher at Atchison County Community Junior/Senior High School in Effingham, Kansas. I also attended the school for my high school education, but it wasn’t 7th through 12th then. Our school has gotten smaller, and money is tight (isn’t it everywhere) so this year we decided it was financially more efficient, and better academically for the students, to close some of our elementary schools, and combine some of our grades. I am super excited about the change and looking forward to this being the best year of my teaching career. I started my post-college life working for the government, then for a construction company, and then owning a business. I decided I wasn’t happy, and neither was my family, so, with the support of my wife (an 8 year elementary and special education teacher) I went back to college and finished my BS in mathematics at Kansas State. Now I am teaching Geometry (mostly) and I am coaching Cross Country (sitting out basketball and softball this year) for my alma mater. I couldn’t be happier. My wife graduated from Emporia State and is finishing her Master’s next summer, that way she gets it before I get mine next Christmas. So competitive! I have two boys, Jaemon Johnny and Jeven Cougar. They are 4 and 1 ½ respectively and they keep me busy when I am not finished or mowing my 3 ½ acre yard. I love to hunt (opening day is next Tuesday!) and fish. I have a catfish pond in which I currently am raising 400 catfish. My friend has two ponds where I put my catfish when they are bigger, and I fish for bass. I just bought a bass boat, so the boys and I enjoy taking it out on the big pond and catching Nemo! I love sports and am happy to be teaching them to young adults. I still play softball competitively and I golf, although I am not Tiger Woods… I am also the youth leader at my church so, as you can tell, I have lots of free time! I began teaching because I wanted my life to matter, I wanted my children to know their father was doing something worthwhile for the community, and I wanted to make an impact on children and young adults. I have never been happier in my life, I feel like I am currently leading the best life I can imagine! Thanks for reading and I look forward to learning with each of you.
My name is Dustin Clevenger. I teach business courses at Clearwater High School, south of Wichita about 12 miles. My schedule consists of teaching Accounting, Business Law, Money Management, and my new Sports and Entertainment Marketing Class coming this spring. I grew up in Clearwater and received my degree in Business Administration from Emporia State. My wife also teaches in Clearwater and we have two daughters, Allison (4) and Madison (18 mo). After several years in the banking industry, I was ready for a change and have never regretted my decision to switch careers. My kids have been great, excellent staff to learn from and alot of support from administration. In addition to my academic responsibilities, I also coach basketball and golf. Like the rest of you, I am ready to get done with this program and be able to spend more time developing lessons instead of doing homework over the weekends.
Hi everyone, The summer really goes by fast doesn't it? It is hard to believe we are back at school already! My name is Christine Biel, and I was born in New Jersey but raised in Kingston, New York. I am the daughter of a funeral director, and my family lived upstairs in the funeral home. I can't decide if it was the catholic schooling or the funeral home that made me as crazy as I am! (That's just a little joke!) I received my bachelors degree from UAlbany in biology and chemistry in 1987 and moved to the midwest to go to Chiropractic school, graduating from Cleveland Chiropractic College in 1990. I met my husband in chiropractic school, and we married and practiced in a little western KS town called Leoti. My high school actually had a larger population than Leoti. Needless to say the adjustment was a hard one, but the people were phenomenal and the practice was great. After having two daughters, we decided to sell the practice and move back to Kansas City, where we now reside. Making the decision to stop practicing and raise my children was an easy one for me. I never returned to chiropractic, but began teaching various courses (biology, anatomy, physiology, nutrition and microbiology) at the local community colleges as "adjunct faculty". Ten years later and I find myself at Tonganoxie High School teaching biology, chemistry and anatomy. Again, the change was a drastic one. Anyone who has taught both college and high school will admit that college is exponentially easier to teach, but the job is rewarding and the faculty at Tongie is fantastic. I have been working diligently on revamping the biology curriculum and stepping up the science program in general. My eldest daughter is a senior this year, and my youngest is in middle school. I am so proud that they are growing into beautiful, intelligent, strong women. As I watch their success and see the happiness of my family, it again reinforces my decision to teach. The T2T program has seemed long and drawn out, with a lot of tasks that seem impractical to me, so I will be very glad to finish up!
Hello T2T Companions, I am sending this blog from Meade which is in the southwest corner of the state. I live with my family in this great small community as well as teach Jr. High Science. I was raised in a small town east of Albuquerque, New Mexico most of my life. I have always enjoyed learning so half way through my senior year I graduated high school and went on an exchange program to Australia to learn not only academic subjects but cultural ones as well. I returned the the U.S. and worked for a couple of years and then decided to attend college at Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, NM. I majored in biology and have a minor in Chemistry. Meanwhile, I also met my future husband. I graduated and got married in 1995. Soon after our wedding we moved to Meade, KS to be closer to my husband's relatives. We had our first child within the first 2 years of marriage and I always knew I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom with my children until they were school age at least. When my last child was in kindergarten was when I decided to enter the Transition to Teach program. Like I said, I have always enjoyed learning and so it was just natural for me to choose teaching as my career. I have enjoyed every minute of it and hope to keep growing and learning even after the T2T program is finished. My husband and I have lived in southwest Kansas for 14 years. We have 3 children - Rhyan- she is just starting Jr. High this year and has not only her mom as a science teacher but also her aunt as her English teacher. Cooper- is in the 5th grade and Campbell- our youngest is enjoying 3rd grade this year. When I am not teaching, I am very involved with my children and their activities whether it is sports, homework, or just playing board games. I think the T2T program has been good because I have been able to get into the classroom immediately and learn hands-on just like most of my students like to do. Of course, there have been adjustments but this year has started out easier than the rest and I hope it continues. I will enjoy finishing T2T because it will give me a lot of extra time to work on my lesson plans and spend time with my family as well.
