A Little About Me
Life Experiences of a Science Teacher:
A professional and competent teacher needs to be compassionate about fostering student learning. They must care for their students and have an understanding of the schemas that each student brings to school. A great teacher understands that their influences on students have the ability to drive student academic success. They also understand that learning doesn’t end when students leave the walls of the classroom and should convey to the students the importance of learning from the world around them and from each other. Students of this teacher must understand that their actions in their community impacts the world around them. My life experiences have molded me into a teacher with a global perspective who has seen the troubles of our world first hand and understands the need for academic success in ALL students. Having grown up around the world, I have interacted with and been a part of many different cultures and understand that not all students come from loving backgrounds. With this global perspective, I will care for my students and create a safe environment that promotes learning and engagement, where students are encouraged to ask questions and collaborate.
Living Abroad and World Travel:
Soon after my birth in Pennsylvania, my family moved to Ohio where my brother was born. At two years old, my family moved to Prague, Czech Republic (at the time we moved there it was still Czechoslovakia). My very first memories are from Prague. I never truly understood the importance of being in the middle of the Velvet Divorce until much later in my life. After three years, we moved back to the United States to Michigan. After attending 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades, we moved again, this time to Bucharest, Romania. I will never forget seeing the evidence of Ceauşescu’s fall only ten years earlier. The vast poverty and bullet holes in many buildings are only a few of the memories that I have in Romania depicting a country’s troubled past. There I attended the American International School of Bucharest for 4th and 5th grades. We then moved to Istanbul, Turkey; by far my favorite place that I have lived. I attended 6th, 7th, and 8th grades at MEF (a private Turkish and English speaking school) and the Istanbul International Community School. My family and I moved again back to the United States to Cincinnati, Ohio. I most recently moved to Newport News, Virginia. In all, I have moved my place of residence a total of eight times (twice in Istanbul). I met long time friends in Michigan, Romania, and Turkey. I still keep in touch with many of these great friends.
Living abroad gave my family the ability to travel all over the world. I have been fortunate enough to travel to over 35 countries on 6 continents (I will just have to wait for the opportunity to take me to Antarctica). The travel has given me a worldly perspective on a lot of the issues. We need to start thinking as a human race for the betterment of our future generations. I have come to realize and understand that we are not the only ones who will need to use earth’s resources for existence. We, as a human race, need to contribute more than just our DNA to future generations!
Two years ago, during my final semester at Miami University, I student taught at Bairnsdale Secondary College in Bairnsdale, Victoria, Australia, where I had the opportunity of a lifetime teaching four classes in a brand new science center. I met lifelong friends and am looking forward to the opportunity to take me back!
Love of Science:
Ever since being a young boy, I have always loved the outdoors and have always been curious about the world around me. My experiences abroad have provided me opportunities that many people may never seek in their lives. I have always loved the family vacations where most of the time is spent enjoying the culture and environment of different regions. My passion for science has become deeper on many of these trips.
Trekking through the Namibian bush on my hands and knees searching for rhinoceros and driving away from charging bull elephants in South Africa to scuba diving off the coast of Belize after dark with eight foot tarpon are some of many memories I have with my family. I am fortunate to have had the opportunities to interact with the environment around me and expand my understanding of the world. My love for being outdoors has driven me to become a Certified Rescue Diver, which has allowed me to explore the ocean life of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
As a science teacher, it is important for me to convey the importance of interacting with the environment in a safe and positive manner. It is also important that each student be given opportunities to engage with their environment and understand how their interactions impact their community.
Becoming a Teacher
Having had a somewhat of an unpredictable life, I cannot wait to see what happens next. There is so much to learn and I plan to share my excitement for learning with my students, who will be engaged in a safe and caring environment. I understand my responsibility of molding students into who they are going to become when the adolescent egg breaks into adulthood.
A professional and competent teacher needs to be compassionate about fostering student learning. They must care for their students and have an understanding of the schemas that each student brings to school. A great teacher understands that their influences on students have the ability to drive student academic success. They also understand that learning doesn’t end when students leave the walls of the classroom and should convey to the students the importance of learning from the world around them and from each other. Students of this teacher must understand that their actions in their community impacts the world around them. My life experiences have molded me into a teacher with a global perspective who has seen the troubles of our world first hand and understands the need for academic success in ALL students. Having grown up around the world, I have interacted with and been a part of many different cultures and understand that not all students come from loving backgrounds. With this global perspective, I will care for my students and create a safe environment that promotes learning and engagement, where students are encouraged to ask questions and collaborate.
Living Abroad and World Travel:
Soon after my birth in Pennsylvania, my family moved to Ohio where my brother was born. At two years old, my family moved to Prague, Czech Republic (at the time we moved there it was still Czechoslovakia). My very first memories are from Prague. I never truly understood the importance of being in the middle of the Velvet Divorce until much later in my life. After three years, we moved back to the United States to Michigan. After attending 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades, we moved again, this time to Bucharest, Romania. I will never forget seeing the evidence of Ceauşescu’s fall only ten years earlier. The vast poverty and bullet holes in many buildings are only a few of the memories that I have in Romania depicting a country’s troubled past. There I attended the American International School of Bucharest for 4th and 5th grades. We then moved to Istanbul, Turkey; by far my favorite place that I have lived. I attended 6th, 7th, and 8th grades at MEF (a private Turkish and English speaking school) and the Istanbul International Community School. My family and I moved again back to the United States to Cincinnati, Ohio. I most recently moved to Newport News, Virginia. In all, I have moved my place of residence a total of eight times (twice in Istanbul). I met long time friends in Michigan, Romania, and Turkey. I still keep in touch with many of these great friends.
Living abroad gave my family the ability to travel all over the world. I have been fortunate enough to travel to over 35 countries on 6 continents (I will just have to wait for the opportunity to take me to Antarctica). The travel has given me a worldly perspective on a lot of the issues. We need to start thinking as a human race for the betterment of our future generations. I have come to realize and understand that we are not the only ones who will need to use earth’s resources for existence. We, as a human race, need to contribute more than just our DNA to future generations!
Two years ago, during my final semester at Miami University, I student taught at Bairnsdale Secondary College in Bairnsdale, Victoria, Australia, where I had the opportunity of a lifetime teaching four classes in a brand new science center. I met lifelong friends and am looking forward to the opportunity to take me back!
Love of Science:
Ever since being a young boy, I have always loved the outdoors and have always been curious about the world around me. My experiences abroad have provided me opportunities that many people may never seek in their lives. I have always loved the family vacations where most of the time is spent enjoying the culture and environment of different regions. My passion for science has become deeper on many of these trips.
Trekking through the Namibian bush on my hands and knees searching for rhinoceros and driving away from charging bull elephants in South Africa to scuba diving off the coast of Belize after dark with eight foot tarpon are some of many memories I have with my family. I am fortunate to have had the opportunities to interact with the environment around me and expand my understanding of the world. My love for being outdoors has driven me to become a Certified Rescue Diver, which has allowed me to explore the ocean life of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
As a science teacher, it is important for me to convey the importance of interacting with the environment in a safe and positive manner. It is also important that each student be given opportunities to engage with their environment and understand how their interactions impact their community.
Becoming a Teacher
Having had a somewhat of an unpredictable life, I cannot wait to see what happens next. There is so much to learn and I plan to share my excitement for learning with my students, who will be engaged in a safe and caring environment. I understand my responsibility of molding students into who they are going to become when the adolescent egg breaks into adulthood.
