I clearly remember the last few days before I started institute for Teach for America: I'd moved myself from Chicago to Burlington, VT, and then had to make my way to Houston. The cheapest flight arrived at 11pm the night before we had to be there...so I spent a night in a Houston airport. Not so bad, really. I had a big bag of clothes to sleep on.
But in VT, I'd been camping, kayaking, cycling, and fixing bikes. And then my life changed: my classroom became my own world, the place where I was solely responsible for the outcomes. This is both exciting and frightening, if one has truly internalized the meaning of this statement. Still, it is entirely possible to be successful, and my goal through institute is to have my advisory as prepared as possible for success in their own classrooms in the fall.
The summer will be busy, exciting, and full of information and resources. Your task is to make the very most of it.
See you in ten days!
Please post a comment, and share with the group your name, background, your motivation for joining RITF, and one thing we'll be surprised to know about you...
-Michael
I've been in the classroom for 11 years, teaching middle and high school math and science, split between Baltimore and Providence. I have worked with RITF for a year now, as an Ambassador, Selector, Summer Advisor, Content Seminar Leader, and Instructional Coach.
ReplyDeleteI'd generally rather be running or cycling than doing anything else...
-Michael
My name is Kim Lanowy and I have been home raising two boys for just over 9 years- I have an engineering background, but have always been interested in teaching. I joined RITF because I saw such a huge need to change the direction of math literacy in our state- especially in our poorest schools.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that might surprise you to know about me is that I have never blogged before :)
I'm Kaitlyn Watto. I just graduated from PC, and I'm excited to have the opportunity to teach Math to the students of Rhode Island!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Debbie McDonald-Amini. I am currently teaching economics part-time at Salve Regina University in Newport. Similar to Kim, I joined RITF because I saw the need to improve math skills in our public schools and I wanted a job that was personally and socially rewarding. My surprise trivia...I have three children. The oldest is 26 and the youngest is 10 (that was a surprise in and of itself). Now some math, by the time the youngest heads off to college, my husband and I will have spent 34 years raising children with much pleasure!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Michael Ruppel - I just graduated from the University of Delaware in the spring with degrees in economics and international relations.
ReplyDeleteI joined RITF because of my experiences with at-risk kids as a basketball coach in inner-city Wilmington. I want to work with kids who are striving to make themselves successful, and I think math skills are an increasingly important but missing part of that.
As for surprising trivia, I am an avid birdwatcher, and am looking forward to RI's beaches and greenways to continue doing that!
My name is Katrina Simpson. I graduated from PC in 2008 with a degree in Mathematics and over the past year I have done some substitute teaching in Philadelpha.
ReplyDeleteOne thing most people are suprised to know about me is that I have an identical twin sister.
I am excited to be part of RITF because throughout my life I have moved a lot but I have always considered Provdiece my home because my parents grew up here...all in all I am excited to be home and I can't wait to meet everyone!
Hi, my name is John. My wife and I spent the past 2 years teaching English in Spain and just returned to the States in January. Before the European vacation, I was practicing real estate law in Philadelphia for 8 years. I had been teaching ESL night classes to immigrants at our local church for a few years and found it a lot more rewarding compared to the practice of law, so I decided to pursue teaching full time. RITF seems like a good fit because I want to continue teaching the students who need help the most.
ReplyDeleteSomething surprising about me...I don't FB or Tweet or blog or post. I prefer talking to people face to face...looking forward to meeting all of you tomorrow!
Hi, my name is Lindsay Fish. I am from RI and after attending URI and playing Div. I soccer there, I joined the coaching staff as well as obtained a second bachelors degree. At some point I became the interim head coach for 6 months (what was supposed to be 6 weeks), and then decided to leave to pursue my MBA. During this time I worked for my family business and had responsibilities across all aspects of business. Throughout the entire time I have coached for a state youth soccer program.
ReplyDeleteI joined RITF because I truly believe in the goals or the program and potential of the students in RI. I have learned in both coaching and business, that if you hold high expectations they tend to be met. Showing you care and believe in someone goes a long way! One part of coaching I have always enjoyed is seeing the improvement in each player. Having a positive and lasting impact on a player is so rewarding. I also am highly motivated by challenge!
One thing that may surprise you about me is that my original goal was to become a doctor. I never attended medical school but my parents did think I was going to be a student for life as I kept going back to school. I currently have a B.S. in Biological Sciences and Kinesiology as well as my MBA. As far as credits go, I could teach Math, Biology, General Science, Business, and PE.
Hey everyone, my name is Taylor Esformes and I'm a physics major from WPI. I joined RITF because I liked having the opportunity to get out of the sterile world of academia and get my hands dirty trying to make a difference in the real world, in a place that really needed it. You might be surprised to know that I am a guitarist and I perform at open mic clubs in a duo with my mom, who is a singer.
ReplyDeleteMy name is Emily Hausman. I am a RI transplant from CT. I have lived here since I graduated from PC in 2005. I then got my masters degree in Economics and started working at a Hedge Fund consulting firm. A year ago after too many anxiety attacks and not enough of a sense of accomplishment, I turned my love of volunteering into a career and started teaching at some local colleges.
ReplyDeleteI am extremely active and love being outside (no matter the season). I play rugby and I won a national championship in college. The team I currently play for is based out of providence.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Charlie Hartman. After graduating with a degree in math from UW- Madison Spring of 2009 I studied architecture at UW-Milwaukee for a summer and fall. After deciding it wasn't the profession for me, I decided to go back to what I know best, math. I was working as a tutor and ACT prep course instructor since then. During these experiences, I decided I wanted to go into teaching and RITF seemed like a perfect fit for me.
You may be surprised to find out I had been living without television for 5 years before a 3-week stay with my cousin this past June. Watching bachelorette with her really reenforced my desire to stay TV free, although I have to admit I liked it a little.
Charlie
Hi everyone.. My name is Hoshaiah. I'm originally from RI and have lived here just about my whole life, although I spent a short amount of rime living in northern Maine (working as a whitewater guide, surprising fact maybe?), and Alaska.
ReplyDeleteI have always been interested in teaching, but really started looking into it after working at a middle school after school program teaching kids how to fix bikes.
I joined RITF because I want to work where I am most needed and have the biggest opportunity to improve public education.