Introduce+Yourself!


 * his term, but I would love for us to begin getting to know each other and building a community in the first week of our class. Use the "edit" tool on the right there to add a bit about yourself for your peers to see. Feel free to add whatever you'd like, so long as it includes the name that you would like us to call you and the answers to just a few questions . . .**


 * How would you describe your background?**
 * What are some of your interests or subcultures?**
 * Why have you opted to take TEL 212 online?**
 * What is your field of study?**
 * What are your professional goals?**

My intro and model for this assignment are posted below. This one counts as a discussion post, so make sure that you complete it by Friday, January 21st. I look forward to growing as a learning community with all of you.

1). **Melinda Hollis** I'll be leading us a bit this term. Please feel free to call me Melinda. I moved to Arizona this summer to complete my doctorate in Curriculum Studies at ASU. I did my bachelor's in secondary English Education at The University of Georgia and my master's in English at The University of North Carolina in Wilmington. I have been teaching at the university level for six years, and I have taught high school, as well as reading and writing courses for children and adults of all ages. In terms of interests, teaching and learning have and will always be on my mind.

It is hard for me to identify a "home state" in the U.S. because I have lived in a lot of them. My pops was in the military when I was a kid, so we went from state to state, and in my adult life, I repeat this pattern. Just to give you an idea of what this means, here is the rundown of my moving about: Iowa--->Kansas-->Texas-->Washington (state)--> Georgia-->North Carolina-->Florida-->Pennsylvania-->Arizona.

Before Tempe, I lived in Philadelphia for several years, and that is where my heart still is, in ways. My partner's family is there, as are many of our friends. I had the opportunity to teach at several universities in the city and to work with a lot of different communities, children, and adults while I was there. Someday, I may return to Philadelphia, but for now, I am quite happy here in Arizona. ASU is a great place for me, I think.

Some of my interests include surfing (and surf culture), technology (and I am kind of a "gamer" by proxy), rock and roll (I followed some bands around the country when I was a younger woman . . . an ode to my college days), literacy and language studies, jogging/running, the U.S. education system, the U.S. penal/prison system, and dogs (big ones). I was raised in a Lutheran household, and I feel that I know a lot about Catholicism and that I am beginning to learn a lot more about some Eastern belief systems. My skin is white. My rearing was in a two-parent household in what I would call the "suburban middle class." I have always attended public institutions.

I wanted to teach this course online because I think it will widen my understanding of teaching and learning. While I have taught several hybrid courses, I have never been placed in a wholly online environment with my students, so I anticipate that I will learn a lot from this.

My field of study is Curriculum Studies. I see myself working in the classroom and in research for the rest of my time on this Earth.


 * That's all there is to it!**


 * Who is next?**

2). Sandra Vicars

Hello! My name is Sandy Vicars. I currently work full time in University Housing on ASU’s Tempe Campus. I have been in the work force for many years and have decided to take advantage of the tuition waiver benefit ASU has to offer.

In every position I have held, I have done some form of instruction from on the job training to peer mentoring. I have taught ESL and reading through local libraries and volunteered to assist children with their homework. I currently volunteer at Children First Academy in Tempe in the ELL 1-3 grade classroom. My passion has always been to teach. So now here I am, back at school majoring in Elementary Education.

I, like Melinda, have moved around a great deal. I grew up in the Midwest and followed my high school sweetheart, Tim, to Arizona after high school graduation. Once Tim graduated from ASU, we married and moved to California where we had our first child, Lindsay. Before she started school, we decided that having a metal detector at the elementary school was not an environment we wanted our daughter to become familiar with. We moved back to the Midwest to Tim’s hometown of Maple Park in Illinois. Not long after, Thomas was born. Now our family was complete and we grew tired of shoveling snow and longed for warmer weather, so we headed back to Arizona.

Both of our children have been tested as gifted. Lindsay attends the International Baccalaureate (IB) program at Westwood High School and Thomas attends the IB program at Summit Academy. Raising gifted children is not always easy especially when they know more than I do at times! It was nice to be able to ask Lindsay for help with my math class last fall. I have my own private tutor at least until she goes away to college in a year and a half. I am looking forward to this class and being able to put into practice what I learn when I volunteer at the Academy.

