I always knew that I was going to be a teacher. As a small child, I would line my stuffed animals up and "teach" them how to behave better. That progressed to trying to teach my younger brother skills I thought he needed to learn. However, he wasn't as willing a participant as my toys were. After I graduated high school, college was the next step. I began University of Mobile and majored in, you guessed it, accounting! It was a momentary lapse in judgement because I don't even like math. I came to my senses after a semester and changed my major to English with a Language Arts Certification. This would allow me to teach in a secondary setting. High school appealed to me because of the maturity of the students. However, after graduating, the only jobs available were in middle schools. I applied for and was hired to teach literature to 8th grade students. After my first day, I remember thinking, "I have found my people!" Middle school was truly where I belonged and I loved every minute of being in my classroom with my wonderfully hormone-conflicted teenagers.
Three years go by and I start looking for the next thing in my classroom. The school-based technology coach at the time approached me about a new instructional technology program the county was beginning. Our school was guaranteed two spots because of our Title 1 status. Being the PD junkie I am, I jumped on board. Two (very long) years later, I was one of only two certified middle school eMINTS teachers in the Southeast. The next five years in the classroom were heaven. My students taught me more than I'm sure I taught them. They constantly surprised me with the products and thoughts they were churning out. What a difference this program made in my students' lives!
In 2012, the superintendent at the time decided that he wanted to follow the model built by Mooresville ISD in North Carolina and began moving our district toward one that is 1:1. He began with high schools and added middle schools the following year. Elementary schools quickly jumped on board. Students in grades 3-12 were receiving Macbook Airs that were going home with them and K-2 students had iPads to use in their classrooms. With all of the devices out there, the district realized that teachers would need someone (or someones) to help them integrate this technology into their classrooms. The position of Instructional Transformation Specialist was born. I just knew this job was created for me and I applied. Seven positions, one for each of our feeder patterns, were created and I was hired to work with seven of the district's 44 schools.
In my current role, I am responsible for providing whole group professional development in instructional technology to each of the schools in my feeder pattern. Further, my role requires that I assist teachers with the implementation of technology in their classrooms. To that end, I visit classrooms and either teach a new technology to the students while the teacher observes or I lend a helping hand while the teacher is introducing something new to her students. There is no doubt that my training as an eMINTS teacher not only helped me obtain this new position but also trained me on how to be a problem-solver in this brave new world we are all embarking on.
Becoming an eMINTS trainer through the PD4ETS program was the logical next step for me in this coaching journey. My ambitions as a trainer and coach are to inspire other teachers to see the thrill of a student finding his voice while recapturing the joy of learning.
Three years go by and I start looking for the next thing in my classroom. The school-based technology coach at the time approached me about a new instructional technology program the county was beginning. Our school was guaranteed two spots because of our Title 1 status. Being the PD junkie I am, I jumped on board. Two (very long) years later, I was one of only two certified middle school eMINTS teachers in the Southeast. The next five years in the classroom were heaven. My students taught me more than I'm sure I taught them. They constantly surprised me with the products and thoughts they were churning out. What a difference this program made in my students' lives!
In 2012, the superintendent at the time decided that he wanted to follow the model built by Mooresville ISD in North Carolina and began moving our district toward one that is 1:1. He began with high schools and added middle schools the following year. Elementary schools quickly jumped on board. Students in grades 3-12 were receiving Macbook Airs that were going home with them and K-2 students had iPads to use in their classrooms. With all of the devices out there, the district realized that teachers would need someone (or someones) to help them integrate this technology into their classrooms. The position of Instructional Transformation Specialist was born. I just knew this job was created for me and I applied. Seven positions, one for each of our feeder patterns, were created and I was hired to work with seven of the district's 44 schools.
In my current role, I am responsible for providing whole group professional development in instructional technology to each of the schools in my feeder pattern. Further, my role requires that I assist teachers with the implementation of technology in their classrooms. To that end, I visit classrooms and either teach a new technology to the students while the teacher observes or I lend a helping hand while the teacher is introducing something new to her students. There is no doubt that my training as an eMINTS teacher not only helped me obtain this new position but also trained me on how to be a problem-solver in this brave new world we are all embarking on.
Becoming an eMINTS trainer through the PD4ETS program was the logical next step for me in this coaching journey. My ambitions as a trainer and coach are to inspire other teachers to see the thrill of a student finding his voice while recapturing the joy of learning.