My name is Cody Ayers and I teach 8th grade US History at Kenneth Henderson Middle School in Garden City, KS. There hasn't been much an adjustment for me since I'm actually from Garden City; which definitely has a good and a bad side that comes along with that. After a rocky college football career, I finished up my BA in Communications at KU with every intention of going to law school. Family medical issues have drawn me back here where I'm happy to be teaching and coaching football(my true passion). Just because I don't like free time, my childhood friend and I run a Crossfit gym in Garden City which occupies way too much of my ever decreasing amount of time to myself. My Golded Lab, Wilt(Rock Chalk!), is my best friend in the world and always make time for a run with him.
I know what you mean Nathan about coaching and teaching; I have a new found respect for coaches who teach actual subjects and not just PE! Football season is already consuming so much more of my time and energy than I realized it would but I definitely wouldn't change it.
Hello, my name is Lucas Kent I am from Manhattan Kansas and I am the new science teacher at Bennington High School. We are a mid-sized 2A School in the heart of America league. I teach three sections of biology, two sections of chemistry and one section of Kansas naturalists. Until this year I was the science teacher at Jewell High School. I have a BS in Wildlife Biology from Kansas State and am working on Transition to Teaching at Ft Hays State. This year I will coach Scholars Bowl, Science Olympiad, and the track throwers. My wife and I live on a farm in Jewell County where we have three daschunds and several stray cats. I love to travel, read, and hunt (not necessarily in that order) when I have time.
Hello, my name is Peter Jelovic. I was raised in northeast Ohio in the town of Eastlake. I earned my bachelors degree from Emporia State University and also played football for the Hornets. I majored in Recreation and Health Promotion. Also at Emporia State, I met my wife who played volleyball for the Hornets. Since my wife and I have been married (8 years), we have lived in five different states (Minnesota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Ohio, and Kansas). I coached collegiate football at four different state universities. During that time, we had two children, Seth (6) and Skye (4). Due to the time restraints and being away from my family, I chose to change my career path. I am currently teaching at Medicine Lodge High School. Medicine Lodge is located in the Gyp Hills of south central Kansas. MLHS is a 3A school and one of two school districts in Barber County. I will be teaching physical education, weight training, and health classes this school year. In addition to my teaching duties, I am also the head football and track coach.
Hello my name is Jeff First. I am the Art Teacher for Goodland High, Goodland Ks. As many others I am finishing up my third year in the T2T program and can not wait to be done. One of the biggest reasons that I am so anxious to complete the program is the new arrival that my wife of 5 years and I are preparing for this April. This will be our first child so there is that extra amount of apprehension that comes with change. I received my bachelors in fine arts (with an emphasis in computer graphics) from OPSU in the panhandle of Oklahoma. I originally wanted to be a video game designer or visual effects coordinator, any thing but a lousy teacher. When I was in high school every time I mentioned that I wanted to go to college for art every one would say, “to be what a teacher?” I thought that they were being rude but now I realize that they were just looking at my personality not my talent. Now after years of fighting it I find my self that “lousy Teacher” and I love it. I have put in a Graphics program in my department, built up an Art Club, assist in one of the biggest High school musicals in the northwest, become coach of Science Olympiad, and have many new possibilities on the horizon. I have spent most of my life in Oklahoma, but I did go to 7th grade in Newton KS. With my limited exposure to the state I never saw myself living here, but I enjoy the cool summers and brisk winters that the west brings, (it sure beats 105 degrees 7 months out of the year)! I look forward to this year and anticipate the best for all of us.
My name is Daniel Gegen and I grew up in Wichita, Ks. I currently teach art at Maize South High School. Yes Maize now has a South High School! Because of growth a second high school was needed. I am glad that I made the move. We currently have 450 students vs the 1800 still left at Maize High. The smaller school is really nice it is like living in a small town. The student chose to go to south so we have great students. I have taught at Maize through the T2T program. Before that I taught at the Wichita center for the arts for 15 years. I continue to be a practicing artist as well as a teacher. You can see some of my work on my web page at www.danielgegen.com I have two boys and they are 7 & 11 years old. They keep my wife and me busy with activities and just hanging out. Besides Parenting teaching and being an artist I spend any free time riding my bicycle. Today I rode my second metric century in three weeks. Hope all of your semesters go well and remember to have fun with your kids.
My name is Greg Fillhart. I am a business education teacher at Dodge City High School in Dodge City, Kansas. Before moving to Dodge City to teach, I was a substitute teacher for a few years in Monument, Colorado. Prior to that, I was in southern California where I had attended high school and college. I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration then worked on a Master of Health Services Administration degree before moving to Colorado. I guess my hobby is working on projects around my house. I am still adjusting to the fact the my main shopping consists of trips to Wal-Mart. Having grown up with many choices, it is taking me quite a while to become satisfied by that fact. Well, I guess I also make many trips to True Value hardware store.
This year, I am teaching Basic Computer Keyboarding and Computer Applications courses. I am looking forward to this teaching course load since it will allow time to prepare for this class, and for the Praxis exam. I am beginning to realize that the school in which I teach is much larger than many of the schools in which many of my classmates teach. Dodge City High School has approximately 1600 students.
My name is Tim Bowden. I grew up in St. John, KS on a small family farm. I then went to Princeton University where I played varsity football, ran varsity track, and got my A.B. in Psychology. After graduating, I moved to Los Angeles and worked for a start-up film and video game production company and then in business management. I moved back home to Kansas in December of last year and am currently living in Wichita and teaching 7th General Math and 8th Pre-Algebra at Haysville West Middle School. HWMS was brand new and this is only its second year with students. It is a beautiful buiding with a great staff. I am happy and lucky to be there this year! I have a beautiful girlfriend, Jamie, who teaches 4th grade in Derby, and we have two awesome dogs, Beau and Riley. I also coach football at Campus High School and will coach basketball and track at the middle school.
I am looking forward to taking this class and getting my Masters in Education!!