3) **Niki Lomibao** I am working on my bachelor’s degree in Special Education at ASU. I would love to eventually be a Special Education teacher at a local elementary school.  I, like Melinda, was a military brat growing up. My family was fortunate to live overseas in Europe for much of my childhood. My dad was stationed in Mannheim, Germany, but thankfully, my parents loved to travel and “adventure”. Prague and Luxembourg were our family’s favorite vacation spots. We also lived in Panama for a short time (only one year) until my dad retired and we settled in San Diego, where my extended family is. After my high school sweetheart and I married in 2003, we bought a house in Phoenix and have been here since. My husband is a police officer for City of Phoenix and has been for 3 years. We have two daughters, Sara (5) and Emma (3). I work full time at John C Lincoln Hospital doing billing for the Emergency physicians while going to school and working on the career I want “when I grow up”. I attended community college for a few years after high school, but took the “dreaded year off” to get married. This turned into 5 years and included getting married, moving to a different state and having 2 kids. You know how it goes… I finally returned to school in 2008, finished up my AA at Rio Salado and transferred to ASU last year. I’m a huge history buff (this is an understatement), so my original major was History and I wanted to do history research for a museum or institution. Realizing this was a little over ambitious for me, I changed it to Secondary Ed-History. Then realizing the chances of finding a job for this may be slim, I finally changed it to Special Education. And hopefully I don’t change anymore. J  One of the major reasons I chose Special Education as my major is because both of my daughters were diagnosed with speech disorders. My oldest daughter always had trouble with her speech, but we thought it would be something she “grew out of”. When she turned 4, I finally mentioned it to her pediatrician and asked if we could get a referral for a speech evaluation. Turns out she did have something wrong with her speech. She was originally misdiagnosed with apraxia, but the diagnosis was later changed to a moderate-to-severe phonological disorder. She started seeing a speech therapist once a week and she qualified for special education preschool at our local elementary school. When our second daughter, Emma, started developing the same speech pattern, we were able to catch her earlier. She was diagnosed with a mild to moderate phonological disorder. She started speech therapy when she was 3 and she recently started attending the same special education preschool. Working with the special education teachers and speech language pathologists at the school has definitely inspired me to follow in their footsteps. I think they are amazing as teachers, but also being able to be involved with special education, makes them extra-special. Hopefully, I can do the same! And having experience as a parent of children "in the system" will benefit my teaching. This is my last semester before I enter the PTPP this fall at ASU Downtown. I took this class in online format because I am a mom, wife, full time employee, driver to soccer games, cook and house cleaner among other things, and I attend ASU full time, so you can usually find me doing school work in my living room at 2am. Online classes work perfect for me! Sorry to have rambled on…looking forward to a great class!

4) **Monica Payne**

Hi! I'm majoring in Elementary Education and Medicinal Biochemistry. I'm a "first year" freshman, with sophomore credits because i went to Mesa Community College while I was still in high school (yay for getting ahead!). I graduated from Mesa High School (GO JACKRABBITS) last May. So far my first semester at ASU as been pretty good and I'm hoping for the same as we transition into second semester. I'm originally from Florida, moved to Texas when I was ten and a year later Arizona. We were planning on going to California, but got lazy after stopping here, but I'm happy my parents decided to stay. I decided to major in Medicinal Biochemistry because I plan on going to Duke or George Washington University for medical school to become an OB/GYN and Pediatrician. Elementary Education comes in so that while I attend medical school I can have a pretty good income coming in(less loans hopefully). I love children and have always been the type of person to want to teach and I find it fascinating to watch teachers at work and hope one day I can have that same affect on another child as my teachers had on me.

My list of interest is pretty long, so I'll try not to mention more than a few. Fashion, shopping, pageants, video games, art, traveling and exploration, and animals. I can remember my childhood as far back as two years old and since then I have been addicted to fashion and shopping. You can name a designer and I'll know almost all their background and most pieces in the current and past two seasons. My favorite clothing is by Chanel, shoes are Christian Louboutins, purses are Louis Vuitton. Although I can't afford them (yet), it's a great outlet for me :)

Pageantry has been part of my life for quiet a few years now and it's one of the best things I've ever decided to do. Currently I am Miss Mesa Teen United States 2011, in the wonderful Arizona United States Pageant organization. As a pageant girl I've found that there are many different opportunities that one can be apart of, including charity work and meeting high ranking government officials or businessmen and women. I plan on competing until I'm //at least// 70. Most people wouldn't find me as a video game junkie, but I most definitely am. The Grand Theft Auto series being my favorite games of all time. I have a Sega, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Atari, Nintendo, Nintendo 64, Game Boy, and X-Box 360; a collection I plan on continuing the growth of. I draw, paint, and make things out of clay. My mom got me hooked on collecting unique art work and she got me into drawing.

Since the day I was born my parents had me traveling all over the country! I've been to Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Virginia, West Virginia, Texas, New Mexico, Florida(obviously), California, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona( another obvious one :D) Since my parents have had me riding since I was young, today I drive constantly all over the state looking for new places to see and things to do. I even drove and saw snow for the first time this past December in one of my spur of the moment road trips. I have 3 children. My dog Chico(9yrs) my cat Mini-Me(4yrs) and my kitten Snookie (2 1/2months). I volunteer with the Arizona Humane Society and at the Biltmore Petique(starting in February); every time I go I try not to bring home another pet. Total pets I've had are 3 cats, 2 dogs, 9 fish, and 2 hamsters. I love animals ha ha :)

Lastly, now that I've finished my life story, I choose TEL 212 online because I don't have to deal with distractions and it's a bit more flexible with my schedule.

Whew! Let's have a great semester!

5) Marvin Pettet
My field of study is Physical Education and this is my last semester with ASU as an undergraduate. I do not have a preferred age group to work with but most of my experience has been at the elementary level. I moved to AZ after graduating from high school in 2003, graduated from Collins College with a B.A. in Game Design (2006), attended M.C.C., and now at ASU. I am still unsure of where I want to go for my master’s as well as what area I want to get it in. For now my priority is to graduate and find a teaching job; preferably in the valley. My interests include music, sports, the outdoors/nature, photography, and finding new ways to stay fit. I am taking TEL 212 online because it worked with my schedule, both school and work.


