The professional development and well being of teachers is something that many school districts are becoming more concerned about. It is easy to keep attrition rates down when employees are happy and like the atmosphere they work in. One easy way to do this is to provide your staff with numerous opportunities for intellectual development and growth. This may be as easy as taking suggestions from staff members as to what kinds of in-service programs they would like to see. It may also involve opportunities to help professionals further their education through the funding of graduate level studies. Some organizations go as far as to put together coed softball and/or volleyball leagues for their employees. These activities help maintain a close-knit community within the workplace. There is also an aspect that comes from within employees. I teach science, but the world of science is as much a part of my life as it is my classroom. When I travel, when I take photographs, when I volunteer, or when I pursue any interest I take everything I can back to the classroom with me. It is important for me to lead students by example. Showing them my interests in and out of the classroom is one way I wish to expand their horizons. My love for teaching keeps me going, but it is my interests and professional development that make me whole.

Travel has played an important role in my development and has significantly contributed to my educational philosophies. I have traveled the United States extensively, having lived in nine different states. I attended college in California, Wisconsin, and Iowa. In addition to travel within the United States, I have traveled to Scotland, Germany, Greece, France, Hong Kong, Okinawa, China, the Philippines, Mexico, and Canada. Most notably, I lived in Changchun, Jilin Province China from February through June of 1989. My travels have exposed me to foreign cultures as well as cultural differences from state to state. I have gained a great appreciation for the differences between people and cultures. A deeper understanding of education came to me during my trip to China. While in China, I spent time at local elementary and middle schools and met many students from the local University. In my discussions with students, I learned that they had no control over choices regarding their education. The students did not get the option of picking schools, or what they would study. In one case, a student did not perform as well as his instructors and officials thought he should on an exam, as a result, he was sent to a different University a thousand miles away, his major was changed, and his wife and child were not given travel permits to go with him. Events such as this made me feel that even as much as people complain about the education system in United States, it is much better than in other plarts of the world. My time in China taught me to appreciate the education system that we as Americans are fortunate enough to have. With the travel experiences I have had, I would like travel to play an important role in my future. I have learned much on the road and I feel that I can convey the experiences to my students. I am also looking into the possibility of teaching in China during the summers. There is an English language school in the city where I lived. I have spoken with contacts for the school in the states and in China via email. They are interested in having me join their ranks as a teacher because of my experiences in China.

Something that I did not understand as a child was that teachers are people too. I did not take the time to learn about my teachers interests. As a future educator, I would like to expose my interests to my students. From the time I was a child I remember being fascinated with the weather. From those first experiences, I have held the physical sciences close to my heart. When I started college in California, I began with oceanography. In Wisconsin, I added meteorology, astronomy, and chemistry. In Madison, I worked in the Supplemental Instruction Program as a TA for a chemistry class. At Cornell, I completed the chemistry sequence, and have added biology and physics to solidify my base in the sciences. Intending to compliment my interest in paleoclimatology, I focused my elective geology courses. I took paleoecology, sedimentology and stratigraphy, and environmental geology. As part of a liberal arts education, I have taken calculus, sociology, anthropology, an English seminar on Shakespeare, and mediaeval English literature. I feel the most important aspect of my education is that I have spread my educational foundation out and not limited myself to one concentration area. I have taken the time to pursue courses in other fields to round my myself out. In the future, I would like to take courses to keep myself up to date with the latest research and information that is available in my field. I also plan to pursue coursework in areas of interest such as history and geography. I may even take Latin just for the fun of it. I have never really thought of myself as a career student, but the longer I stay in school the more I like the learning that takes place. This love for learning is what I want to pass to my students. To help keep me up to date while not in school I will depend upon professional organizations and journals. I am a member of the Geological Society of America (GSA) and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). I receive information from both of these organizations as well as the journals The Science Teacher, National Geographic, and GSA Today. I also keep informed using list-serves, local newspapers, and on-line news agencies for national coverage. Once I know where I will teach, I will seek out state and local organizations. I do plan to pursue my Masters degree though I have not fully decided whether it will be in education or the geological sciences, maybe both. Regardless, graduate school will be a part of my future after I am settled into teaching. While I feel that teaching comes naturally to me, I realize what it takes to be a good teacher and I am not willing to risk my performance to further my education during my first few years.

Outside of work and school, I pursue interests in several different directions. Much of my volunteer experience has been with homeless shelters, homes for battered women and children, with refugees from distant lands, and environmental issues. As of late, environmental issues have crept to the forefront of my mind as the need for work in this areas increases. I plan to volunteer with local parks and wilderness areas when the opportunities arise. I also wish to seek out organic farms to work on. I have continued my work as a tutor/mentor with students from the local middle school. During college, I attempted to volunteer with the local animal shelter, but my school schedule has not allowed for it. I would like to work with the humane society to help where needed. I am also a supporter of public radio and television and would be interested in volunteer efforts for their causes. In addition to tutoring and volunteering, I have participated in the fine arts at Cornell as well. I was the section leader of the trombone section in the wind ensemble for my three years at Cornell, and for the one year I was in the orchestra. I also played with the Mount Vernon Community Band in the summer of 2000. When I relocate I plan to join a local community band or orchestra so I may continue playing my trombone. As far as research interests go, I worked with graduate students from California State University at Fullerton on a project in Huntington Beach, California for a summer. We observed the interactions of colonies of Skimmers, Forresters Terns and Least Terns. We camped overnight at an observation post and used night vision equipment donated by the United States Marine Corps to monitor Skimmers as they flew in and out of the colony to feed. Research and investigation is something that never stops in my life. I will spend a substantial amount of time investigating the fill rock that is used to fill islands in parking lots just because it is there. I live my life according to my interests, and I believe that interests do not begin and end at the threshold of the school. It is important that students understand this and see it through their teachers.

In my years at Cornell, I have learned a few things about myself through my coursework. I have attended many schools in several different states. I have had many different teachers. When I thought about education as a career I thought about what I had experienced as a student. I also thought about what I wanted students to experience in my classes. I thought about the admiration I held for the teachers that influenced me the most and can only hope to one day do the same for my students. For me, it boils down to two terms: 1) teach: to impart information or skill, and 2) education: systematic training and instruction designed to impart knowledge and develop skill. The difference between these definitions may appear to be very small. However, I am not simply imparting knowledge when I teach. I am systematically working with students to deliver an education that will help them along in the world they live. After all as Dewey said, Education is a process of living and not a preparation for future living. With these definitions in mind, I like to look at myself as an educator rather than a teacher. The difference between these definitions may be small, but in education it is all of the small differences that make a big difference when it really counts.