My name is Lisa, and I am a wife, mother, educator, and trainer. I was born in Japan, and I moved to South Carolina when I was four years old. I consider myself an English language learner because my mother who speaks broken English was the one who primarily raised me. My biological father was in the US Navy, and he was always overseas; he also died when I was eight years old. It took me a while to figure out the differences between Rs and Ls; TH and S; and lots of funny words my mother made into her own version of Engrish (i.e., toweru paypa = paper towel).
I received my first computer when I was eight years old. It was a TRS-80 (Radio Shack), and I learned how to use BASIC to write simple programs. My mother always made sure computers were part of my life, whether they were part of a video game console or a desktop. She also made ballet a part of my life (her dream, not mine).
Fast forward to 1996: I was new to the Silicon Valley, attending school, and I was homesick. I travelled weekends to visit my mom in the Sierra foothills and my friends in the Central Valley. I was constantly on dial-up AOL ($2.50/hour!) and eventually, my PacBell.net account. I found mIRC (internet-relay chat) and kept myself busy when I was missing home, chatting with new and old friends. In January of 1997, I went into the California chat room, and I asked if anyone else was new to the SF Bay Area. Dozens of messages plastered my screen, but one screen name caught my attention: PsyPhi2. I cleared all the other direct messages, and I focused on PsyPhi2. Little did I know that 20 years later, I'd still be chatting with this guy nightly - we fell in love, got married, and have two sons.
When I went back to work after being very lucky to be a stay-at-home mom, I was lucky enough to get into teaching. While working as an instructional aide, I went back to school to get an MA in Education with a concentration in instructional leadership. My first teaching job was in a small Catholic school in Alameda, and I taught there for six years. I taught 3rd, 4th, middle school language arts, 8th grade religion, and K-8 technology. I became their Director of Technology in my 5th year there. During that time, I had also obtained a graduate certification in Network and Communications Management.
In 2013, I became the Director of Instructional Innovation and STEAM Programs at a private all-girls high school in Oakland. Eighteen months later, I became the Technology Integration Coach for a public school district, and six months later, promoted to Director of Innovation, Design, and Technology. In 2017, I became the Innovator in Residence at a community college, where I trained teachers in student-centered pedagogy and ed-tech tools.
I am a Google Certified Innovator, a Microsoft Innovative Educator, a CUE Gold Disk winner, a CUE Lead Learner, a Raspberry Pi Certified Educator, a MERIT13, and a forever learner.
I received my first computer when I was eight years old. It was a TRS-80 (Radio Shack), and I learned how to use BASIC to write simple programs. My mother always made sure computers were part of my life, whether they were part of a video game console or a desktop. She also made ballet a part of my life (her dream, not mine).
Fast forward to 1996: I was new to the Silicon Valley, attending school, and I was homesick. I travelled weekends to visit my mom in the Sierra foothills and my friends in the Central Valley. I was constantly on dial-up AOL ($2.50/hour!) and eventually, my PacBell.net account. I found mIRC (internet-relay chat) and kept myself busy when I was missing home, chatting with new and old friends. In January of 1997, I went into the California chat room, and I asked if anyone else was new to the SF Bay Area. Dozens of messages plastered my screen, but one screen name caught my attention: PsyPhi2. I cleared all the other direct messages, and I focused on PsyPhi2. Little did I know that 20 years later, I'd still be chatting with this guy nightly - we fell in love, got married, and have two sons.
When I went back to work after being very lucky to be a stay-at-home mom, I was lucky enough to get into teaching. While working as an instructional aide, I went back to school to get an MA in Education with a concentration in instructional leadership. My first teaching job was in a small Catholic school in Alameda, and I taught there for six years. I taught 3rd, 4th, middle school language arts, 8th grade religion, and K-8 technology. I became their Director of Technology in my 5th year there. During that time, I had also obtained a graduate certification in Network and Communications Management.
In 2013, I became the Director of Instructional Innovation and STEAM Programs at a private all-girls high school in Oakland. Eighteen months later, I became the Technology Integration Coach for a public school district, and six months later, promoted to Director of Innovation, Design, and Technology. In 2017, I became the Innovator in Residence at a community college, where I trained teachers in student-centered pedagogy and ed-tech tools.
I am a Google Certified Innovator, a Microsoft Innovative Educator, a CUE Gold Disk winner, a CUE Lead Learner, a Raspberry Pi Certified Educator, a MERIT13, and a forever learner.
Comments
Post a Comment