 * 6) Bryttani Trainor**


 * I am majoring in special education and this is my last semester of pre-reqs before I start my professional program in august, and I am only 17! I graduated HS a year early and I am now on track to graduate a year early at ASU as well. I am an extremely competitive cheerleader and I plan on trying out for ASU Club Cheer in April. My goals are to be a High School special ed teacher and coach HS cheer. I chose to take TEL 212 online because the in class time didn't fit my schedule. (Sorry the whole thing came out in bold, it wouldn't let me un-do it ha).**


 * 7) Cherokee Page-Roca**

I am majoring in Special Education and currently looking for an appropriate minor to pursue. This is my last semester of pre-requisites before entering into the Professional Program because in high school I took many AP/IB courses. I am currently taking 20 credit hours and playing Ultimate Frisbee for ASU Club sports. Last semester was my first college semester and it did not go very well due to unmanageable living arrangements, I almost transferred school because of it but have decided to stick it out for one more semester and try to make this one better. I am a California girl born and raised. I have only been to five states in the U.S. and that is the extent of my travels. However my boyfriend of two years and I are planning some trips for the near future. I have a very wide range of interests that often surprise people. I was recently introduced to Ultimate Frisbee and I love it. I also enjoy snowboarding, reading, shopping, making lists and planning, animals, working out, laying out, baking, music, Islands restaurant, movies, and those silly girl TV shows along with crime shows. I get excited over little things and try to make the best out of all situations. Since I had a rough childhood and adolescent years I am very understanding of other people problems and always want to help people however I am able to. When I hang out with my friends I am often considered the mom because I take care of everyone else before I take care of myself. I decided to take TEL 212 because it is part of my requirement and I am taking it online because it worked better with my academic and work schedule. I am so excited about being an Elementary/ Special Education teacher and cannot wait to graduate and get started with my career. I chose to major in Special Education because I love children and I always have. Originally I was an Elementary Education major but after taking SPE 222 I realized that I want to work with children with disabilities and make a difference in those children and families lives. In addition I would one day like to adopt a child with a disability. I have worked in a Daycare for 3 years, then at Islands restaurant for 2 years, and I am currently working at the ASU preschool. After graduating from ASU in 2013, I want to move back to California and work toward my masters degree at SDSU or Cal Poly SLO. Since I am too young to have children right now my babies are my 2 year old Great Dane/American Bull Dog Peyton, and my 14 year old deaf adopted cat Barney. However my goal in life, along with having a good career, is to one day have a real family of my own. That is basically me in a nutshell but there is always more to learn.

I am a freshman at ASU West campus and am in my second semester at this campus; I graduated from Boulder Creek High School. My major is special education, because I have family members and family friends with various disabilities. I changed my major from biochemistry to special education because I found that my passion has always been in teaching, especially for a purpose that is close to home. I moved to Arizona five years ago from Maryland and I am hoping to be able to teach back in the east coast. I plan to specialize in hearing impairments for special education and I know that the deaf communities and schools are much larger in the east coast, especially in Maryland. My interests are music; I sing and play piano and have since I was seven years old. I enjoy working with people and children; I work at Baskin Robbins and love just being able to hang out with my friends. I decided to take TEL 212 online because I took TEL 111 online last semester and truly enjoyed my experience. I have high expectations that this class will be the same way.
 * My name is Sharon Halaghay :)**


 * Hello,**
 * I am Danielle Reeves-**

I am 27 years old and have lived here in Arizona for the vast majority of my life. My parents moved my younger brother and I here when I was 9 from California. Once we moved here we lived and grew up in the same house for 13 years before my parents sold it and moved to Maricopa. I am an exercise and wellness major, I have finished all of my classes that are required to graduate but have put it off for one more semester so that I can finish up my prerequisites for graduate school. I am in the process of applying to graduate school for occupational therapy. I only have one class that I have to finish so I am taking the opportunity to take additional classes that interest me, this class being one of them. I thought that this would be a beneficial class in case I decide to work within the school system, I know that I want to work with children just not sure what setting yet. I chose to take TEL 212 online because we are expecting our second son early this April and online classes worked well the last time I was due in the middle of a semester.


 * 10) Sherry Zhao**

I was born in Tucson, Arizona, moved to Chandler when I was three, and I have stayed in Chandler ever since. My family and I have never done much traveling, so I have only been to 6 states out of the 50. I am the youngest of three children, and my two older sisters also attend ASU. Since I was raised in a rather traditional and conservative Chinese household, I think this course will really help me to understand the culturally diverse. I chose to take TEL 212 online because it fit my schedule the best.

I graduated from Corona del Sol High School last May, and I am currently majoring in Elementary Education. I have always loved interacting with children, so teaching seemed like the job for me. Ideally, I would prefer to teach anywhere from second grade to sixth grade, but I would also be open to teaching mathematics at a middle school. I have not yet decided which other major I want to pursue, but I do want to double major. I cannot choose between Chinese, Mathematics, Biology, or Accounting.

