Part 1

I am currently teaching in my thirtieth year of public education. My first year of teaching was at the preschool level, thus the reason I only taught that one year. I was not effective at that level. From 1991-2005 I taught middle school English, reading and science in Great Falls , Montana. In 2005 I moved to Billings, MT and taught three years at an elementary school. Again, I knew this was not a good fit for me and my principal got me a position at the middle school. The school year of 2008-2009 was my first year at the middle school I currently teach at. During these past eleven years I have taught Family Consumer Science, World of Work, Digital Literacy (Dig It), Empower (which is similar to FCS) social studies and geography.

By definition, the school I teach at is considered urban with approximatley 17% of the student body being minorities. 5% of the student body is Native American. Students in grades 6-8 comprise the 588 student body. We are in the top 5% in the state of Montana for having a large student body. The student to teacher ratio is 17:1. Math proficiency is 45% while reading is at 46%. This school ranks in the bottom 50% of state schools in testing, being #427 out of #573.

My current role with the Billings Education Association is that of a building representative. This is my first year holding this position, one of which I strongly believe every educator should experience. I have always been a member of the education association of the district I worked in, as well as belonging to MEA and NEA.