I would like to welcome you to my blog. I can honestly say that I have never "blogged" before. My wife and my sister both have blogs, and I have commented on theirs, but I have never personally "blogged". I guess that there is a first time for everything :) I love technology, and I feel like this experience will be very beneficial to me in this class and my classes that I teach.
I guess I can share with you a little about myself. I am from a small town in rural northwest Alabama. The town that I grew up in is called Phil Campbell. It's really small (I mean about 3 traffic lights and that's all :)) The town stayed out of the limelight until April 27, 2011. A EF5 tornado centered the town and destroyed over half of it including the school where I finished, and the church where my dad has been the pastor for the past 35 years. I had never seen so much destruction in all of my life. It killed over 20 people, including people that I knew personally. It really devastated us, but the town and church is recovering.
I actually live 15 minutes to the north of Phil Campbell, in the town of Russellville. This is where I have taught for 8 years. Russellville High School was my first job, and my only job. I love it. I work with really great people, and we have great students. I currently teach honors 9th grade world history and honors government/economics. I love what I teach, and I am very passionate about what I do. I also love implementing different types of technology in my classroom to better equip students for the 21st century.
I have been married for almost 7 years. My wife's name is Katie, and she is currently employed at our church as the secretary. She is currently going back to graduate school to major in secondary education with a concentration in English. She has a psychology degree, but she feels like education may be a good fit for her.
I enjoy a lot of things outside of my job. I love to read, and I love the outdoors. One of the outdoor things that I do is long distance running. One unique thing about me is that I ran the Huntsville Marathon in 2011. Some people think that running is crazy, but I enjoy it.
It has taken me 8 years to finally go back and work on my master's degree. This is my third class at UWA, and I have had a great experience so far. I look forward to this class and interacting with everybody.
Thanks,
Kyle
Kyle you aren't alone, because this is my first time creating a blog. I look forward to learning all the different learning styles using technology in this class.
ReplyDeleteKyle, I've blog on and off for over a decade. It's a great forum for conversation. Over time you connect with others who share your passions and can learn from each other. Time is the biggest issue with blogging. I enjoy writing, so blogging gives me an outlet for words.
ReplyDeleteYour wife and I have similar backgrounds. I majored in English and minored in Psychology (very close to a double major). I decided my junior year that I wanted to be in education so I earned a Master in Education through the 5th year program at UAB. Developmental, cognitive and cross-cultural psychology all prepared me for education. Your wife will be successful, I'm sure.
I heard about Phil Campbell on NPR. Apparently Phil Campbells from all around the world meet in your town. The tornadoes were devastating. My heart still aches for the loss of life. Here's a link to the story. I'm sure you know it.
http://www.npr.org/2011/06/16/137231291/phil-campbell-celebration-turns-into-fundraiser-for-twister-ravaged-town
I remember hearing that story on NPR as well.
ReplyDeleteThis is all new to me also, Kyle, and you're off to a good start!
Bonnie P.
Kyle,
ReplyDeleteI think we were in a group last semester in Dr. Cowan's class. Great to see you again. Hope you have a good semester.
Andrea Taylor
Your right. That was some more class. That paper was something else wasn't it?
DeleteI think blogging is something new for a lot of us but, hopefully in the end this is something we will all continue to do.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the blogging world Kyle. I love to use it to keep up with family memories. Best wishes with your future goals.
ReplyDeleteKyle, like you, I have never blogged. This should be an interesting experience.
ReplyDelete