Meghan Engle

Hi,

My name is Meghan Engle, I've been teaching eight years. I love teaching all grades, 9-12, visual arts (drawing & photo) and yearbook at Mountain View High School. 

I'm looking forward to learning & exploring ways to incorporate technology in my classroom.  I love discovering new online resources, especially love the Getty resources!!

I love spending time with my family & friends; biking, hiking and making meals together.  I have the travel bug, and try to get out of the country @ least once a year; Africa, Australia, Thailand, Italy, and France are a few places I've loved.    Thank you all for contributing fun photos & messages on this blog, I'm excited & looking forward to meeting you all next week.

Until then...Happy 4th of July! 

Joe Chee

Hello! I'm Joe Chee and I am one of the MERIT 2008 instructors for KCI. In addition to being an instructional technologist, I have been working on developing science teacher professional development programs at KCI. I am also an instructor in the dept. of education at Santa Clara University where I teach a technology for school administrators course in the administrator credential program.

Kathleen Rooney

Hi Everybody!

I'm Kathleen! I graduated from STEP in 2005 and for the past three years, I have been teaching beginning Spanish at Aragon High School in San Mateo. Before starting my teaching career, I worked with the Peace Corps (in both Washington, D.C. and Paraguay, South America) and with a social services organization (in San Francisco).

I'm really looking forward to meeting everyone and gaining as much knowledge about technology as possible to take back to my students.

Here's a picture of me at the Great Wall! I just got back from a trip to Beijing, China with the Music Department at Aragon.

Osvaldo Rubio

Hi! My name is Osvaldo Rubio and I have been teaching at Sherman Oaks Community Charter School in San Jose California for 10 years. I have a master's degree in Education with an emphasis on Teacher Leadership. I have taught grades 3-6th. Our school is a Dual Immersion Spanish/English School. I will be teaching 4th grade in Spanish this fall. In addition to teaching I am also the technology Laison for my school in the Campbell Union School District. I have also been a Master teacher for the Bilingual Education Department at San Jose State University.
When I am not teaching I enjoy spending time with family and friends. I am a avid bay area sports fan (Giants, 49ers, Warriors!!). I enjoy going to the ballparks whenever possible. I also enjoy music and concerts.
I am looking forward to this summer for several reason. First, this will be the first summer I am not teaching summer school!! Second, I am looking forward to the program this summer and learning many cool and exciting things that I will be able to implement in my teaching. Also, I am looking forward to meeting all of you and working with all of you!! See you soon!

Jonathan Greathouse

Hello all.

I am the tall one in the hat.  The boy with the rocket is my five year old son Aidan.  I made bottle rockets that he and his friends decorated for his birthdaty party last weekend.  It was a blast:) Elias, my second son is 21 months and thinks he is 13.  My wife is a Social Science teacher in Fremont.  She just completed her masters program and is waiting to find out the status of her National Board Certification.  She has doubts...   I do not.  She is the most intelligent person I know and my personal hero.  Oh, and we have a crested gecko named Go-Go. 

I teach science at Azevada Elementary School in Fremont.  I serve 450 students in grades 1-6.  I also teach two classes of SDC science.  Just wrapped up my seventh year of teaching today! Oh Yeah! In addition to teaching this year, I acted as mentor teacher to two other science teachers through my districts induction program, BTSA.  Participating in the BTSA program has opened up many leadership opportunities for me.   I was asked to teach new science teachers in a staff development inservice last summer.  In  addition, I was hired by my district  as the science consultant for their Peer Assistance and Review program.  It has been an extremely busy, challenging and rewarding year for me.  

Aside from teaching I enjoy digital photography, fly fishing, producing electronic music, painting and being a dad.  I tend to spend most of my free time with my boys. Therefore, I also enjoy reading books, playing Thomas the Train, Hotwheels, Legos, reading more books,  soccer, fort building, kite flying, bike riding and pretty much anything that five year old boys love to do. There is nothing like reliving your youth and I find it is just as much fun the second time around.

I am very excited about the program this summer. I hope to learn about creating a computer network in my lab so I can do more "paperless" activities as well as view lab reports real time using an LCD projector.  I have seen this modeled in other science labs but lack the knowledge to get it going. I look forward to meeting you all.  

Jonathan

Bill Liberatore

Hello everyone. I'm Bill Liberatore. I have been teaching music at Gunn High School in Palo Alto for 19 years. I am the choir director and teach AP Music Theory there as well. I really love my job and am having a great time at Gunn. My wife Holly and I have two kids, Ryan 12 and Emily 9. When I am not at Gunn I work as a musical director for TheatreWorks and American Musical Theatre of San Jose. I am very excited to have this opportunity to learn and to bring more technology into my program. After just one Saturday in a LINC class I created a blog for my choir's recent trip to NYC and posted all kinds of googledocs and performance recordings there (gunnchoirnyc2008.blogspot.com). I can't wait to see what I'll be able to do after three weeks.

