I have been a Brevard County educator for 19 years. I currently teach at West Melbourne School for Science. During the summers of 1997 through 1999, I participated in the Teacher Quest Program working for various companies at Kennedy Space Center. From those experiences, I was able to bring valuable STEM-related lessons and career knowledge back to my students.

I am a program evaluator and the director for PEER-Program Evaluation and Educational Research Group an evaluation unit within the University of Central Florida. Recent projects I have been involved with were funded by the Florida Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, NASA and the Environmental Protection Agency. I received my Ph.D. in Education and M.Ed. in Mathematics Education from the University of Central Florida (UCF) and my undergraduate work was in Business/Economics.

I am a 21-year veteran of Pinellas County Schools, and I have experience in the business world working for AT&T. I have a B.A. in Business, and an M.A. in English, in addition to having taken scores of computer classes at USF, Eckerd College, and MIS.

As a technology teacher I have opportunities in my computer lab and in other teachers’ classes to blaze new trails in Technology Integration. When you present ideas in new, technologically exciting ways, you capture the students’ attention, increase their on-task behavior, and improve their retention. I hope to improve and increase my academic and technological skill sets through the Teacher Quest Tampa Bay Program which will benefit my students and fellow colleagues.

I have been a Technology teacher at Haile Middle School for four years. I applied to the Teacher Quest Program to have the opportunity to bring industry training into my classroom. I am an active advisor in the Technology Student Association. My professional memberships include: Florida Technology Education Association, International Technology Education Association, and Epsilon Pi Tau. My awards include: 2009 ITEA program of the Year, 2009 Manatee County Teacher of Excellence, and 2008 Epsilon Pi Tau “Fresh Face Award.”

By participating in Teacher Quest I will be able to bring in fresh ideas and training from the industry into the classroom. Integrating ideas and training that successful companies are currently using will enable me to prepare students for the work industry.

I graduated from USF with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 2004 and have been teaching school for four years. I have excelled in teaching students with abilities from Algebra 1A all the way to Calculus BC and was honored to be chosen to teach Calculus at 25 years of age. This year, my students took first place in the Pasco County Mathematics Competition, and last year’s Algebra 1A classes scored higher than any other school in the district on their EOY exams.

I grew up in Dade City and graduated from PHS in 2000. I am proud to work here and do the best I can to make PHS students competitive in their fields. As a teacher, I do what it takes for my students to realize their goals. I want to work this summer to further my understanding of these programs so I can give my students the best information possible. I expect to be able to take what I learn and apply it directly to my classroom. My success has been seeing my students go on to be successful.

My educational background includes a Master of Information Systems Management degree and a Bachelor of Arts with honors in Languages. This is my first year teaching middle school. Prior to that, I taught computer networking courses to high school students and adults at Manatee Technical Institute for seven years. I am certified in the following areas: A+ and Network+, MCSE and Windows.

I am someone who enjoys learning. I would like to improve myself as a teacher and tailor my curriculum to give my students real-world work experience.

I attended the University of Florida earning a Bachelor’s of Science degree and a Master’s of Education degree, both in Mathematics. I received both Chappie James Teaching and Florida Teacher Shortage scholarships as well. I have taught secondary mathematics and computer technologies for 15 years. During that time, I was awarded Pinellas County Mathematics Teacher of the Year. I have brought my own technology consulting experiences to the classroom and still pursue “real-world” experiences.

Through my own experience and conversations with friends in technology, I try to relay current and future business needs to my students. I want my students to see the real life industry in the classroom as they are learning about computer programming, MS Office, etc.

I have a BS in Chemical Engineering and an MBA. I have been very successful in moving from a Fortune 500 company to middle school, as shown by my FCAT gains and my performance evaluations. I have been named Teacher of the Month every year for the past three years. It is my belief that I must increase my training and education whenever appropriate to give my students the best possible education.

By gathering real-world data and using technology in my Teacher Quest experience, I would like to develop class web research-based projects. I will be able to teach students how STEM is used in a variety of jobs to increase student nterest levels.

I have two undergraduate degrees, one in Environmental Analysis and Land Use Planning & one in Geography. Since becoming a science teacher 6 years ago, I have been running an environmental group at my school. This group consist of students that are interested in the environment and doing their part to spread the awareness. With this group I help build awareness and create presentations of research and data collected through various testing (i.e., water, soil, etc.) Prior to entering teaching, I worked in many different settings, and I have approximately 10 years of experience in construction.

I chose the field of Science for its practical applications in the real world. Science allows students to learn hand-on skill to understand and enhance the world around them, giving them the skill set necessary to comprehend life and make choice accordingly. I view the Teacher Quest opportunity as another lens with which I can assist my students in viewing the world through their own eyes.