Beth Huey's Autobiography
I live in the Gwinnett
county portion of Hoschton, Georgia with my husband, two daughters,
son, and two cats. I grew up in Decatur and Conyers, Georgia and earned
a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering, as well as a Masters
of Science in Manufacturing Systems from the Georgia Institute of
Technology in 1985, and 1990, respectively.
I worked as a
standards engineer, budget analyst, and computer aided manufacturing
systems engineer for Lockheed Aerospace in Marietta, Georgia and as a
computer integrated systems engineer for Motorola Paging Division in
Boynton Beach, Florida. I loved working for Motorola because it was
filled with bright, highly motivated people designing state-of-the-art
manufacturing systems who loved to work hard and play hard. I decided
to resign from Motorola when my first child was born. While I enjoyed
being home with my daughter and subsequent children, I always missed
the mental challenge of work and the camaraderie of working within a
group toward a common goal.
I began volunteering with many
different organizations in which my children participated including the
girl scouts, boy scouts, my church’s youth program, and various PTA
committees to name a few. I discovered that I really enjoyed working
with children and helping them learn. Their natural curiosity about the
world around them and their excitement when they grasped new concepts
was the spark that began my interest in becoming a teacher. I decided
that becoming a teacher would be my next “career.” The first decision
that I needed to make was what would I teach? I have always loved math,
science, reading, and learning in general. Initially, I narrowed the
choices down to teaching middle grades math and science or becoming a
media specialist.
By becoming a media specialist, I could impact
an entire school’s student population rather than a single class or
team of classes. Additionally, it is my personal belief that for the
twenty-first century, information literacy skills are as important as
any other skill students must master to function as successful,
contributing members of our information society. So, it was with
delight and some amount of trepidation that I began my masters program
at the University of Georgia in Instructional Technology with an
emphasis on School Library Media. I have enjoyed my classes at UGA and
am eager to add my newly acquired Media Specialist skills to my toolkit
that I have built from my previous professional life and parenting
experiences. I look forward to creating a media program that is
student-centered, connects learning to the outside world, increases
student achievement, and promotes a life-long love of reading and
learning.
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