My name is Jeffrey Welch. I grew up in Burlington, KS, home of the Wolf Creek Nuclear Plant, and no, as far as I know we don't glow when it gets dark, at least not much :-) I received my associates degree from Butler Community College, my bachelors degree from Wichita State and my masters degree from Kansas State. My content area of study was communications with an emphasis in advertising, but I also wrote on the school paper at Butler and I took a number of business classes. I am the journalism teacher at Wichita High School South, teaching Newspaper, Yearbook and Photography I. South has approximately 1,700 students and has been a place that I am proud to be associated with. The students have been great and work hard to produce a nice newspaper and yearbook. I also teach Introduction to Mass Communication at Butler as a night class and as an online course. I have been married for 11+ years to the most supportive and understanding woman I have ever met. We have a four-year-old daughter who is the sweetest and most adorable little girl you would ever want to meet, when she wants to be :-) We spent the summer putting our old house on the market, selling it, packing, buying another house and moving. I'd love to also say unpacking but we moved just a few days before I had to report back to school so we are still in the mode of unpacking, but we are starting to get there, I did manage to get a car into the garage this weekend.
Yeah, Cody, I feel that about coaching, but I am actually trying to get someone to take speech off my hands so that I can do more with the drama (plays) program in the springtime NEXT year. They're being pretty cooperative about it, so hopefully the new English teacher we hire next year will take speech off my hands.
A little about me know: My name is Cassey Marshall but I was recently married and my married name is Langerot. My path to teaching was a little different. In college I had one goal and that was to become a veterinary. In May of 2007 I was accepted to the College of Veterinary Medicine and in July of 2007 I decline the position. Why the big change? I can not say it happen overnight. I had a feeling that veterinary medicine was something I would enjoy but not what I would be the passionate about. So once I decline my acceptance letter many paths persented themselve to me and they all one common ground: teaching. I substitute taught and a fire was ignated. A fired that I had not even felt about vet school. And that is how I ended up in the teachering field. The sciences seemed normal to me. I am the high school teacher at Peabody-Burns Sr./Jr. High School. I will be teaching Biology, Chemistry, Environmental, Anatomy. My grade levels will be 10th - 12th.
A little about where I came from: I grew up in a small town in southeast Kansas called McCune (if you do not know where this is do not worry it is not on most maps). My family farmed and so as you can image I love nature, and animals.
A little more about my degree: I achieved my B.A. from Friends University in Wichita, Kansas. Althrough there was two semesters where I was attending Friends, Newman, and Wichita State. Why you ask? Friends is a private school and does not offer every class every semester or year. Because I was a pre-vet student I had to take several classes beyond my requirement for my B.A. in Biology. To fill all those requirements and complete my degree in a reasonable time I had to attend all three universities. (A little crazy? . . . Maybe:)
Hi, my name is Don Ferguson. This is my first blog ever! I am not totally sure I know what I am doing. I took early retirement from the salt business a couple of years ago. I have lived all over the US: Minneapolis, Kansas City, Cleveland, New York, and Detroit etc. I have been in the business world all of my life so this is a big change for me.
Home is Hutchinson, KS. I have two kids. Abby is an artist in Chicago & Alexis is a mother of five in Kansas City. I am teaching middle school math & history at St Mary in Newton...6th, 7th, and 8th grade. The books are all really old and many are falling a part. That's another blog!
I graduated from WSU with a bachelors degree in accounting. That was a long time ago, 1973! I grew up in the era of Vietnam, hippies, peace, the Beatles, and Volkswagen busses.
I did take calculus in college 35 years ago but I decided to go back and take more math courses so I could qualify to teach math. Last year I took a college Agebra course, a Geometry course and a middle school math course. I was glad to get the refresher, I needed it!
Also, last year I subbed a lot at the Hutchinson Public schools and tutored math at the local Catholic school. It was a lot of fun!
I'm sorry for the late start. My name is Donna O'Neill, and I teach high school science at Goessel High School (biology, chemistry, physics and physical science). I'm starting my third year in this district!
I've lived all over the U.S., as my folks were Air Force when I was little. I don't really feel like I have a 'home-town.' After living in Alaska for seven years, we moved to Kansas in 1990. As an adult, I've lived in Iowa, Virginia, Texas and Missouri, but I always seem to come back to Kansas. My husband is a native here, and attended Peabody-Burns some time ago! (Hi Cassey, we're neighbors! Sort of!)
I've always loved science, but I was painfully shy in high school, and therefore never thought that I'd want to teach. I attended the University of Central Missouri for a few years, took a break to get married and have a daughter, and then finished my B.S. and M.S. Biology there. I also had a son in the middle of that endeavor. I taught some labs while in graduate school as a teaching assistant, and really enjoyed it.
After graduation, we moved back to Kansas to be near my husband's family, and I applied for the job as science teacher at Goessel High School. That was in June, by July I was in the Transition to Teaching program at WSU! It's been a crazy couple of years, and I'm really looking forward to finishing the program this spring. I am also attempting to get my M.A. Teaching at the same time, and after all this is said and done, I am NEVER going back to school again! (For at least a few years, anyway.)
I love my district, but is a very small one. We have 170 students in the Jr/Sr High, and maybe 260 total in the district. It's nice because my class sizes are very manageable, but its rough to try to be the entire science department by myself. The kids here are very nice, but also very sheltered.
Like others have commented, I'm feeling a bit over-whelmed this semester, but I'll do the best I can in this class.
Hi my name is Annette Doll I grew up in Garden City KS. And I moved back here a few years ago. I earned a Business Administration degree from Emporia State University. After getting out of the Military I thought it would be easy to get a good paying job in my home town with a business degree but it wasn't as easy as I had expected. I spent one very unsatisfying year in Garden City selling insurance where my supervisor earned all of my commission. I heard about the transition to teaching program and decided to give teaching a try. I teach Computer classes at Garden City High School. It is the same school I went to but the demographics have changed alot. The district is very diverse and can be a challenge with all of the ESL students and Language barriors. I'm also teaching at the Alternative High School which has been very challenging this year because the entire staff from last year quit so the students are proud because they feel they ran all the teachers off and they are trying to do it again. They have already had one teacher quit on them the third week in. I'm teaching two different computer classes this year.
