I love people, I love technology, and I love helping others. Below are some of the experiences I've had that have shaped me.
Currently, I am the instructional technology specialist at Saint Bridget Catholic School in Richmond, Virginia. My role here is to guide the administration, teachers, and students into using technology in practical ways. While I'm a technology advocate, I also believe it should only be used when it can allow the user to save time, to do something that was previously not possible, or to increase student engagement/thinking.
Previously, I taught 5th grade for five years at The City School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The enthusiastic students and caring school culture there transformed the way I see interactions between students and teachers. It was here where I first encountered the Responsive Classroom model of classroom management. I also received my SMARTBoard trainer certification during this time.
While I was in Philadelphia, I received my masters degree in elementary reading and literacy from Walden University. These were my first classes I had taken online, which helped me experience a flipped classroom model for the first time. It reminded me of my days when I was homeschooled. Instead of time being the constant and learning the variable, learning became the constant and time was the variable.
I moved out to Philadelphia in 2006 to chase a cute girl (success! We were married in 2008!). I was offered a job teaching 3rd-8th grade technology at Our Mother of Sorrows and St. Ignatius School in Philadelphia. As I found myself at my first private school, I realized the key role marketing played in education. This is true in both inside and outside the classroom. Instead of students giving teachers money, we ask them to "pay attention."
Before Philadelphia, I taught in the Hudsonville Public Schools system as a paraprofessional and long-term 5th grade substitute at Jamestown Elementary. They taught me much of what I know about 6+1 Traits of Writing, Love and Logic, and the Strategies that Work methods.
My love of developing relationships with students was born and grew exponentially through my time as a counselor and coordinator at Camp Geneva in Holland, Michigan from 2003-2005. Away from the stress and expectations of grades and classroom management, I was able to enjoy my campers for who they were: kids.
Currently, I am the instructional technology specialist at Saint Bridget Catholic School in Richmond, Virginia. My role here is to guide the administration, teachers, and students into using technology in practical ways. While I'm a technology advocate, I also believe it should only be used when it can allow the user to save time, to do something that was previously not possible, or to increase student engagement/thinking.
Previously, I taught 5th grade for five years at The City School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The enthusiastic students and caring school culture there transformed the way I see interactions between students and teachers. It was here where I first encountered the Responsive Classroom model of classroom management. I also received my SMARTBoard trainer certification during this time.
While I was in Philadelphia, I received my masters degree in elementary reading and literacy from Walden University. These were my first classes I had taken online, which helped me experience a flipped classroom model for the first time. It reminded me of my days when I was homeschooled. Instead of time being the constant and learning the variable, learning became the constant and time was the variable.
I moved out to Philadelphia in 2006 to chase a cute girl (success! We were married in 2008!). I was offered a job teaching 3rd-8th grade technology at Our Mother of Sorrows and St. Ignatius School in Philadelphia. As I found myself at my first private school, I realized the key role marketing played in education. This is true in both inside and outside the classroom. Instead of students giving teachers money, we ask them to "pay attention."
Before Philadelphia, I taught in the Hudsonville Public Schools system as a paraprofessional and long-term 5th grade substitute at Jamestown Elementary. They taught me much of what I know about 6+1 Traits of Writing, Love and Logic, and the Strategies that Work methods.
My love of developing relationships with students was born and grew exponentially through my time as a counselor and coordinator at Camp Geneva in Holland, Michigan from 2003-2005. Away from the stress and expectations of grades and classroom management, I was able to enjoy my campers for who they were: kids.