I really enjoy dance and music; I started piano at age 6 and violin at age 10. I don’t have much time for music anymore, but I do still continue to dance. Currently, I am a dance TA, but I have stopped taking lessons myself. I love reading all sorts of books, and I have recently become interested in law books. Most others find it boring to read about case precedents, the Supreme court, and the American legal system, but some of it is actually very intriguing. I really like cooking and baking as well, but many of my creations do not end up tasting very good. I see the recipe as a guideline that I don’t necessarily have to follow, and I also tend to cut down on the butter and sugar. One day, I hope to find/create a recipe for a healthy and delicious cookie.


 * 11) Kendra Gray **

I was born and am from Simi Valley, California. Being from right by the beach I love the water and swimming. I moved to Arizona in July 2010 to attend a summer program at ASU before starting the fall semester as a freshman. I am the middle child in my family. Out of my whole family I am the first one to attend college and I hope to graduate and make them all proud. My family is very supportive of me which makes schooling easier. I am majoring in Elementary Education and hope to teach the first grade. I choose this career because I have always loved children. My first grade teacher inspired my to become a teacher and I beleive that is why I choose the first grade. During my career my main goal is to make my students enjoy learning like I do. This will help them all through their lives and keep them expanding there knowledge.

I choose to take TEL 212 online because I only have class Tuesday and Thursday. Since my classes go till four thirty at night I did not want to add anymore time onto those days or anymore days during the week. I also took TEL 111 and was able to handle it so I decided to try again.

**12) Patricia Miller**

My name is Patricia Miller, but I usually go by Tricia or Trish. I was born and raised in Phoenix, an only child to a single mom. As soon as she had me, my mom worked hard to get through school and become a high school history teacher. Even though we had no money, she gave me a stable and happy childhood. I went to a Catholic elementary school and graduated from Barry Goldwater high school in Phoenix, AZ. After high school, I moved to Flagstaff to attend NAU with an Anthropology major and a minor in Psychology. I quickly switched to Secondary Education with an emphasis in social studies. I grew up around teachers and had been teaching in one form or another all my life. It just seemed natural to become a teacher. I spent a few years in Flagstaff pursuing my degree and was only two classes and student teaching away from graduating. However, during that time I had worked at a daycare with children ages three weeks to five years and found my true calling. As I got more and more discouraged with my secondary ed program, I decided to make the switch to elementary education and make a clean break moving back to my hometown. I opted to take TEL 212 online because it fit best with my current schedule. Even though I am back in Phoenix, campus is still quite a drive for me. So, try to minimize my commute by only taking classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, as well as online. I am excited, as this is my first semester with my new elementary education major. I love children and cannot wait to begin my career. I would start today, if I could. Ideally, I would like to teach either first or second grade. My interests are mostly centered around leisure. I love naps, good food, spending time with my boyfriend, friends, and my cute puppy, Koda. I also love shopping and love to travel. I am even going to China in about two weeks!

Hey there! My name is Erin Kinstler, not much to shorten, so please call me Erin. I live in Redwood City, California. I was born here, but have moved to Nebraska and Ohio before eventually coming back to California for high school. I am very good at adjusting to new surroundings, and thanks to my experience moving am very outgoing. Currently, I am a sophomore at ASU, majoring in Early Education Development. I hope to be a Kindergarden or first grade teacher one day!
 * 13) Erin Kinstler**

I am also in the sorority Alpha Gamma Delta at ASU, and have loved every second of being in this sisterhood. I love spending time with them just hanging out, to working at philanthropy events. I absolutely love meeting new people, and always look forward to making a new friend or two! I am extremely active, so you can always find me on an intramural team with my sorority or at the gym. I am very fond of cooking, and enjoy making delicious healthy recipes.

I opted to take the online course because this winter I tore my ACL and need surgery. I have had to switch all my classes to online so I can stay in California, receive medical insurance, and heal before heading back to Arizona hopefully after spring break. My surgery is set for February 10, so if my posts are a little loopy from the painkillers and anesthesia wearing off the following days, please forgive me. :)

I am Courtney Russell… I have lived in Glendale, Arizona my entire life and love it very much. I just graduated from Mountain Ridge High School is May. In high school, I pursued many different things including marching band, swim team, and academic clubs. Marching band gave me incredible opportunities like going to the Rose Parade and marching in it as well as going to the Presidential Inauguration and marching in that as well. Swim team gave me the athletic abilities to expand and grow into other life-long sports including running and weight lifting. Academic clubs showed me how to keep up my grades and the possibilities that I could accomplish in the future. Growing up I always visited ASU Main because my dad worked as a Tempe police officer for twenty-five years. While, taking a tour I couldn’t picture going anywhere else other than ASU. Currently, I am attending ASU West and living at home with my parents for my first year. In the fall I will be moving to ASU Main and enjoying the opportunities there. On a day to day basis I enjoy working out whether it’s running, lifting weights, or taking classes. I love going shopping and am pretty good at building an amazing closet. I travel often to Hawaii or California and love the beaches there; after all I am a swimmer at heart. I work at a gym part time and relish every moment of it whether it’s the members or the lifestyle it offers it makes me into a healthier person. I chose to take TEL 212 online because I enjoy the convenience of taking online classes rather than taking them in person at a set time because I am extremely busy. Currently, I am studying Biological Sciences (Biology and Society) and in the future I hope to become an orthopedic surgeon.

