One of the biggest struggles for me in switching to online instruction is giving up the opportunity to meet each of you in person. Teaching and learning is completely an interactional process. As such, I am still having a hard time in this 21st century space of online instruction despite my being a self-professed tech adventurer! With that confession, let's take some time to introduce ourselves and have fun with this assignment. Post a message introducing yourself to the rest of the class. Feel free to respond to your peers' posting. Please be sure to include the following:
Your personal and/or professional background.
Your career aspirations
Your major/classification
How you spend your time outside of school and work
What do you think is the secret to a good life
Something interesting about you: (yes, THERE is something interesting about you that I would not know by looking at you or reading your work)
If you would like to do so, please insert a photo of yourself.
******
There are two ways of completing this assignment. You can simply click on Comments at the end of this post and add your introduction; OR, To introduce yourself, you can initate a new post of your introduction. Instructions on how to initiate a post are provided on this (landing/home) page of this blog.
Hi everyone! My name is Kimberly Odom. I graduated from UA with a Bachelor's in Secondary Education Social Sciences, History in May 2010 and just recently started my Master's in Collaborative Teaching (6-12) this summer. My plan had always been to get my Master's in SPE but not this soon, but the job market had a different idea. I really want to work with students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Outside of school I really like to spend time with my family (they're pretty awesome) and my awesome puppies (German Shepherds...Maggie and Barron), hang out with my friends, watch sports, play sports and just lay around listening to music. I really like to travel, also. My favorite thing in the world is to laugh and I really think that it is the secret to the good life. Therefore, I'm not above of making an idiot of myself just so people will get a good laugh out of it. Something interesting about me? Hmmmmm...Well I would say you probably wouldn't know how clumsy I was by just looking at me but that's not true, because I fall a lot...so chances are you'd see me fall up the stairs or trip or something if you were to see me in person. I guess I will go with the fact that the first broken bone I ever had was my face. Never playing baseball with the boys again! :)
ReplyDeleteIt is nice to meet you Kimberly! I sure am glad that we are having this course online---I cannot be responsible for you sustaining a fall on the grand staircase in Graves Hall coming to my class :-) A sense of humor is an absolute dispositional prerequisite to working in Special Education!
ReplyDeleteHi, my name is Amber Duncan. I just graduated from Georgia State University in May of 2011. I currently work at Chick-Fil-A near my house. My major was Early Childhood Education (Pre-K thru 5th) and Special Education (Pre-K thru 12th). I have had experience in the classroom from student teaching and internships. I have also volunteered at VBS and worked in a daycare. After completing my master's degree, I plan on moving back to Georgia and teaching General Education for a couple of years and if it is God's plan, then be a Special Education teacher. My degree is a Collaborative Special Education (K thru 6th). This is my first semester of my Master's degree.
ReplyDeleteOutside of school and work, I spend time with my boyfriend, family, and friends going to movies, to dinner, shopping, and just watching TV or if it is during the fall, watching UGA play (my sister graduated from there and my boyfriend is a fan) and of course watching the great Alabama football play. Also, I play in my church’s orchestra on Sundays and I have been playing since 4th grade and playing piano since I was 4 years old.
The secret to a good life is having a relationship with Christ and fulfilling His plan for you. Also, having family and close friends there to help you through hard times and living the philosophy of live, laugh, love. (I love finding signs, notepads, pens, etc. with this on it! )
Something interesting about me: I was born in Selma, Alabama and for being from Alabama and from the South, a lot of people are amazed that I DO NOT like Sweet Tea. Also, I do not eat dressing on my salads.
