Biography

Background

Greetings from San Diego. I have recently moved back to the USA from Africa where I have been since 1995. Yes, I had culture shock. I felt like a visitor, but the sunshine here in San Diego helped. I have been teaching at Montessori Schools in Nigeria, South Africa, and Madagascar. My eighteen years of teaching experience have been in the primary grades. Watching children learn and develop new skills is continuously interesting to me.

My favorite country is Tahiti (http://www.tahiti-tourisme.com/) because of its intense beauty and dramatic climate. I went walking everyday to watch for whales. If you have an eagle-eye you can spot them outside the reef.

Plans

In the summer of 2002, I decided to take a leap and leave my job to enter school full time. After experiencing the Internet, I understood more fully the pressing need for schools to integrate technology into classrooms. I plan to consult and help school systems achieve this goal.

Global SchoolNet (http://www.gsn.org/GSH/index.html) is one organization linking teachers to technology in meaningful ways. Since 1985 Global SchoolNet Foundation (GSN) has been a leader in the instructional applications of telecommunications.
Today the Global SchoolNet Foundation, a non-profi t corporation, is a major contributor to the philosophy, design, culture, and content of educational networking on the Internet and in the classroom. GSN has had an incredible impact on networking in the K12 community. I think their Think-Quest activities are an especially exciting option for children (http://www.thinkquest.org/).

Other Interesting Things

From living abroad, I am a seasoned traveler. I have actually lived out of my suitcase for years at a time. I travel to meet and learn from other people. Most people are very open to travelers and enjoy sharing their culture. I spend my leisure time reading and walking. My son, John Doe, is my favorite interest and hobby. He was born in 1986 and has been the light of my life since. I am amazed at what a joy a teenager really is. John has two intense interests at this time, the stock market and golf. He is great at both endeavors and plans to make them his future. He has an internet stock account with Daytec and golfs in San Diego and the United Kingdom where he lives.

[Adapted from Bio/Interests Web portfolio page by Gail Lucas.]