I'm currently expecting my 4th child any day and am wondering how I am going to balance this course, 3 children + a newborn, and still work on lesson plans and complete my grading. I'm seeing that I probably won't get much sleep this semester but my driving force is that this is my third and final year in the transition to teaching program and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel so I'll just need to really push myself to get there.
My name is David Green. Its nice to see a lot of familiar names and have faces to go with them after this summer. My wife and I just closed on, moved into, and have done a lot of work fixing up our first house. Unfortunately there have been a lot complications which I won't go into.
As many of you know I grew up in Salina, and went on to earn my degrees in Biochemistry and Psychology at KU. During my time at KU I really gained a burden for helping those who are most in need in society and for being involved in the greater global community. Since graduating I have worked with young people in Thailand, Croatia, Mexico, and inner-city St. Louis. My wife and I got married a little over a year ago and moved back to Salina to pursue teaching and be close to my family. I've been deeply affected by my times in much more survival oriented communities that focus on making it to tomorrow and readdjusting back to middle class society is still proving to be a challenge.
Currently, I'm teaching Physics, Chemistry, and Anatomy and Physiology at Sacred Heart in Salina Kansas. So far we've done some really great projects in Physics and Chemistry and I'm looking forward to what the year has in store for us.
I too apologize for the late start. My name is Mark Sutter. I am in the third year in theT2T program. This was supposed to be my third year teaching Physics, Introduction to Technolofy, and General Science. Due to budget cuts my position was cut and the district went down to just one science teacher. So, I am back in the medical field working as an RN.
I have lived almost my whole life here in Plainville. The only time I was away were the seven years I was in the Kansas City area obtaining my education. I began my collegiate career pre-med and obtained my B.S. in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. I had a change of heart and then went on to get my degree and license as a Registered Nurse. I had worked as an RN for nice years in various capacities when I was approached about taking over the teaching position. I was ready for a change and did so. I thoroughly enjoyed teaching science which has always been a passion of mine. I was very disappointed and depressed when I found out I wouldn't be teaching science here in my home town this year. But, I enjoyed it so much that I want to finish this program and get my certification.
So, I am definitely in agreement with you all on feeling overwhelmed. I am currently working 60 plus hours a week, which is why this is late, and why I'm feeling overwhelmed. I also am trying to find time for my wife of ten years and four kids who range from three years old to 18 and going to boot camp in the marines next month. I look forward to a good semester with you all.
Testing...I am parisgirl on the previous comment. My name is Jennifer Bagby (married) but my maiden name is Jennifer Boesen. I am enrolled under Jennifer Boesen at FHSU and am going to adding to the blogs late... Thank you! I can't wait until we are all done with the T2T program. It will bw a much anticipated time!
Introduce yourself by telling a little about yourself. Include (1) your home town, (2) where you teach and a little about your school, (3) your bachelor’s degree and where you earned it, (4) your content area and classes you teach, and (5) any other information you would like about your family, hobbies, pets, etc.
ReplyDeleteYour introduction is due by August 30, 2009.
Hello, my name is Heidi Albin. I grew up in Brush, Colorado and then mooved to Hays, KS two years ago after marrying my husband, John. I completed my bachelors degree at Fort Hays State University. My major was Cellular Molecular Biology and my minor was Chemistry. I am now teaching all the science at Maize Complete High School. I absolutly love my job but I am super busy and I'm a little worried about finding the time to work on this class.
ReplyDelete~Heidi Albin
My name is Nathan Parker. I grew up in Lincoln, NE and moved to Manhattan, KS 2 years ago to pursue graduate work in English at K-State. I did earn my M.A. in English and Cultural Studies there, as well as a B.A. in English and American Ethnic Studies at the University of Nebraska. I teach Senior and Freshman English, and coach speech/debate at Riley County High School in Riley, KS, just outside Manhattan. My wife's name is Katie and we have a dog named Ella. We're expecting our first kiddo in February as well, so that should add to the excitement. When I"m not in school, I like to read/write (big surprise), hike, climb, bike, and generally goof around outside. So far, my transition from teachign at K-State to teaching at the high-school has been smooth, but I'm hoping to work ahead a bit in this class, because once debate season starts I"m going to be busy as hell.
ReplyDeleteJust realized there was a typo in my blog post. Ironic really, since I teach English! :)
ReplyDeleteHello, I am Maria Sandiego. I am originallly from the Philippines. I finished my B.A. in English with Creative Writing as a major area of concentration which was also my major for M.A. My first teaching job was when I was a teaching fellow in Silliman University, an American university in the Philippines. It was nice to be an instructor in a university but I spent more years as a journalish than as a teacher. This is why I need to be in a transition to teaching program aside from not having enough education units.
ReplyDeleteMy first trip to the United States was in 2002 to avail of a two-month writing grant in a writers colony in Washington. It was a beautiful gift of time and place. In my second trip, in summer 2003, I came to get married and we were based in Indiana for about 3 years. Then we moved to L.A. where I taught in an inner city high school. We relocated to Garden City, Kansas to accept a teaching job here in the high school where I still teach English. However, a few months after we got here, my husband passed away unexpectedly. It was touch and go for awhile having to go on living without my husband in a place that I was still adjusting. But with the help of good friends, colleagues and administrators as well as understanding professors in FHSU, I was able to move on and have started to heal.
I love to write poetry and I am a published poet with two books: one published by the Philippine government's National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the other in Canada. I still try to find time to write although juggling teaching and the T2T courses has been quite draining. I look forward to being able to finish the T2T program.
Opps a typo in my blog. Nathan you are not alone. Here is another English teacher, and a former editor (!!!), who posted without double checking.
ReplyDeleteMy name is Kelly Glasscock. I grew up in Manhattan, KS and received my bachelor's degree at Kansas State University. My major was Mass Communication and Journalism. I ended up becoming a photojournalist and now teach photojournalism at Andover High School in Andover, KS, just outside of Wichita. I still freelance as a photographer so my weekends are usually filled with assignments. When I'm not teaching, taking pictures or working on T2T assignments I'm playing with my 2-year-old daughter. Once T2T is finished after this year I'll have more time for the latter. I'm really enjoying teaching at the high school level. I think I have a great subject to teach. Students are usually excited to take the class.
