How long have you been a teacher?  Since 2015, almost 10 years now.  First, I was an ESL tutor in Saint Louis, Missouri; then, I was an ESL teacher in Beijing, China; after that, I was a substitute teacher in Texas; and finally, I became a classroom teacher in Aldine.

Where are you from?  I'm from Houston!  I joined the U.S. Air Force six months after graduating from high school in HISD.  Since then, I've lived in Arizona, Hawaii, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, China, Haiti, and Japan. I've visited even more places.

Click here to read about the places I've visited so far!

What did you do in the Air Force? (No, I Didn’t Fly Planes!) There are hundreds of jobs in the military. 

In the Air Force, I worked in Information Management—basically, I was in charge of keeping important documents and data organized. I collected, stored, shared, and safely disposed of information, making sure everything followed rules like the Privacy Act and Freedom of Information Act (because not all info is for everyone!). I also helped process paperwork, managed records, and kept things running smoothly so the Air Force had the right info at the right time. Think of me as the ultimate organizer of military information.

How long have you been teaching at Shotwell?  September 1st marked my 6th school year at Shotwell.

Why do you teach history?  Because I'm nosey!  In other words, I'm curious about a lot of things; I like knowing about people, places, cultures, science, technology, sports, and all sorts of things.

Will I enjoy your class? That's the goal for you to like it.

What will I learn?  Oh, the places you will go! You will learn about geography, people, European people, Native Americans, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, weird holidays, cultural traditions, controversial decisions made by past U.S. Presidents and other leaders, continents, countries, cities, oceans, and how to read a map.

You will also learn how to be accountable for the work you do (or don't do!); you will learn how to disagree with someone respectfully, how to thoughtfully share your opinion; how to listen to others, how to research; how to use Google slides and Google documents; how create Canva slideshows, learn different types of jobs, types of government; different technology, military tactics; different food, culture, music, social issues and more.  

But I promise, we will learn all of this in cool and interesting ways.

Think:  

• acting out scenarios in front of the class

• analyzing historical documents

• celebrating different cultures around the world

• creating souvenirs to take home

• engaging in friendly competitions

• giving presentations in front of the class

• going on virtual tours

• going on real field trips

• Having debates with classmates

• listening to podcasts (and maybe make your own)

• making art to share

• playing board games

• playing with Play-Doh and Legos to create historical scenes

• playing interactive vocabulary games

• reading old journals from people in the past

• researching past and current inventions

• researching weird holidays

• sharing personal opinions about current events

• studying maps and locating cities, states, countries, and landforms

• watching movies and movie clips

• watching videos and CNN10

• working in collaborative groups

• working outside on the patio and in the hallway

• writing on desks

• writing on whiteboards

• tasting food from different cultures

• writing (and reading) poetry

• writing raps/rhymes and performing them