(The profile picture is from the 4th of July. I am in the middle in the all blue shirt, my boyfriend on the left side of the picture with his Alabama shirt on and my sister on the right side)
Hello all!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Elizabeth Carlton. I am from a rural town in southwest Alabama known as Linden, AL. I doubt many of you have even heard of it considering there are only two stop lights there and I was one of 27 in my graduating high school class. Not kidding... I am seeking my certification in Special Education K-6 through the Alternative Masters Certification program. I just finished up my first year of the program and cannot believe I have learned so much in such a short amount of time. My time I have spent with the students in the schools and the experiences I have shared with them assure me that my decision to teach special education is what I am meant to do with my life. I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Information Sciences in the spring of 2010. I was very unsure and a bit hesitant when I entered the Alternative Masters Program but now know that teaching is something I have a true passion for. As for my career plans, I plan to teach in Alabama for a couple of years and then move on to wherever I am needed. I enjoy traveling so I will be willing to go just about anywhere. In my spare time I love to work out, spend time on the lake with family and friends, try new foods (I will try at least anything at least once), travel, read, and reality television (my guilty pleasure). After teaching for several years I plan to get my Ph.D. in special education. My dream job would be to use my undergraduate degree in Public Relations to lobby for special education rights. My parents always have joked with me that I have the ability to persuade an Eskimo to buy ice cream, so why not use this gift to assure students with special needs receive a quality education? I believe the secret to a good life is learning not to sweat the small stuff, as cliché as that may sound. Although I rarely practice these wise words, I believe living stress free guarantees a quality life. School, career, and finances are all important in order to succeed in life, but I feel that the world we are living in now places far too much emphasis on these things. Our society tells us that we need oodles of money to be happy, which is far from true. Taking time out of your day to say something nice to someone, show someone that you care, helping someone who is struggling in my opinion is the secret to a successful and healthy life. As for something interesting about myself, I have a strange obsession with tuna fish. I have to have it at least 3-5 times a week. And I am not talking about nice tuna steak you get in a restaurant; I prefer canned tuna any day! My friends and family warn me that my obsession could lead to mercury poisoning but I’m willing to take that risk! I also possess a strong ability to rap, yes I said rap. Since my last name is Carlton, I am constantly asked if I can do the Carlton dance from the show “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” I have tried to perfect it as best as I can, but still need a bit of practice. However, my ability to rap the intro to the show is flawless.
Hello! My name is Farah Parish, I know many of you already. I am earning my masters in Collaborative Special Education K-6. I have just finished my first teaching job working with the middle and high school groups. A year ago I was working in a bank as an assistant compliance officer and teller instructor. Apparently teaching new tellers how to adhere to federal banking laws sparked an interest in me that I didn't realize was there. Having twenty-seven tellers at four branches was a huge responsibility and I constantly found myself defending their actions to the CEO. I knew they were working and doing their best and I would not allow them to be unappreciated. I feel like this same mentality has followed me into the classroom. Many of my students are misunderstood and are hiding behind don't care attitudes when they actually care very much. Every day of my job is rewarding. I am anxiously awaiting a call from the school system saying I will be coming back. I am seriously considering my doctorate. I have spoken with a friend who is working on hers now and she is very encouraging. I am interested in any special education classes that will make me a more effective teacher.
ReplyDeleteOutside of class and school I spend my time following my seven-year-old nephew around to all his sporting events. He is involved in everything and brings a lot of joy into my life. I have been married for ten years to my very best friend. We have no human children but are the proud parents of four kitties. I believe the secret to a good life is living by the Golden Rule. I also believe in setting goals and pushing myself as hard as necessary to achieve them.
I’m not sure this is exactly interesting but I found out a couple years ago that I have Celiac Disease so I am constantly on the lookout for gluten free restaurants and foods. If anyone runs across anything please let me know! ☺
I look forward to the class with all of you!
Hello, my name is Jonathan Christian. I am a lifetime resident of the northern portion of Tuscaloosa County. I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education (K-6) from the University of Alabama in May 2010. The summer after I graduated, I actively sought employment; however, I was unable to obtain a position locally. In August 2010, I started work on a Master’s degree in Collaborative Special Education (K-6). I hope to finish this degree in December 2011. After I attain certification in Special Education K-6, I want to take extra coursework necessary to get certified in Special Education 6-12 by May 2012. I am currently thinking (depending on the number of courses I have to take) about seeking certification in (Special Education) Early Childhood.