ReplyDeleteBonjour! My name is Jennifer Bagby. I am a born and raised Wichitan, although I went to high school in Newton, KS. I currently live in Wichita with my husband Darren. I teach in Augusta, KS at the high school. I teach all levels of French. We are a 4A school and have a good variety of activities as well as sports, but we don't have a hs swim team. I would have loved to be involved in that. Along with teaching I am the French Club sponsor, the Freshmen class sponsor, the Asst. Drama Director, and am on the Green Team committee. Oh I think I also represent my dept. for NCA. I have a Bachelor's Degree (BA) in Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Specialty of French from Wichita State University. I am starting my third year of teaching but have lived, ate, and slept French since I was 13. I have been to France 6 times, 2 of which I lived there, worked there, and went to college there. My greatest accomplishment to date is taking my first trip to France with 8 students this past summer just like the first time I went when I was 18. We have been married for one year and love to travel!
ReplyDelete¡Hola compañeros! I was named after a Barry Manalow song. I know the suspense is killing you to find out what song it is, but you'll have to read on to find out! I was born in Topeka, KS, but consider Wichita my home. I moved here when I was three years old, and cannot imagine living anywhere else. I have lived in the sparseness of Wyoming and the mountains of Mexico, but always yearn for home when I move away.
ReplyDeleteAlright, I'll tell you my name...Amanda, but it's Mandy for short from the song!
After graduating from Wichita State University with a BA in Modern and Classical Languages (Spanish) and a BA in History, I had no idea what I wanted to do. Luckily, I was able to move around a bit with my husband and we welcomed our first child, Isabel, in 2005. I was a stay-at-home mom for two and a half years before I needed to get out of the house, and have wonderfully found my place as a high school Spanish teacher.
I enjoy teaching Spanish I, II and III at Circle High School. I am also a co-sponsor for National Honor Society and the sponsor of Spanish Club.I try to attend at least one event for each team each season and at least one fine art's program. I believe my students really appreciate it when they see me there supporting them! I remember when my teachers did that for me.
CHS is located in Towanda, KS, a small town between Wichita and El Dorado on highway 254. You might not know about us because of our athletic talents like many other high schools, but we pride ourselves on our high test scores and wonderful students. This is my third year teaching, and I am so excited! I have a wonderful connection with my students, and every year gets so much easier because I know their personalities so well.
The biggest challenge for me this year is that I am expecting our second child in late January! Although it is so exciting for my family, it makes school and teaching much more difficult. I am ready for the challenge, but wish that my timing would have been a bit better.
Lastly, I am so glad that this is the final year of certification! I think we all are excited about that! All of the overwhelming class work, Praxis exams and the pressure of it all can get a bit heavy, but I'm so proud that we are all going to be able to say that we've made it, come May!
Hello, I am a mathematics teacher at Atchison County Community Junior/Senior High School in Effingham, Kansas. I also attended the school for my high school education, but it wasn’t 7th through 12th then. Our school has gotten smaller, and money is tight (isn’t it everywhere) so this year we decided it was financially more efficient, and better academically for the students, to close some of our elementary schools, and combine some of our grades. I am super excited about the change and looking forward to this being the best year of my teaching career.
ReplyDeleteI started my post-college life working for the government, then for a construction company, and then owning a business. I decided I wasn’t happy, and neither was my family, so, with the support of my wife (an 8 year elementary and special education teacher) I went back to college and finished my BS in mathematics at Kansas State. Now I am teaching Geometry (mostly) and I am coaching Cross Country (sitting out basketball and softball this year) for my alma mater. I couldn’t be happier.
My wife graduated from Emporia State and is finishing her Master’s next summer, that way she gets it before I get mine next Christmas. So competitive! I have two boys, Jaemon Johnny and Jeven Cougar. They are 4 and 1 ½ respectively and they keep me busy when I am not finished or mowing my 3 ½ acre yard.
I love to hunt (opening day is next Tuesday!) and fish. I have a catfish pond in which I currently am raising 400 catfish. My friend has two ponds where I put my catfish when they are bigger, and I fish for bass. I just bought a bass boat, so the boys and I enjoy taking it out on the big pond and catching Nemo!
I love sports and am happy to be teaching them to young adults. I still play softball competitively and I golf, although I am not Tiger Woods… I am also the youth leader at my church so, as you can tell, I have lots of free time!
I began teaching because I wanted my life to matter, I wanted my children to know their father was doing something worthwhile for the community, and I wanted to make an impact on children and young adults. I have never been happier in my life, I feel like I am currently leading the best life I can imagine! Thanks for reading and I look forward to learning with each of you.
My name is Dustin Clevenger. I teach business courses at Clearwater High School, south of Wichita about 12 miles. My schedule consists of teaching Accounting, Business Law, Money Management, and my new Sports and Entertainment Marketing Class coming this spring. I grew up in Clearwater and received my degree in Business Administration from Emporia State. My wife also teaches in Clearwater and we have two daughters, Allison (4) and Madison (18 mo). After several years in the banking industry, I was ready for a change and have never regretted my decision to switch careers. My kids have been great, excellent staff to learn from and alot of support from administration. In addition to my academic responsibilities, I also coach basketball and golf. Like the rest of you, I am ready to get done with this program and be able to spend more time developing lessons instead of doing homework over the weekends.
ReplyDeleteHi everyone,
ReplyDeleteThe summer really goes by fast doesn't it? It is hard to believe we are back at school already!
My name is Christine Biel, and I was born in New Jersey but raised in Kingston, New York. I am the daughter of a funeral director, and my family lived upstairs in the funeral home. I can't decide if it was the catholic schooling or the funeral home that made me as crazy as I am! (That's just a little joke!)
I received my bachelors degree from UAlbany in biology and chemistry in 1987 and moved to the midwest to go to Chiropractic school, graduating from Cleveland Chiropractic College in 1990.
