Opened Practices Users from New York

75 Shore Blvd

For the last 17 years, I have taught English in various schools across Orange and Sullivan counties. I have taught 6-12 in public school, including Advanced Placement Literature and Advanced Placement Language. I have taught English 101 at Orange County Community College. I teach Catechism to 4th graders. I have coached Varsity soccer, skiing, and Track n Field. I currently coach pee wee soccer for my kids' teams.

I graduated from a local Catholic high school here in Orange County New York, and I left for college, swearing that I would never return the rural hills of the Hudson Valley. My home town had a blinking light; the public school graduated about 35 kids.. I excelled at English Ed at Fredonia State University, and I was chosen to represent the school on an international student-teacher exchange to Canterbury England, where I spent a summer semester teaching the British children of St. George's in Thanet. I returned to Fredonia to finish my senior year, and I was awarded a graduate internship that would have enabled me to earn my PhD from the University at Buffalo. Budget cuts that year eliminated the position, driving me back home. At a job fair, I accepted a position to teach in California, but my car died before I could set out on the road. I accepted a summer school position at my old high school, which led to a leave position at Warwick Valley Middle School, on the very edge of New York, on the New Jersey border.

The following year, I took a position in Tri-Valley, in the hear of the Catskill Mountains, where I taught English and a section of advanced Environmental Science through Cornell Cooperative Extension. I spent four years there, teaching and coaching, before I left for my current position in Minisink Valley. I have taught here for 12 years. I have worked with several student teachers, and I have mentored four of the 6 new teachers we've hired in the last 7 years, or roughly 30% of the department.

Last year, I accepted a position teaching Irish Literature to students world-wide via VHS, or Virtual High School out of New England. By teaching this course via Blackboard, 50 Minisink students are eligible to take over 250 electives via other VHS teachers. This experience drove me to seek a way to expand my face to face student's experience, which led me to Sakai. I have had such success with Sakai, that I am now teaching in-service courses about it to my colleagues. Since our core group of 10 started using Sakai in November, Minisink now boasts more than100 users.

P.O. Box 217, Route 6

I am currently the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction for the Minisink Valley Central School District. In my role, I have supported and encouraged the teachers in our district to include technology into their lessons to prepare our students for the 21st century.