ReplyDeleteI am currently a substitute teacher for a local school system. I would be beyond happy if I attained a fulltime teaching position for the 2011-2012 school year; however, I realize this is unlikely due to current educational funding in the state of Alabama. I hope to first obtain a position with an elementary school. Eventually, I want to work with all age levels I am certified to instruct. I hope to someday obtain a Doctorate in either School Administration or Special Education. I believe this would enable me to either become a school administrator or a special education coordinator.
Outside the realms of academia and work, I spend a majority of my time either relaxing or trying to relax. I relax by: reading a good book, watching television, walking near my home, and going on rides. I am a co-announcer for a basketball program at one of the churches I attend. I am currently helping my brother ready a house into which he is preparing to move. I am also helping my family can vegetables from the garden. We usually make kraut (in stoneware churns); however, our cabbage did not produce as we had expected it to produce. I do not eat kraut. I enjoy the process of making it, because the process has been passed down in my family.
I believe the secret to living the good life is to have peace of mind. There is no greater feeling in world (at least to me) when I truly have peace of mind. Part of this entails getting a necessary amount of sleep. I find my days are much more enjoyable when I get a good night’s rest. For the most part, my worries seem to drift away the moment I lay down to sleep. Another thing that helps you have peace of mind is to let go of the negatives. One of my favorite things to do (in times of stress) is to imagine a storm in the ocean and saying, “Like wind over water, this will pass.” A little odd (I know), but I find it does the trick. I look forward to discovering what the future holds for me; this is part of the adventure of life.
An interesting thing about me is I had a maternal great-grandmother who was younger than my paternal grandmother. I was also born a half-uncle and I currently have three great-half nieces and one great-half nephew (I am only 23). I think of my half-niece and half-nephews more like cousins than anything else.
Very nice to meet each of you: Jonathan, Farah, Amber, and Elizabeth! I know i have exchanged some communication with Amber and Jonathan, so I feel like we have already met!
ReplyDeleteAmber, I chuckled a bit about your interesting fact (not liking sweet tea) for two reasons, and I will share one here. I too do not like sweet tea---though I am a Tea Farmer's daughter! I grew up taking tea (hot, with milk and sugar, in a tea-cup...you get the idea). I was shocked (horrified, really) many years ago when I first came to America when my host at a Thanksgiving dinner offered me tea (and it came in a glass : COLD!!)long story! it completely disrupted my notion taking tea that I have never quite recovered to this day:( But for the rest of you, I encourage drinking tea ---it keeps farmers like my late dad in business:)
Elizabeth---rapping, huh!? That is definitely interesting! I like the plans you have on how to use your powers of persuasion and the anology had me laughing out loud.
Farah: I have to remark on how interesting your name is! Banking to education?--- I cannot think of another career move that is clearly an indication that you are not getting into it for money:)
Jonathan: I am still trying to figure your familial interesting fact!I have to tell you though, I am curious about the process of making Sauerkraut.
As I have mentioned elsewhere, one of the real "gives" of online instruction is not having the chance to meet all of you in person, so I do appreciate your letting me and your colleagues have an insight into who you are by what you share of yourself in these introductions.
Hi! My name is Christy Daniels and I teach kindergarten at Vance Elementary. I have a Master's degree in Early Childhood and I am currently working on my Ed.S. in Early Childhood Special Education. I love teaching kindergarten and for the present plan to continue. I am working on the special education degree because I feel it will help me to identify and accommodate disabilities within my classroom.
ReplyDeleteI am from Monroeville, Alabama. You might have heard of it because of "To Kill a Mockingbird". My niece played the part of Scout in the play this year. The play is awesome if you ever get the chance to go.
Besides work and school, I like to exercise, read and enjoy the outdoors. I feel that the secret to a good life is seeking and living in God's will and glorifying Him in all you do. I guess something interesting about me would be the fact that I am a health nut when it comes to my diet. I rarely eat anything that comes out of a box or a can.
I am so excited that so many of my friends are in this class too!