I met my husband in chiropractic school, and we married and practiced in a little western KS town called Leoti. My high school actually had a larger population than Leoti. Needless to say the adjustment was a hard one, but the people were phenomenal and the practice was great. After having two daughters, we decided to sell the practice and move back to Kansas City, where we now reside. Making the decision to stop practicing and raise my children was an easy one for me. I never returned to chiropractic, but began teaching various courses (biology, anatomy, physiology, nutrition and microbiology) at the local community colleges as "adjunct faculty".
Ten years later and I find myself at Tonganoxie High School teaching biology, chemistry and anatomy. Again, the change was a drastic one. Anyone who has taught both college and high school will admit that college is exponentially easier to teach, but the job is rewarding and the faculty at Tongie is fantastic. I have been working diligently on revamping the biology curriculum and stepping up the science program in general.
My eldest daughter is a senior this year, and my youngest is in middle school. I am so proud that they are growing into beautiful, intelligent, strong women. As I watch their success and see the happiness of my family, it again reinforces my decision to teach.
The T2T program has seemed long and drawn out, with a lot of tasks that seem impractical to me, so I will be very glad to finish up!
Hello T2T Companions,
ReplyDeleteI am sending this blog from Meade which is in the southwest corner of the state. I live with my family in this great small community as well as teach Jr. High Science.
I was raised in a small town east of Albuquerque, New Mexico most of my life. I have always enjoyed learning so half way through my senior year I graduated high school and went on an exchange program to Australia to learn not only academic subjects but cultural ones as well. I returned the the U.S. and worked for a couple of years and then decided to attend college at Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, NM. I majored in biology and have a minor in Chemistry. Meanwhile, I also met my future husband. I graduated and got married in 1995.
Soon after our wedding we moved to Meade, KS to be closer to my husband's relatives. We had our first child within the first 2 years of marriage and I always knew I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom with my children until they were school age at least.
When my last child was in kindergarten was when I decided to enter the Transition to Teach program. Like I said, I have always enjoyed learning and so it was just natural for me to choose teaching as my career. I have enjoyed every minute of it and hope to keep growing and learning even after the T2T program is finished.
My husband and I have lived in southwest Kansas for 14 years. We have 3 children - Rhyan- she is just starting Jr. High this year and has not only her mom as a science teacher but also her aunt as her English teacher. Cooper- is in the 5th grade and Campbell- our youngest is enjoying 3rd grade this year. When I am not teaching, I am very involved with my children and their activities whether it is sports, homework, or just playing board games.
I think the T2T program has been good because I have been able to get into the classroom immediately and learn hands-on just like most of my students like to do. Of course, there have been adjustments but this year has started out easier than the rest and I hope it continues. I will enjoy finishing T2T because it will give me a lot of extra time to work on my lesson plans and spend time with my family as well.
My name is Cody Ayers and I teach 8th grade US History at Kenneth Henderson Middle School in Garden City, KS. There hasn't been much an adjustment for me since I'm actually from Garden City; which definitely has a good and a bad side that comes along with that. After a rocky college football career, I finished up my BA in Communications at KU with every intention of going to law school. Family medical issues have drawn me back here where I'm happy to be teaching and coaching football(my true passion). Just because I don't like free time, my childhood friend and I run a Crossfit gym in Garden City which occupies way too much of my ever decreasing amount of time to myself. My Golded Lab, Wilt(Rock Chalk!), is my best friend in the world and always make time for a run with him.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean Nathan about coaching and teaching; I have a new found respect for coaches who teach actual subjects and not just PE! Football season is already consuming so much more of my time and energy than I realized it would but I definitely wouldn't change it.
ReplyDeleteHello, my name is Lucas Kent I am from Manhattan Kansas and I am the new science teacher at Bennington High School. We are a mid-sized 2A School in the heart of America league. I teach three sections of biology, two sections of chemistry and one section of Kansas naturalists. Until this year I was the science teacher at Jewell High School. I have a BS in Wildlife Biology from Kansas State and am working on Transition to Teaching at Ft Hays State. This year I will coach Scholars Bowl, Science Olympiad, and the track throwers. My wife and I live on a farm in Jewell County where we have three daschunds and several stray cats. I love to travel, read, and hunt (not necessarily in that order) when I have time.
ReplyDeleteHello, my name is Peter Jelovic. I was raised in northeast Ohio in the town of Eastlake. I earned my bachelors degree from Emporia State University and also played football for the Hornets. I majored in Recreation and Health Promotion. Also at Emporia State, I met my wife who played volleyball for the Hornets. Since my wife and I have been married (8 years), we have lived in five different states (Minnesota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Ohio, and Kansas). I coached collegiate football at four different state universities. During that time, we had two children, Seth (6) and Skye (4). Due to the time restraints and being away from my family, I chose to change my career path. I am currently teaching at Medicine Lodge High School. Medicine Lodge is located in the Gyp Hills of south central Kansas. MLHS is a 3A school and one of two school districts in Barber County. I will be teaching physical education, weight training, and health classes this school year. In addition to my teaching duties, I am also the head football and track coach.
ReplyDeleteHello my name is Jeff First. I am the Art Teacher for Goodland High, Goodland Ks. As many others I am finishing up my third year in the T2T program and can not wait to be done. One of the biggest reasons that I am so anxious to complete the program is the new arrival that my wife of 5 years and I are preparing for this April. This will be our first child so there is that extra amount of apprehension that comes with change.
ReplyDeleteI received my bachelors in fine arts (with an emphasis in computer graphics) from OPSU in the panhandle of Oklahoma. I originally wanted to be a video game designer or visual effects coordinator, any thing but a lousy teacher. When I was in high school every time I mentioned that I wanted to go to college for art every one would say, “to be what a teacher?” I thought that they were being rude but now I realize that they were just looking at my personality not my talent. Now after years of fighting it I find my self that “lousy Teacher” and I love it. I have put in a Graphics program in my department, built up an Art Club, assist in one of the biggest High school musicals in the northwest, become coach of Science Olympiad, and have many new possibilities on the horizon.