Hi I am Kaitlin but I perfer to go by Kaitie. I currently am a sophomore at ASU. I have lived in Tempe all my life, and I love it here thats why I chose to go to ASU. I have a twin sister who is my best friend but she unfortunately chose to go to NAU. My major is special education with a minor either in nutrition or special events management; I havent yet decided which one I would like best. After I get my bachalors degree I am planning on getting my masters right after. Some things I like to do are go shopping, work out, lay out, read, and hang out with my friends. I decided to take TEL 212 because I have to for my major and I took it online because I really enjoy online classes.
 * 15) Kaitlin Blay **

Hello everyone! I look forward to working with you and getting to know you over this online class! I would describe my background as a really good middle class family. I had two parents and lived on a farm in Illinois where my mother homeschooled my three siblings and I. I loved living on a farm because there was so much to play with and explore! We had a lot of cats and had kittens frequently which I loved. Last spring my family moved to AZ because they got sick of the cold so once I finished at my community college I headed this way. My interests include playing with my puppy, hiking, playing sports, hanging out with friends, and I guess work could be an interest because I will be starting a nanny job where two of the three children have special needs. I have a huge love for children who have special needs which leads me to my feild of study... special education. I actually am in the professional program and will start my year-long student teaching in the fall. I had to take this class in order to start student teaching which leads me to taking this online. I have taken online classes before and love the fact that I can complete tasks when it works for my schedule. I do enjoy my classes but sitting through another three hours would be hard for me. I have this class on top of my block scheduling. Lastly, my hopes are to finish here at ASU and get a job teaching special education at a high risk school, possibly inner city. I would like to go back and get my masters degree and move up in the school system and potentially become a principal. I have high hopes and if all else fails I would like to get married and have a family and adopt a few kids. Who knows where I will be in a few years!
 * 16) Tessa Huftalin **

What is my background? Well, I was born in Ohio and am a current resident of the "overly" bright (reference to the sun) state of Arizona for 5 wonderful years now. I am a father of 1 absolutely stubborn-headed daughter who goes by the name of Megan. Did she get that trait from her father? I plead the fifth! On a more positive note, she is a "self-motivated" straight "A" sophmore (high school), Manga fanatic, who is greatly disappointed in the Twightlight series; I hear about it endleeeeeeesly. I have been married to my wife Elizabeth for 18 years after July 2, 2011. NO...I'm not an old man, I am 37, thank you very little! I hold 2 degrees from Ivy Tech Community College in Terre Haute, Indiana; AS Information Technology, AAS Networking. I am currently studying Education at ASU; double major. That would be Elementary Ed and Secondary Ed/Mathematics. Also, I realize my grammar is rather sloppy. Sorry. :P
 * 17) M ic h ae l  Ost ra nder **

What are my interests? Learning! Almost anything new other than the Cha cha! Kids; I want more. Building computers like other men like to build race cars. Reading - I bought my wife the Sony E-Reader. I think I'm going to steal it when she isn't watching. :-) As far as books go; Harry Potter series, anything having to do with different religions and cultures, some fiction, COOK BOOKS :-), Sun Tzu's Art of War, and any directional pamphets for putting items together from Wal-mart. It's worth the laugh! I don't watch a lot of television but when I do; Hell's Kitchen (sorry, it is a name), Throw Down with Bobby Flay, Iron Chef America, Paula Dean (not detecting a trend are we?), Smallville, and Football (afford me a sport!) I like to work in the garden. Too many things to mention so let's move on!

Why am I in TEL 212 online? Scheduling issues forced me to take it online.

I covered my field of study.

Professional Goals: Teach, tutor, mentor, and be happy. By the way, I don't care if they pay teachers a small salary. I am not a greddy human, I have lived off of $25,000.00 a year for 18 years comfortably so if they paided me 35-40K, I'd live like a king! :-)

I want to wish everyone else in the class a good and sane semester!

** 18.) Caitlan Allen **

** I’ll be working with all of you this term as a grader for the course, and so far it’s been great to read all about everyone and see the diverse group that we’ll be working with this semester. I was born and raised in Glendale, Arizona, but these days I’m living in Chandler and working on my doctorate in School Psychology at ASU. I did my bachelors in Psychology up in Flagstaff at NAU, and so far, I’ve managed the lack of snow quite well. **

** I grew up in a two parent, upper-middle class suburban household, and have been lucky enough to grow up with 5 generations of my family all around me. Currently, that includes my 80-year-old grandmother, and my 102-year-old great grandmother whom she cares for. Growing up around these two women gave me an incredible opportunity to learn from their experiences, and better understand the changes that have taken place over the last 100 years. **

** Furthermore, as a result of growing up around a family like mine, one of my main interests is spending time with them. That being said, I also love a few other things including baking, photography, and most of all, reading just about anything I can get my hands on. Also, after playing clarinet for 9 years and having two musician brothers, I am very interested in music and the culture involved. Academically, I am very interested in the education system and how to help children get the most out of it. One of my specific interests is in how cultural and language backgrounds affect education. **