I look forward to meeting you all!

Bill

Lisa Hall

Greetings! My name is Lisa and I am an English teacher and the Student Activities Director at Gunn High School. I am just finishing my third year at Gunn and although my job is crazy sometimes, I love what I do! Prior to teaching, I worked for fifteen years with the YMCA running summer camps, teen clubs and family programs, and it's great to have a job where I can utilize skills learned from my previous career in my current one.

When I'm not at school I do a bit of traveling with my husband, who is also a teacher (We will be taking several of his students on an annual trip to Japan in just a few days). Later this summer we will be heading to Germany for the first time to attend the European Juggling Convention. Yes...my other hobby is that I juggle. Go figure. =) Besides that I hope to catch up on my reading and movie going, spend some time with our three cats, and generally enjoy the break. I'm also looking forward to this program and expanding my skills in technology as well as collaborating with all of you!

Nicole -- Music Teacher

I spent one year teaching elementary general music but my heart belongs to the middle school kids! Right now I have 2 bands, an orchestra and 2 general music classes. I’ve been teaching music for 5 years, and played solo and in bands for about 20 years before that. I spend most of my free time playing music with friends just for fun, camping, hiking, reading and entertaining my adorable cat. I’m thrilled about this EWYL program and can’t wait to share all I learn with my students next year!

Emily

hello there!

i'm emily - a fairly new bay area resident. originally from new york, however started my teaching in baltimore, maryland (where i attended college and some grad. school) i drove across the great US of A from the east coast last august and i now reside in san francisco, a city that i absolutely love love LOVE! i just completed my 4th year teaching. i began in the elementary levels ---teaching 4th grade for my first year before moving to 8th grade when i realized that i actually really enjoy teaching middle school! (crazy, i know!) since moving out to cali i became a teacher within the san carlos school district teaching 6th grade science --- and one section of P.E. so far, i have adjusted quite well to the west coast lifestyle (and weather!) and am pleased with my decision to move.

i enjoy smiling, traveling, eating, laughing, parks, shopping, beaches, eating, and spending some good ol' time on my couch with a nice glass of wine. i'm looking forward to this summer's merit program as a colleague of mine participated last year and only has good things to say about it!

see you all soon! :)

James Larsen

Hello fellow Merit Program Participants!

My name is James Larsen. I just finished my first year of teaching at Thomas Russell Middle School in Milpitas, California. At Russell, I teach five periods of seventh grade English Language Arts. Some people cringe after hearing the grade level I teach, but for me, adolescence parallels with my own personality. I have had a great year and appreciate the value and implications of a solid education.

I am very excited about the Merit program, mainly because I would like to become more familiar with paperless teaching and utilize the Internet more for assessing students.

I moved to Milpitas a year ago from Sacramento with my partner. I needed an escape from the college scene that I had become too familiar with. My move to become more of a professional has been challenging, but I believe it has taken me into the direction I wanted to go.

I look forward to working with all of you and seeing you soon!

James

Vicky To

Hi Everyone,

I'm Vickie To and this is actually my very first time blogging. Before marriage, 1.5 years ago, I was a social butterfly but now my husband and I have become more private. He's a techy but yet doesn't blog either.

I've been a highly enthusiastic 8th grade science teacher for the past 5 years and can't imagine teaching anything else. 8th grade is really "something." It's wonderful and fits me rather well.

Aside from busy times conjuring up innovative lessons for my students, I enjoy gardening and being with my family, which consists of my husband and our two precious dogs. Cinnibon, the brown one, is almost 2 years old and was adopted from one of my past 8th grade student that had to get rid of her. We have no idea what her breed is, nor do the vets. She's a product of some sort of genetic inbreeding and have quite a bit of health issues. Cinni has escaped death at least 3 times this past year and have been a miracle in our lives. She has truly taught us the values of life, what love and sacrifice is all about. Noodles, the black and white cockapoo, is now 5 years of age and is the most sweetest, gentle, and loyal companion anyone can ever have.

When it's possible to find a dog-sitter, my husband and I try to escape for some time alone on travels. Since we've meet, we've been to New York, the Hamptons, Seattle, Orcas Island, Vancouver, Barbados, Saint Martin, Australia, Hawaii, Paris, Venice, and London. My husband is the best man any woman can ever have. He plans to have us see the world together. This summer, its to Alaska, on a cruise. When we are not too far from home, we enjoy short weekend getaways on our sailboat. He's the captain that navigates my path from this point forward. I love him dearly.

My two passions in life are my family and my students. This summer, I hope to tap into some tech skills to improve my craft even further. I am looking forward to meeting everyone and sharing our knowledge and skills.

Maricela Rubio

Hi all! My name is Maricela Rubio and I am currently completing my second year teaching at Laneview Elementary. For the past two years I have been an intern through San Jose State's SUP program and have been teaching first grade. This was a picture that was taken at my graduation just his May. This upcoming year, I will be leaving Laneview and moving to Cherrywood Elementary to teach fifth grade (which has been my dream position since I was a paraeducator at Laneview).