I have spent most of my life in Oklahoma, but I did go to 7th grade in Newton KS. With my limited exposure to the state I never saw myself living here, but I enjoy the cool summers and brisk winters that the west brings, (it sure beats 105 degrees 7 months out of the year)!
I look forward to this year and anticipate the best for all of us.
My name is Daniel Gegen and I grew up in Wichita, Ks.
ReplyDeleteI currently teach art at Maize South High School. Yes Maize now has a South High School! Because of growth a second high school was needed. I am glad that I made the move. We currently have 450 students vs the 1800 still left at Maize High. The smaller school is really nice it is like living in a small town. The student chose to go to south so we have great students. I have taught at Maize through the T2T program. Before that I taught at the Wichita center for the arts for 15 years. I continue to be a practicing artist as well as a teacher. You can see some of my work on my web page at www.danielgegen.com
I have two boys and they are 7 & 11 years old. They keep my wife and me busy with activities and just hanging out. Besides Parenting teaching and being an artist I spend any free time riding my bicycle. Today I rode my second metric century in three weeks.
Hope all of your semesters go well and remember to have fun with your kids.
My name is Greg Fillhart. I am a business education teacher at Dodge City High School in Dodge City, Kansas. Before moving to Dodge City to teach, I was a substitute teacher for a few years in Monument, Colorado. Prior to that, I was in southern California where I had attended high school and college. I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration then worked on a Master of Health Services Administration degree before moving to Colorado. I guess my hobby is working on projects around my house. I am still adjusting to the fact the my main shopping consists of trips to Wal-Mart. Having grown up with many choices, it is taking me quite a while to become satisfied by that fact. Well, I guess I also make many trips to True Value hardware store.
ReplyDeleteThis year, I am teaching Basic Computer Keyboarding and Computer Applications courses. I am looking forward to this teaching course load since it will allow time to prepare for this class, and for the Praxis exam. I am beginning to realize that the school in which I teach is much larger than many of the schools in which many of my classmates teach. Dodge City High School has approximately 1600 students.
Good luck everyone.
My name is Tim Bowden. I grew up in St. John, KS on a small family farm. I then went to Princeton University where I played varsity football, ran varsity track, and got my A.B. in Psychology. After graduating, I moved to Los Angeles and worked for a start-up film and video game production company and then in business management. I moved back home to Kansas in December of last year and am currently living in Wichita and teaching 7th General Math and 8th Pre-Algebra at Haysville West Middle School. HWMS was brand new and this is only its second year with students. It is a beautiful buiding with a great staff. I am happy and lucky to be there this year! I have a beautiful girlfriend, Jamie, who teaches 4th grade in Derby, and we have two awesome dogs, Beau and Riley. I also coach football at Campus High School and will coach basketball and track at the middle school.
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to taking this class and getting my Masters in Education!!
My name is Jeffrey Welch. I grew up in Burlington, KS, home of the Wolf Creek Nuclear Plant, and no, as far as I know we don't glow when it gets dark, at least not much :-)
ReplyDeleteI received my associates degree from Butler Community College, my bachelors degree from Wichita State and my masters degree from Kansas State. My content area of study was communications with an emphasis in advertising, but I also wrote on the school paper at Butler and I took a number of business classes.
I am the journalism teacher at Wichita High School South, teaching Newspaper, Yearbook and Photography I. South has approximately 1,700 students and has been a place that I am proud to be associated with. The students have been great and work hard to produce a nice newspaper and yearbook. I also teach Introduction to Mass Communication at Butler as a night class and as an online course.
I have been married for 11+ years to the most supportive and understanding woman I have ever met. We have a four-year-old daughter who is the sweetest and most adorable little girl you would ever want to meet, when she wants to be :-) We spent the summer putting our old house on the market, selling it, packing, buying another house and moving. I'd love to also say unpacking but we moved just a few days before I had to report back to school so we are still in the mode of unpacking, but we are starting to get there, I did manage to get a car into the garage this weekend.
Yeah, Cody, I feel that about coaching, but I am actually trying to get someone to take speech off my hands so that I can do more with the drama (plays) program in the springtime NEXT year. They're being pretty cooperative about it, so hopefully the new English teacher we hire next year will take speech off my hands.
ReplyDeleteA little about me know:
ReplyDeleteMy name is Cassey Marshall but I was recently married and my married name is Langerot. My path to teaching was a little different. In college I had one goal and that was to become a veterinary. In May of 2007 I was accepted to the College of Veterinary Medicine and in July of 2007 I decline the position. Why the big change? I can not say it happen overnight. I had a feeling that veterinary medicine was something I would enjoy but not what I would be the passionate about. So once I decline my acceptance letter many paths persented themselve to me and they all one common ground: teaching. I substitute taught and a fire was ignated. A fired that I had not even felt about vet school. And that is how I ended up in the teachering field. The sciences seemed normal to me. I am the high school teacher at Peabody-Burns Sr./Jr. High School. I will be teaching Biology, Chemistry, Environmental, Anatomy. My grade levels will be 10th - 12th.
A little about where I came from:
I grew up in a small town in southeast Kansas called McCune (if you do not know where this is do not worry it is not on most maps). My family farmed and so as you can image I love nature, and animals.
A little more about my degree:
I achieved my B.A. from Friends University in Wichita, Kansas. Althrough there was two semesters where I was attending Friends, Newman, and Wichita State. Why you ask? Friends is a private school and does not offer every class every semester or year. Because I was a pre-vet student I had to take several classes beyond my requirement for my B.A. in Biology. To fill all those requirements and complete my degree in a reasonable time I had to attend all three universities. (A little crazy? . . . Maybe:)
Hi, my name is Don Ferguson. This is my first blog ever! I am not totally sure I know what I am doing. I took early retirement from the salt business a couple of years ago. I have lived all over the US: Minneapolis, Kansas City, Cleveland, New York, and Detroit etc. I have been in the business world all of my life so this is a big change for me.