** I wanted to work with this course online because I believe technology is changing the way that we educate people, and it is important to understand how to maximize the affect that we can have. **

** Like I said earlier, my field of study is School Psychology, and my goal is to work in the public schools as a school psychologist. Furthermore, I hope to do research to further the field, as well as teach at the university or college level to build the profession. **

** I look forward to a wonderful semester with all of you, and can’t wait to learn from one another along the way. **

** 19) Kali Splett **

** My name is Kali (Kaylee). I had to include that because every tends to say it like Cali as in California haha. Im 18 years old and a freshman here at ASU. GO SUNDEVILS! I am taking this class because I have already taken TEL 111 and this was the next step. I am majoring in special education with dual certification in elementary education. **** I have always wanted to be a teacher since i could even remember. It just seems to be my calling. My brother is 10 and has severe ADHD and many learning disabilities so having him around has also made an impact on my decision. **

** Hm.. my backround is an ok one. I was born and raised right here in Arizona. I dont think i want to stay here forever, I dont really kno why haha. I have a boyfriend who lives in Colorado so we do a long distance thing but its going realy well. As long asyou have trust in the other person and follow the goldren rule things really do go amazingly. I live with my grandpa because my mom and I dont get along when we are together. Im really independent and i like it that way. **

** I dont really have any goals except to be an amazing teacher and make a difference, so im going to start small in the classroom. **

** I have interests in dance and cheer. But i am very consumed in my job and making money. That is deffinalty my favorite thing to do haha, but whos isnt. Other then that work is pretty much my life. I am looking forward to seeing what is to come in this class. **


 * 20) Teresa Medina **

Hello TEL 212 classmates! My name is Teresa Medina and I was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. I am 20 years old and a junior here at ASU. I was born as a die hard Sun Devil fan and always wanted to attend Arizona State University! I am of Hispanic heritage and love my culture and the many different traditions that come along with it! I am an only child but have many cousins, aunts, and uncles.

I love to be around my family, boyfriend, and my friends as they are the ones very dear to my heart. I attended Cesar Chavez High School in Laveen, Arizona where I was involved in many extra curricular activities such as Varsity volleyball. My favorite color is purple and I love animals. I love music and all that comes along with it. Although I am not a terrific singer, I do have occasional moments where I sing in my car. :)

I am an Elementary Education major and just began my classes in the Professional Teachers Preparation Program. So far, I am extremely excited for what's to come in these classes as everyone is so excited to learn how to be a great teacher! I chose to take TEL 212 online because of my crazy schedule as I work at an elementary school for before and after school care for kids. I love kids and I cannot wait to start my career as a teacher! I am very happy at my job now as I am getting tons of experience working with K-8 children.

My professional goals are to be the best teacher I can possibly be and to teach children not only about math, science and history, but to teach them about the very important values in life. A few years after teaching either 2nd or 3rd grade, I hope to continue my education towards getting my Masters degree. I also would not mind one day being an Administrator within a public school in Arizona.

I am very eager to begin working on projects this semester in TEL 212! I look forward to a great semester with all of you! :)


 * 21) Cayla Gassaway **


 * What are your professional goals?**

My name is Cayla Gassaway, for now it is showing as Cayla Hansen because I was just recently married. I grew up in a military family, but was one of the lucky ones that did not have to move around very often. I did however, go to many different schools for a variety of reasons. ASU is my 10 school and I am only a freshman here. I would consider myself to be very religiously orientated in The Church Of Latter Day Saints. I have lived here in Arizona my whole life and hope to move from here as soon as I am done with college. I LOVE DANCE! I have been dancing since I was four years old in a studio and began competitve dance at the age of eight. I love to dance and am hoping to double major by my sophmore year with dance as my second major. I love extra curicular activities and was a part of many in High school. I love spending time with family, that is something that means a great deal to me. One of the reasons I opted to do my TEL course online was to be able to spend more time with my husband. I live in Buckeye which is about an hour from ASU without traffic and to take the course in class I would have had to do a mon, wed, fri course with this class being the only one on Friday. So a two hour drive for a 45 min class, it just didn't seem worth it. So I waited for weeks for this class to open up online and finally right before school started it opened. I am currently in the Special Education field. I want to have that knowledge but I would rather just teach in a regular first or second grade classroom. I also want to to get into the dance program as a double major. My professional goals are to become a first or second grade teacher and maybe get practice in some other areas as well. While I am teching I want to get my masters in just general education so that eventually I can work at a Childrens Hospital in their schools that they have there. In order to do that you have to have experience and a masters in education.

22) Abraham Keller My name is Abraham Keller, Im from West Phoenix where I attended Trevor G. Browne High school. I'm bi- racial, white on my dads side and hispanic on my moms side. I grew up with a big family, 10-12 people living in a 3 room house at a time. The reason I decided to take this class online was so I could also be able to work. My major right now is secondary education. I would like to become an english teacher, but I'm not 100% sure right now. I actually love working with kids I don't know why. Kids are just better than adults because they have no worries. Haha, I had a summer job being a camp counsler for a Non-profit camp. It was amazing. Well thats me...

