Mrs. Bermudez

General Info- My name is Ana Bermudez, and I’m 31 years old. I was born in Peru, and came to this country when I was ten. I’ve lived in New York, New Jersey and currently in Florida. Miami has been my home since 1993. I love it here! I’d rather take the sun and heat than freezing snow any day.

Family- I’m the oldest of three. I have a sister and a brother. My sister and both of my parents also live in Miami, and my brother is currently with the Marines in Japan. I’ve been together with my husband for fourteen years now, and have two children Vanessa (13), and Brandon (8). They are my world! I also cannot forget to mention my Labrador mix, Oreo.

Employment- I’m presently teaching at South Miami Heights Elementary. I’ve been teaching there ever since my internship in 1999. I taught Spanish for half a year, second grade for three years and I’m currently teaching in the third grade for the third time. I find the older kids in third grade to be more independent. It’s a joy teaching this grade this year, even though there are a lot of accountability issues presently in Florida with this particular grade. My class consists of twenty-four students.

Education- I received my Associates degree from Miami-Dade College and my Bachelor’s from Florida International University. It took me a long time to finish, but I was persistent and graduated. Getting my Master’s in Education has been one of my goals ever since I graduated, but for some reason or another never got to it, that is until now. I’m very excited about starting school again, especially in an internet based program. I believe it will give me the freedom of going about my everyday duties, while at the same time earning my desired degree. More than just an increase in pay, this degree means another accomplishment in my life.

Technology- I believe technology is a part of our every day lives. UOP will provide me the knowledge that I need to advance personally and advance my students in the skills they need to survive in a fast-paced world. I have learned a lot while enrolled in the Curriculum/Technology program at UOP and I would suggest the program to others.

Mr. Hessling

General Info- My name is Philip Hessling. I am 47 years young. I live in El Cajon a suburb of San Diego with my wife of ten years Marion.

Family- I am the middle of three children. My older sister is an elementary teacher in Escondido, about forty miles north of San Diego. My younger brother is in Construction. My Parents live in nearby Lemon Grove. My wife is an Intensive Care Nurse at one of the local hospitals designated to treat traumas (gang shootings, traffic accidents and much more). We do not have any children, but we do have six cats. We are caring for my wife’s 81 year old mother who had a stroke about three years ago.

Employment- I have been a substitute teacher in the Grossmont Union High School District for six years. Before entering the teaching field I was a paralegal for ten years in San Diego mostly practicing in the insurance defense. I even tried a couple of years in Law School, but one element that helped push me out of the legal profession was the O.J. Simpson trial or circus.

Education- I received my Bachelors Degree in Political Science and a minor in Journalism from San Diego State University in 1980. I returned to State for my teacher’s credential in December 1998.

Technology- The learning process involves students receiving information, analyzing it and demonstrating what they learned. Technology increases the amount of information available to students. Computers make it easier to analyze the information and present information with power pint, word processors and much more.

Mr. Powell

The Basic Information- My name is Byron Powell, and I live in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Bowling Green is a college town, and is about 45 minutes north of Nashville, Tennessee. I am 26 years old and am single, and everyday I come home to my dog, Harry.

My Education- I graduated from Murray State University in December of 2002 with a B.A. in Middle School Education. I am certified to teach science and math.

My Job- I work for the Allen County Board of Education. I am currently teaching 6th grade science in a building that is state of the art. The curriculum/technology program at UOP has prepared me to use all the technology in the building.

Interests and Activities- Over the years my interests and activities have slimmed down a bit. When I have spare time I still love my music. Even though, it has been years since I have touched my trombone, music is still important to me. I also love sports and had the opportunity to assist with the middle school baseball team and hope to coach softball in the future. Reading, drawing, and writing round out the list of interests.

My Future- I have decided to get my masters now so that I can have it done before its time to start a family. I am hoping that with a degree in curriculum and technology I can become a technology/media advisor or supervisor at a school or for a school district. However, I doubt that I could ever leave the classroom. I have fielded numerous questions from my coworkers about my University of Phoenix experience. All I can tell them is that it has been great, thus far.

Mr. Strong

General Info- My name is Darin Strong I am a 31 year old physical education teacher from Ithaca, New York. I grew up in Ithaca and now teach at the same high school I graduated and attended. My wife Becky and I have been married for 5 years and have two wonderful children. My daughter Koori is 2 and a half and my son Cole turned 1 in April. I am a huge sports fan and have played sports all my life. I played football, basketball and baseball in high school. I continued playing football at Cortland State University in Cortland, New York where I received my undergraduate degree. After college I worked for a minor league baseball in Salem, Virginia called the Salem Avalanche. My undergraduate degree was in sports management. After working for a year with the baseball team I moved to North Carolina and worked as the Fitness Manager of a Gold's Gym in Durham, North Carolina. I worked there for two years and then was offered a General Manager job at the Gold's Gym in Garner, NC.

Employment- This is when I realized that I wanted to get into teaching so that I could educate people about how to take care of their bodies and lead healthy happy life's. I saw so many people that had medical problems but they didn't know how to be healthy and they were spending so much money on health costs they didn't understand how to exercise on their own to help them become healthier. I then returned to Cortland State and received my teaching certification in physical education. I was hired at my old high school to teach physical education. Now I am the Adapted Physical education teacher which is dealing with students with disabilities which I find very rewarding working with these students.

Coaching- I coached football for one year as the running backs coach at a local Division III college team and then as an assistant coach at my high school before being hired as the Head Football coach the following year. I was the Head Coach for two years and then due to some differences in opinion about the football program I stepped down and vowed never to coach football at my high school again because of the lack of administrative support. I am now an assistant football coach at a local high school nearby though. I also coached wrestling for the past three years and I am the Head Boys Volleyball coach at Ithaca High School and I volunteer as a girls club volleyball coach with my wife.

Interest and Hobbies- In my spare time I am usually playing with my kids. My wife and I play volleyball and softball together in a local recreational league. I also love to rollerblade, mountain bike and kayak. I am a very active person and I cant sit still for long periods of time without doing something. I have enjoyed my experience so far with a few exceptions with my online courses. I have learned so much from all the people that are in these classes and I get to see what teachers in other states and other subject areas deal with and how they can overcome obstacles.

Technology- I feel the computer education specialization is going to be a part of every educational institution in the future. There are so many opportunities being opened up by the use of computers and education. It allows many working people an opportunity to gain knowledge to help them in their careers or to change their careers all from the comfort of their home. This means they do not have to alter their life that they have to make a positive change for themselves and for their families. In all reality the use of computers has always been around but not in the same manner that they have been used in just the past 5 years with online instruction. The future will be very exciting to be a part of and experience.

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