ReplyDeleteHome is Hutchinson, KS. I have two kids. Abby is an artist in Chicago & Alexis is a mother of five in Kansas City. I am teaching middle school math & history at St Mary in Newton...6th, 7th, and 8th grade. The books are all really old and many are falling a part. That's another blog!
I graduated from WSU with a bachelors degree in accounting. That was a long time ago, 1973! I grew up in the era of Vietnam, hippies, peace, the Beatles, and Volkswagen busses.
I did take calculus in college 35 years ago but I decided to go back and take more math courses so I could qualify to teach math. Last year I took a college Agebra course, a Geometry course and a middle school math course. I was glad to get the refresher, I needed it!
Also, last year I subbed a lot at the Hutchinson Public schools and tutored math at the local Catholic school. It was a lot of fun!
Hi Everyone,
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry for the late start. My name is Donna O'Neill, and I teach high school science at Goessel High School (biology, chemistry, physics and physical science). I'm starting my third year in this district!
I've lived all over the U.S., as my folks were Air Force when I was little. I don't really feel like I have a 'home-town.' After living in Alaska for seven years, we moved to Kansas in 1990. As an adult, I've lived in Iowa, Virginia, Texas and Missouri, but I always seem to come back to Kansas. My husband is a native here, and attended Peabody-Burns some time ago! (Hi Cassey, we're neighbors! Sort of!)
I've always loved science, but I was painfully shy in high school, and therefore never thought that I'd want to teach. I attended the University of Central Missouri for a few years, took a break to get married and have a daughter, and then finished my B.S. and M.S. Biology there. I also had a son in the middle of that endeavor. I taught some labs while in graduate school as a teaching assistant, and really enjoyed it.
After graduation, we moved back to Kansas to be near my husband's family, and I applied for the job as science teacher at Goessel High School. That was in June, by July I was in the Transition to Teaching program at WSU! It's been a crazy couple of years, and I'm really looking forward to finishing the program this spring. I am also attempting to get my M.A. Teaching at the same time, and after all this is said and done, I am NEVER going back to school again! (For at least a few years, anyway.)
I love my district, but is a very small one. We have 170 students in the Jr/Sr High, and maybe 260 total in the district. It's nice because my class sizes are very manageable, but its rough to try to be the entire science department by myself. The kids here are very nice, but also very sheltered.
Like others have commented, I'm feeling a bit over-whelmed this semester, but I'll do the best I can in this class.
Hi my name is Annette Doll I grew up in Garden City KS. And I moved back here a few years ago. I earned a Business Administration degree from Emporia State University. After getting out of the Military I thought it would be easy to get a good paying job in my home town with a business degree but it wasn't as easy as I had expected. I spent one very unsatisfying year in Garden City selling insurance where my supervisor earned all of my commission. I heard about the transition to teaching program and decided to give teaching a try. I teach Computer classes at Garden City High School. It is the same school I went to but the demographics have changed alot. The district is very diverse and can be a challenge with all of the ESL students and Language barriors. I'm also teaching at the Alternative High School which has been very challenging this year because the entire staff from last year quit so the students are proud because they feel they ran all the teachers off and they are trying to do it again. They have already had one teacher quit on them the third week in. I'm teaching two different computer classes this year.
ReplyDeleteI'm currently expecting my 4th child any day and am wondering how I am going to balance this course, 3 children + a newborn, and still work on lesson plans and complete my grading. I'm seeing that I probably won't get much sleep this semester but my driving force is that this is my third and final year in the transition to teaching program and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel so I'll just need to really push myself to get there.
Hi everyone,
ReplyDeleteMy name is David Green. Its nice to see a lot of familiar names and have faces to go with them after this summer. My wife and I just closed on, moved into, and have done a lot of work fixing up our first house. Unfortunately there have been a lot complications which I won't go into.
As many of you know I grew up in Salina, and went on to earn my degrees in Biochemistry and Psychology at KU. During my time at KU I really gained a burden for helping those who are most in need in society and for being involved in the greater global community. Since graduating I have worked with young people in Thailand, Croatia, Mexico, and inner-city St. Louis. My wife and I got married a little over a year ago and moved back to Salina to pursue teaching and be close to my family. I've been deeply affected by my times in much more survival oriented communities that focus on making it to tomorrow and readdjusting back to middle class society is still proving to be a challenge.
Currently, I'm teaching Physics, Chemistry, and Anatomy and Physiology at Sacred Heart in Salina Kansas. So far we've done some really great projects in Physics and Chemistry and I'm looking forward to what the year has in store for us.
I wish you all the best.
Hello everyone,
ReplyDeleteI too apologize for the late start. My name is Mark Sutter. I am in the third year in theT2T program. This was supposed to be my third year teaching Physics, Introduction to Technolofy, and General Science. Due to budget cuts my position was cut and the district went down to just one science teacher. So, I am back in the medical field working as an RN.
I have lived almost my whole life here in Plainville. The only time I was away were the seven years I was in the Kansas City area obtaining my education. I began my collegiate career pre-med and obtained my B.S. in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. I had a change of heart and then went on to get my degree and license as a Registered Nurse. I had worked as an RN for nice years in various capacities when I was approached about taking over the teaching position. I was ready for a change and did so. I thoroughly enjoyed teaching science which has always been a passion of mine. I was very disappointed and depressed when I found out I wouldn't be teaching science here in my home town this year. But, I enjoyed it so much that I want to finish this program and get my certification.
So, I am definitely in agreement with you all on feeling overwhelmed. I am currently working 60 plus hours a week, which is why this is late, and why I'm feeling overwhelmed. I also am trying to find time for my wife of ten years and four kids who range from three years old to 18 and going to boot camp in the marines next month. I look forward to a good semester with you all.
Testing...I am parisgirl on the previous comment. My name is Jennifer Bagby (married) but my maiden name is Jennifer Boesen. I am enrolled under Jennifer Boesen at FHSU and am going to adding to the blogs late... Thank you! I can't wait until we are all done with the T2T program. It will bw a much anticipated time!
ReplyDelete