23) Miguel Martinez

My name is Miguel Martinez,I am a Freshman I recently graduated from Trevor G. Browne High School and now attend ASU with my major decided as Special Education, I am 18 and am Hispanic and am a child of the sun.. that means I am a AZ baby. I was born on February 16,1992 and was raised by my mom after my dad left when I was 3. My interest are golfing, Wrestling, Anime and playing chess. I am taking this course to expand my knowledge of educational field. My goal is to become a great teacher that can make a difference in the lives of those I will teach.

24) Madeline Hillebrand

Hello! My name is Madeline Hillebrand. I am nineteen year old Tempe native majoring in Special Education, and possibly minoring in French. I graduated from Corona del Sol High School last year (along with Sherry, number 10. Hi Sherry!). I've lived in Tempe all my life, and am hoping to transfer to an out of state school next year; I stayed at ASU because my family needed me here, but eventually I am hoping to move on. I am the middle child of five kids in a Catholic family- very recently my youngest sister died due to an inoperable, malignant tumor on her brain stem; it's been pretty hard to get back into the swing of things, but I've learned a lot over the past fifteen months since she was diagnosed. I decided to major in Special Education because of my sister; her illness made it extremely hard for her to function normally, and I got a small glimpse of what life is like for families who have children who need special attention. It certainly has not been an easy road, but I am confident that eventually we will be okay again- it all sounds slightly insensitive talking about it to strangers on a website, but it's such a large and defining part of my life that I just couldn't leave it out! I decided that my time would be better spent helping in any capacity in the field; I'm not sure what I'm planning to do with it, but I think being a teacher would make me happy. I hope to travel abroad soon, and put my shaky knowledge of French to some real use! I love to read, write, watch the Suns play, make and listen to music, watch foreign films, and spend time with my family and friends. I can't wait to travel! In high school I went to New Zealand for five weeks through Tempe Sister Cities, and it was a fantastic experience that I hope to have more time in my life to explore. I am taking TEL 212 because it is a requirement for my major, and taking it online because it better fits in with my schedule- I hope to understand more about the field, and gain more knowledge of how to be a better teacher. I'm looking forward to starting the semester off fresh!

25) Bianca Chavez Hi everyone! My name is Bianca Chavez and I am currently a senior waiting to graduate this May. My major is Transborder Chicana/o Latina/o Studies concentrating on community development and health with a minor in women's studies. I graduated from Hamilton High School in 2007 and I am the first to attend college from my family. I have one younger brother who is now a freshman at ASU and I have 3 dogs. I was raised by my grandmother because my parents had to work to support the family. I appreciate everything that they sacrificed because I would not be where I am now if it was not for them. My parents are Mexican, but since I was born here, I am Mexican-American, but I prefer to use the term Hispanic.

I love being involved on campus. I am a proud sister of Gamma Alpha Omega Sorority, Inc. which is a community service and academic based organization. These young ladies are my support system and have helped me become the professional, intelligent young woman that I am. I am also the president of National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations, also known as NALFO, which is an umbrella council for six Greek organizations. I love helping these organizations as much as I can and I love seeing these organizations grow as they continue their education.

I am in TEL 212 because I am interested in getting my masters degree in education, but I have not taken education courses. I do not want to be a teacher though. I am considering becoming a high school counselor, but I am not sure at this point.

Thank you and I hope you all have a great weekend!

26) Paris Booker

Hello All! My name is Paris Booker and I am a English Literature/Special Education major. I am a senior and am hoping to graduate with my English Lit degree this May and get my master's rather than my bachelor's in Special Education. I did attend U of A for two and a half years and transfered up to ASU last spring. I am currently working at a high school in Tempe as a paraprofessional thus my interest in Special Education. I am taking TEL 212 because it is part of the Special Education major requirements and will help me better understand the students I work with daily. I was born in Pittsburgh and moved to Tempe when I was ten years old. I am actually working at the school that I graduated from and am hoping to teach and coach there. As far as my background goes, I am an African American female. My family and I consider us to be upper middle class though for years my peers like to think of us as "upper" class. My mother raised myself and my brother and sister and we are all super close. My sister and I are best friends (but being 13 months apart helps) and pretty much hang out often. Being that I work full-time and go to school full time my hobbies are limited right now as I am trying to graduate on time. I love to write, sing, dance, and working out.


 * 27) Alyssa Bisanz**

Hi Class! My name is Alyssa Bisanz. I am a Senior currently studying Politicial Science as my major and Sustainability as my minor. I would like to pursue a career in the public service field. I could see myself working for a government institution, a non-governmental organization (NGO), or even with my own non-profit. I have aspirations to hold public office and to do everything I can to make communities stronger and safer places for children to learn, thrive, and succeed. I opted to take TEL 212 online because I took TEL 111 as an elective online last semester and thoroughly enjoyed the course. As a result, I thought it would be fitting to take another education class because of my strong interest with the previous course. In addition, the online section of this class worked easily with my school and work schedule.

