|
Professional:
After graduating from Black Hills
State University,
Spearfish, South Dakota, in December 1991 with a
BSed, I worked as a substitute in Rapid City Area
Schools for several years.
My endorsements include English/language arts,
speech/debate, literature, history, social
studies (middle school) and psychology. Much of
my time as a substitute was spent in English,
social studies, and special education classes. In
1995 I began a long-term substitute position at
the Rapid City Academy, the alternative program
for RCAS, and was hired as a teacher for the
Academy for the following year. I have been there
ever since and have loved every minute. Over the
years I have taught English 9/10/11, challenges
and choices, and psychology. Beginning with the
2001 school year, I added world literature to my
list of classes. For the past few years I have
focused on world literature, technical writing,
English 11, and psychology.
In 1997 two colleagues and I
wrote a grant for the US West Foundation Teacher
Network Project for which we received an
intensive three-day computer/internet class at Dakota State
University and laptop
computers for our use (personal and school). I
have also written two Eisenhower Grants with
colleagues, one for developing some shortcut
plans for software and one designed to add
internet into the English curriculum at our
school. In addition, in 1999 I received a grant
to purchase sets of novels for literature circles
within my classroom.
I served one year (1996) on
the District Language Arts Curriculum Committee
which revamped the language arts curriculum for
Rapid City Area Schools. (In 2004-2005, I was
once again a committee member.)
In 2000 I served as a member
of the electronic gradebook approval committee
for the district.
In 1999 I was named Teacher
of the Year for the Academy and a district
Teacher of Distinction.
Throughout 2001-2002 I
worked as a website reviewer for the South
Dakota EdWeb, which linked
on-line activities, resources, and lesson plans
to the South Dakota standards. My job was to
review and upload sites for the 9-12 language
arts standards.
June 2001 found me working
as an instructor for Technology
for Teaching and Learning
(TTL) at Black Hills State University in
Spearfish, SD and Burke, SD. TTL allows teachers
a block of time (four weeks) to learn the basics
of Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and
FrontPage. The teachers create projects using the
programs and also create a Unit of Practice which
integrates technology and engaged learning into
their specific curriculum. In addition, teachers
and their instructors continue with an online
professional development course and the
implementation of the units throughout the
following fall and spring semesters. I attended
TTL as a participant in July 2000 and was
thrilled to be chosen as an instructor for the
2001 sessions.
In addition to teaching both
during the daytime at the Academy and two-three
evenings each week at the Night Academy, in
January 2003 two colleagues and I decided to
continue our own educations. We began the BHSU
online masters program, which was quite a
learning experience. I received my MSCI in
December 2004.
In November 2003 Rapid City
Academy went online with a virtual high school. I
continue to both develop and teach in Rapid
City Academy Online
program, in addition to my regular teaching
assignment at the Academy. If you'd like to learn
more about our experience in building the virtual
campus, feel free to read the article that Sue
Podoll and I wrote. The article can be found in
the September
2005 issue of T.H.E. Journal (Technology
Horizons in Education Journal).
Teaching and learning
continues to be an exciting process for me. Each
I can be found taking more classes; I've
completed three this summer (2005). This fall I
will begin my third year as a member of the
building leadership team (BLT) and will continue
in my position of language arts chair for the
Academy.
And here it is, nearly time
for the start of the 2006-2007 school year. I can
hardly wait to return to my classes and my
students. This year I will add senior composition
to my list of classes. As I've not taught this
class previously, it will be a new adventure for
both my students and for me. I will also be
continuing as a member of the Building Leadership
Team. I'm hopeful I will find the time to earn
two additional graduate credits this coming fall.
At that point, I will have earned an additional
15 credit hours beyond my master's. This year
will also be my first as the faculty
representative for RCEA at Jefferson. I had the
privilege of attending the NEA
Representatives Assembly in Orlando, Florida this
past summer. I was absolutely awestruck when I
walked into the first day of the assembly. What
an impressive group of people to be associated
with; I was proud to represent SDEA
and RCEA!
Personal:
I was born and raised in
South Dakota, with the exception of a six month
move to Washington during second grade. Following
graduation from Sturgis Brown High School in
1975, I moved first to Mississippi, next to
Minnesota, and eventually returned to South
Dakota in the fall of 1979. I have two sons, Nik
and Neil, and three grandchildren, Cecily,
Krystiian, and Lily. In addition, my family
includes a dog, Bart, and a cat, who chooses to
answer to nothing but "Kitty, Kitty,"
but is generally known as "Fat Cat."
(The pets were an inheritance from my son, Neil.)
 |
|
|
The grandbabies:
Krystiian Winter & Cecily Skye
|
Lily and her rocking
horse
|
At son Nik's wedding
in January 2006
Front row:
Grandma Dorothy, Krystiian, me, Cecily.
Back row:
Nik, Coty, Neil
|
|
|
