Year joined Stella Faculty:

1995

Teaching Philosophy:

I believe that my students learn best when they are in an information rich environment, filled with authentic or simulated experiences that make the information come alive for the students.  We learn by doing, by listening, by discussing, by reading, by creating, by eating together, by laughing together and sharing experiences that make us a family.  My goal is to create Renaissance women and men, eager to learn and always curious with a practical skill set that will enable them to live out the lives they choose for themselves.

Describe what students will learn in your class:

Social Studies 6:  We study world history beginning with the evolution of humankind and finishing with the Age of Exploration.  Students learn to read timelines, maps, graphs, charts, primary source documents and other sources of information.

Social Studies 7:  We study American history  beginning with exploration and ending with the steps to the American Civil War.  We continue to learn to read and evaluate primary and secondary sources of information and learn how to write the DBQ essay.

Social Studies 8:  We study American history beginning with the American Civil War and ending with the Cold War.

Science 6:  We study Earth Science: geology, meteorology, limnology, oceanography and astronomy.  Students learn proper laboratory procedures and participate in Science Fair.

Science 8:  We study LIfe Science:  laboratory procedures, cell theory, genetics, evolution, classification, ecology, a survey of life on Earth.

Living Environment (Regents):  We follow the NYS curriculum in the Living Environment:  biochemistry, cells, cell processes, genetics, evolution, ecology, human organ systems, laboratory procedures.

Favorite Quote:

“All things are ready, if our mind be so.”  (Henry V)

“If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.” (Sir Isaac Newton)

“Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never–in nothing, great or small, large or petty–never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.”  (Winston Churchill)

“The way I see it, every life is a pile of good things and…bad things.  The good things don’t always soften the bad things, but vice versa, the bad things don’t necessarily spoil the good things or make them unimportant.”  (the Doctor)

Classroom Websites:

anything BBC; anything British Museum, the Amoeba Sisters