If I had to describe my background and interests in a nutshell, I would mention that I have a French-Irish father and Mexican American mother who imparted on me the importance of learning to think critically and developing my own opinions (especially in regards to my political opinions and preferences). My family is very important to me. I have been fortunate to grow up in a two parent household, where I lived with both my mom and dad, and my adorable little brother, Bryce (he's ten :D). Across the street from my family's home I have been blessed to live only 67 paces away from my grandmother, and great grandparents (they are 91 and 92 years old and have been married 70 years this February)!

In addition, I am also a native Arizonan, who loves to recycle, ride my bike, play tennis, cake decorate, and volunteer. I often stay very busy and active with student clubs and organizations, and intramural leagues. A personal goal of mine is to do my best to make a positive difference in the world. I want to be a part of the solution to helping problems, as opposed to being the cause of many of the issues that ail our nation's communities--particularly within the U.S.'s education system. I am particularly interested in helping youth, and promoting service-learning. Three particular fields I would like to focus on and help as a public servant are: education, financial literacy, and the environment.

28) Kyle Tevis

Hello everybody, my name is Kyle Tevis. I'm an Economics Major through the W.P. Carey School of Business, and it appears that I'm flying solo in that respect in this class! Before diving into the provided questions, I'll list a few interesting things about me.

I'm a CA (Community Assistant, you may know it as 'RA') in the Barrett Residential Complex on the Tempe campus. If you are ever seeking a way to get involved in your community and ASU as a whole, becoming a CA is an amazing choice.

I've played soccer all of my life. The sport has downright shaped who I am. It has allowed me to visit many other countries, such as Ireland, England, Taiwan, Spain, Germany, and more. If you ever want a life changing experience, travel abroad - seriously! Reading about different cultures is one thing, actually experiencing them is entirely different.

__My Background__ I am very Irish. In fact, just recently I have begun to work through the paperwork to get dual-citizenship with Ireland. This will make it a lot easier to travel over seas (and of course having an Irish ID will be cool). Besides that, my credentials are pretty "typical" by societies' standards - Caucasian, male, tall, and the list goes on.

__Interests and Subcultures__ I've already dug into my passion with soccer. So I'll simply cover a subculture I identify myself with. If you've lived on campus, you should be aware of what "ResLife" is. Simply put, I am ResLife. CAs become very close with each other, and being a CA becomes a way of life. Also, I'm very fond of technology, computers, and the internet.

__Why Did I Take TEL 212?__ Considering that I am a business student, this question definitely pertains to me. There's two reasons regarding my choice of this course. First, I'm required to take a "C - Culture" course to fulfill a General Studies requirement. That narrowed my choices down quite a bit within the course catalog. From there, I chose this class simply because teaching is certainly something that fascinates me. I always thought my Economics professor in High School had a dream job - maybe I can be in his position in the future!

__My Field of Study__ My major has already been stated, Economics. Beyond that, I am a student in Barrett, the Honors College. As a Barrett student, I was/am forced to take classes that I would have never considered taking (mainly Philosophy related subjects). To my surprise, I really enjoyed these classes! I had heard of Plato, Socrates, Dante, and many other great writers and philosophers in the past - but never before had I actually experienced their work. As a result, I am now also perusing a Philosophy, Politics, and Law certificate.

__Professional Goals__ I have a few primary goals in mind; and while they very greatly in nature, I am fascinated by them all. //Lawyer// - I'd love to become an attorney for a large corporation such as Apple Inc. or another large consumer electronics firm. //Teacher// - I love 'teaching' when I get a chance. While I've never taught in an actual classroom scenario (beyond group presentations), helping my friends out with class work is a lot of fun. I also find it to be rather beneficial to my learning as well. I strongly believe the common notion that you never truly know a subject or concept until you can teach it!

And just like that, I've created a very lengthy post. To wrap up I'll say that I'm very outgoing and love to work and collaborate with other students. I hope that I can bring a fun, and different, perspective to the course and will definitely attempt to keep things fresh and exciting. If any of you want to meet to work on the class together, I'm on the Tempe campus! You can reach me at [|designer bags] (or just by the course roster on BlackBoard).

1) Scott Pinckney I am a senior and I am 21 years of age. I was born in Utah but lived in Arizona pretty most of my life. I love it here. I love the heat and cant stand cold weather. Anything under 70 degrees is cold to me. So Arizona is perfect for me. I am the oldest of 4 in my family and simply enjoy life. I pretty much only have one interest and that is golf. I am on the golf team here at ASU and I have been playing since I was 8 years old. I have many goals in golf and I plan on achieving them and playing golf my whole life. I have simply taken this class because of my major. I am in the BIS program with my minors in education and sociology. My professional goals are to be a Professional golfer. In august I am going to turn pro and play in the pro circuit.

2) Conzuelo Ramirez

None of the other class times fit my schedule that why Im taking TEL 212 online. I am majoring in Social Work I’m still unsure what path in social work I want to take. But one of my professional goals is to help as many people as possible with in my job.
 * Hello! My name is Iris. I am currently a sophomore undergraduate. Some of my interests are traveling. At some point in my life I would like to travel to Spain it seems like it’s a beautiful country. **

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