I enjoy many things, but one of my favorites (like most girls) is shopping! I have a BA and an MA in English literature, but unfortunately I am the English major that hates to read for fun...I have tried but I can't read without analyzing...slowly though I am getting into the habit of reading for fun. Hopefully this summer I will be able to read again and not worry about completing schoolwork. This summer I also plan to travel after the program is over, but I am not sure yet where I will be going...maybe New Orleans, or Yosemite, or Sunny So-Cal. Can't wait to meet you all soon.

Lisa Brizuela

Hello! I'm joining the other "x" number of folks from Milpitas High School. I'm completing my 2nd full year at MHS, and I love it! I teach science - Life Science/Health and Anatomy/Physiology. The students range from grades 9 through 12, and it can get pretty crazy in L-46.

When given nice scenery and free time, I enjoy running. Unfortunately, exercise is on the bottom of list of things to do. Eating comes first. When given lots of money and free time, however, I love to travel! My husband and I have been married for 1.5 years with 0 kids, so we're taking advantage of this "freedom" to travel. Our latest trip within the US was New York, NY. Our last trip over seas (and probably our last trip for a while considering the high gas prices) was our honeymoon to Spain.

I'm looking forward to meeting everyone in person and learning lots of new capabilities on my mac so I can incorporate them into my classroom.

P.S. I'm in the Milpitas/North SJ area if anyone is interested in carpooling! :) Those crazy gas prices.

Laura Veuve

Hello everyone,

I'm about to finish my third year teaching math at Leadership High School, a small charter school in San Francisco. This year I taught Algebra and AP Calculus AB, plus I'm an advisor to a lovely group of soon to be seniors that I've been with since they were freshmen. (The photo is from our ice skating trip last year.) Before this, I taught ESL and math through the Peace Corps in a tiny village in Namibia, just north of South Africa, which was quite low-tech. I've been slowly ramping up my technology use, including the new Geometer's Sketchpad programs I just got from DonorsChoose, so I'm excited to learn more. Also, we are in the process of redesigning our entire math curriculum (textbooks, structures, pedagogy, everything) to make our classes more project-based and outcomes-based, so I'm really hoping to get some good ideas and tools from the program and everyone this summer.

Outside of school, I'm a reader, an eater, a consumer of trashy television, an unskilled but enthusiastic dancer, a coffeeshop chiller, a movie and music fan, a park lay-abouter, and someone who's really excited for summer to begin. I'm from the Bay Area, but I went to Oberlin college in Ohio and I spent a couple summers working in upstate New York. I've also been lucky enough to travel and spend time in lots of places in Central America, Southern Africa and Europe.

I'm looking forward to meeting you all and working with you this summer!

Laura

Thu Ngo

Late to the party, as usual! :)

My name is Thu Ngo, and I'm wrapping up my second year at Milpitas High School. I taught freshman English this year (isn't it weird to be talking in past tense??? I can't believe it's summer!), and will be teaching freshmen and sophomores next year. I'm also the advisor for the class of 2011, and that takes up a fairly large amount of my time (but I completely love it). You can tell I spend way too much time around teenagers when the only photo I have to show you is a self-posed Myspace photo.

I grew up in the Bay Area and spent a good portion of my life in private school. I graduated from Notre Dame High School in San Jose in 2001 and promptly moved to Portland, OR to attend Lewis & Clark College, where I majored in English, with an emphasis on 19th-century Brit lit. I graduated in three years, and then moved ALL the way down the coast to attend UC Irvine to get my Master's in English. Finally I settled back at home to get my teaching credential from Santa Clara University. I student-taught at MHS, and I haven't left since.

Things you should know about me:
- I'm quite shy in person.
- However, I have five tattoos and lots of piercings that I'm not that shy about showing.
- I'm a music snob. (My three great passions are Radiohead, Elliott Smith, and John Lennon.)
- I'm a bit of a movie snob, but not nearly as much as Michael Cummins.
- I love the San Francisco Giants, for better or for worse. I occasionally follow the A's.
- I'm an avid knitter, as if to contrast with my tech-iness. (If you've ever wanted to learn how to knit, I can totally teach you!) I'm part of that new wave of punk/indie knitters. That said, yes, I can crochet a granny square. Blog: http://web.mac.com/thungo
- I'm a literature geek. Austen is my hero.
- I wish I could call myself a runner, but I'm really a runner-slash-hobbler. I am, however, training for my first marathon in October through San Jose Fit.
- Oh... In case you couldn't tell, I'm a major Mac supporter. I can't live without my Macbook.

I'm looking forward to an awesome three weeks with KCI! I am working with Michael and Frank Castro on a collaborative project to span our respective grade levels and subject areas.