My name is Ginger Lackey. I've been married to the most wonderful guy in the whole world for almost 7 years now. We have 6 "children"(4 dogs(Bear, Bad News, Don and Kirby), a cat (Kit Kat), and a Mali Uromastyx lizard(Mandy)). We live in Fort Payne Alabama on Lookout Mountain. I teach math and special education at Fort Payne High School. I just finished my fourth year teaching students with a wide range of abilities mathematics. I have a BS Ed in Collaborative Education(K-6) from Athens State University. I took the math praxis to get certified to teach math. This my second class in the Collaborative Ed(6-12) Masters program. I will take classes at the Gadsden Center. I hope to continue teaching. One day I would like to get a degree in educational leadership and possibly become an elementary assistant principal or principal.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy being outside, walking(running some), spending time with family(pets included), reading, church activities(I teach Sunday school and 1st Place 4Health at New Oregon United Methodist) and learning. The secret to a good life??? I think that is different for each person. For me being centered, starting my day with Bible study and prayer and spending time with family and friends. For something interesting see Mandy’s picture.
I am having difficulties posting the Mandy picture. Hope to post it soon.
ReplyDeleteHi! My name is Brandi Hayes! I am in my second semester of grad school here at UA pursuing a degree in Collaborative Education 6-12. I am 22 years old and graduated in May of 2010 from UA with a degree in Secondary Education Social Science. I currently teach 7th grade geography and civics at Opelika Middle School! I also coach the dance team. I love teaching social studies; however, my positive experience with inclusion this year has encouraged me to pursue my masters in special education. I think that the secret to life is to find the good in everything that you do, even if it is the most difficult situation that you have ever experienced. Sometimes you may not see the good right from the start, but if you look hard enough you will find it (That sounded really cheesy). Something that is interesting about me is that I love to drive. The problem with this is that I have a horrible driving record. I am on the road constantly. For example, I am living in Opelika (literally 10 minutes from Auburn) yet I choose to go to the University of Alabama for my masters degree. This sometimes results in me driving nearly three hours once a week for class (sometimes twice a week). I really don’t mind it. Some people hate being in the car, but I love it!
ReplyDeleteHello everyone!! My name is Tim Holley. I have a BS in Social and Behavioral Sciences, MS in Occupational Therapy and I am a PhD student in the Kinesiology Department. My concentration is in exercise science. I just opened my very own practice here in Northport, Alabama servicing Tuscaloosa County with occupational therapy services. As an occupational therapist I have worked with individuals with an array of disabilities. Therefore, I feel that my calling in life is to help those with disabilities to reach their optimal functioning level. Therefore, this class struck my attention. I worked as a school based occupational therapist in the past and I am very intrigued and concerned about our educational system and the treatment of students with disabilities.
ReplyDeleteMy clinic specializes in pediatrics, health promotions and mental health. I hope to gain my PhD to aid me in researching the benefits of exercise to increase functional performance and to decrease maladaptive behaviors in children with autism. I hope to gain increased knowledge in this course. My future plans in life is to continue to provide top notch therapy, and to continue to teach part-time. Oh, I forgot I teach Anatomy and Physiology as an adjunct at Lawson State Community College (Bessemer and Birmingham Alabama). On a personal note I love to workout, watch horror and action movies, eat good food, and have good drinks occasionally. Also I use to have a celebrity crush on Janet Jackson when I was younger but now it's Beyonce :-). Oh I am also a native of Tuscaloosa, Alabama but attended UAB for my Bachelors and Masters; and I was a social worker before I became an OT. As you can tell I love being a service to others. Once again I hope to learn a lot in this course and I am excited about the experience. Good luck everyone!!!!!!
Im sorry I almost forgot. To me the secret to a good life is minimizing stress, and realizing that you can not control every aspect of your life. As a christian I believe that God is in control and your job is to treat everyone with respect and love; and to bring positivity to this world then you have served your purpose.
ReplyDeleteMy name is Emma Stinson and I am 23 years old. I grew up in Huntsville Alabama where I attended Huntsville High School and graduated in 2006. I began college at the University of Alabam in 2006 as an elementary education major. During this time I had considered looking into Special Education because I have a younger sister who has had many challanges growing up. I took one SPED class and fell in love and knew immediatley that special education was the path I wanted to continue down. I graduated in May of 2010 with my degree in Special Education. I began working last August as the special education teacher at Aliceville Middle School where I have a wide variety of students. My school is a full inclusion school so I have all of my students in the regular classroom including my students who are on AAA which has made this last year a huge learning experience for me. I love my students and could not have asked for a better first year! Through my first year of teaching I realized that I really enjoyed working with my students who had more significant disabilities as well as that I would like to work in a different setting where it is not full inclusion so I would have the oppertunity to spend more time with them working on the skills that will be most important for their lives and futures. I also realized as much as I love middle school I enjoy high school much more! Right now I am working on my Masters degree in Severe Disabilities and I am very excited about it. In my free time, when I have it, I love to play with my sweet dog, Annabell, and just spend time catching up with my friends. I don't think I have all the secrets to life figured out yet but I think realizing that there are somethings in life we cannot control is important, and to learn how to not stress out over things that are out of our control. One interesting fact about me is that from looking at me you can probably tell that I used to be a dancer for 15 years; however, you would probably never guess that I used to skateboard as well!
ReplyDeleteChristy, Ginger, Brandi, and Timothy: I it is ver nice to meet you you! And Emma, good to have you back!
ReplyDeleteEmma, I did not know about your having been a dancer and skateboarder :) I can't believe you graduated in in 2010---it seems like it has been a whole lot longer!
Christy, I have to tell you that your hometown has been on my family's list of "Places to visit in AL" as my husband's mother was born and spent her early life there (but after living here for 10 years, and not having made it there yet, I am thinking it may be more appropriate to put it in our other list--- you know, the one that Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson made in that movie: I am avoiding being morbid here, so work with me!)
Ginger: Quite a diverse family you have there! Mandy, most of all! I can help with posting Mandy's picture if you like (in part because I would like to see her!)
Brandi: I totally endorse driving all that way to come to UA (versus the alternative despite its obvious proximity to you! Roll Tide and thanks for making UA your choice!) I know if I were to indulge your love for driving and suggested that we hold a couple of meetings here on campus, I suspect that a number of your classmates would be quite cross with you!
Timothy:Thanks for sharing many interesting anecdotes, but I have to say: Janet Jackson & Beyonce, huh?! After working and continuing to work with several Ph.D. students from Kinesiology, I now know to ask: are you, therefore, in sport pedagogy, human performance or exercise science?
Welcome all of you to this course and hope your first week has gone well for each of you! As you each engage with the content of this course, please keep a running tab of questions, recommendations, issues, etc to share with me on how improve this course for future offerings OR things that you wish I could do right now to make it better for this group. I may not be able to do so with this group, but I will certainly listen. I will be requesting this input later.
Hopefully Mandy is my profile pick now.
ReplyDeleteGinger: Thanks for sharing Mandy's picture. I do hope you have a sense of humor before you read the rest of my comment.
ReplyDeleteTen years ago when we were getting ready to move to Alabama, some American friends of mine gave me a quick Southern cultural lesson. They told me that I should preface all bluntly honest (read:"not very nice") things that I say with "God bless your little heart". So, about Mandy: Ginger, God bless your little heart, someone has to love Mandy----I sure am SO glad it is you (not me!)
I love frogs (but in pictures, glass figurines, etc), not real ones---of those I am terrified.
Now seriously, how did you get to liking her well enough to bring her home to live?
Dr. Mutua,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post! It is a long story, but basically I frequented the local pet store to buy food and supplies for some of my other pets at the time (rats(Splinter, Mickey, Pee-Ka-Boo), and a chinchilla(Moses), lol). I have always been interested in all animals even reptiles, but I did not want an animal(snakes, other lizards, etc.) that you had to feed live food to. Mandy is a vegetarian. I saw Mandy and her siblings each time I visited the store for a few months. Finally, it was only Mandy(Mandela) and Nelson) left so I brought them home. Mali Uromastyx make great pets.
Mandela and Nelson, huh?! Here, I thought Mandy was a girl lizard. I have to give you an A+ for originality in naming your pets. I am still trying to get past the reptile/lizard for a pet part, before I can fully appreciate his being vegetarian:) not to add on the fact that his name is Mandela!
ReplyDelete