Blog #1 Introductions
Follow my lead...
Introduce yourself: where you're from, what your interests are (hobbies, studies, travels, etc.), and one thing that makes you truly exceptional (steal from what you came up with in class on Monday). The word has a connotation when coupled with special education, but truly over 87% of us are exceptional in some way (I just feel bad for the 13% who are not!). Exceptionalities range from diagnoses like ADD to shyness, gifted to struggling reader, the autism spectrum, hyper-sensitive to apathetic -- we will explore a lot of them! But please understand up front that being exceptional is not only negative: it can be an asset. This class will be about making your classroom accommodating and inclusive for ALL learners!
So here goes! I'm Dr. Barri Bumgarner (Dr. Bum, as most call me), and I'm originally from southwest Missouri. I grew up in Lebanon, got my B.S. in Ed. at Missouri State (then SMSU), and I played tennis and basketball while in college. After graduating, I taught 7th grade for a few years, directed a KinderCare (children's learning center) for the next 5, and went on to teach junior high in Columbia for a decade. During that time, I wrote seven novels, published three, have a couple more on the way, and decided I would get my Masters in Education. While at University of Missouri, I taught education classes, got lured into getting my PhD, and six years ago, I became an Assistant Professor at Westminster! I am now the education department chair, so most of you will be seeing a lot of me! Whew...way more than you wanted to know.
As for hobbies, I love to travel (I usually go to St. Thomas or Cape San Blas around Christmas, this past summer I traveled to San Francisco by way of the California Zephyr [Amtrak]); this Christmas I'm going to Cape San Blas...I love the oysters and nearby beaches! I'm a voracious sports fan (KC Chiefs, St. Louis Cardinals, Mizzou, everything Blue Jay @WC!, tennis...), and if I have my choice, I'd rather be at a concert or out by my pool with my puppies than just about anywhere else. I also absolutely LOVE books...reading them, listening to them, writing them, talking about them. And I am VERY plugged in -- I taught a seminar at WC called "There's an App for That" and I've led the initiative to get Westminster to go 1:1 (every student gets an iPad next Fall!). All things digital will help you evolve in this decade in almost every single profession (though I pride myself on knowing when to still pick up pen and paper!). But 92% of all western culture professions use digital literacy in some way (medicine, law, education, business, engineering, etc.)
One thing that makes me exceptional is that, as I mentioned in class, I am ADHD. Second of all, I am stubborn to a fault and I don't take no for an answer. When someone tells me I can't do something, I strive to prove them wrong. Sometimes it gets me into trouble. Most of the time, it allows me to live my dream. So far, in my early 50s, I've done just that....
Now it's your turn! Tell us about yourself, and respond to your compass members only (when you made groups from Leadership Compass)! Blog by Friday, Aug. 27 at midnight, then respond to each other by Wednesday, Sept. 3 at classtime (because there's no class for Labor Day).
Introduce yourself: where you're from, what your interests are (hobbies, studies, travels, etc.), and one thing that makes you truly exceptional (steal from what you came up with in class on Monday). The word has a connotation when coupled with special education, but truly over 87% of us are exceptional in some way (I just feel bad for the 13% who are not!). Exceptionalities range from diagnoses like ADD to shyness, gifted to struggling reader, the autism spectrum, hyper-sensitive to apathetic -- we will explore a lot of them! But please understand up front that being exceptional is not only negative: it can be an asset. This class will be about making your classroom accommodating and inclusive for ALL learners!
So here goes! I'm Dr. Barri Bumgarner (Dr. Bum, as most call me), and I'm originally from southwest Missouri. I grew up in Lebanon, got my B.S. in Ed. at Missouri State (then SMSU), and I played tennis and basketball while in college. After graduating, I taught 7th grade for a few years, directed a KinderCare (children's learning center) for the next 5, and went on to teach junior high in Columbia for a decade. During that time, I wrote seven novels, published three, have a couple more on the way, and decided I would get my Masters in Education. While at University of Missouri, I taught education classes, got lured into getting my PhD, and six years ago, I became an Assistant Professor at Westminster! I am now the education department chair, so most of you will be seeing a lot of me! Whew...way more than you wanted to know.
As for hobbies, I love to travel (I usually go to St. Thomas or Cape San Blas around Christmas, this past summer I traveled to San Francisco by way of the California Zephyr [Amtrak]); this Christmas I'm going to Cape San Blas...I love the oysters and nearby beaches! I'm a voracious sports fan (KC Chiefs, St. Louis Cardinals, Mizzou, everything Blue Jay @WC!, tennis...), and if I have my choice, I'd rather be at a concert or out by my pool with my puppies than just about anywhere else. I also absolutely LOVE books...reading them, listening to them, writing them, talking about them. And I am VERY plugged in -- I taught a seminar at WC called "There's an App for That" and I've led the initiative to get Westminster to go 1:1 (every student gets an iPad next Fall!). All things digital will help you evolve in this decade in almost every single profession (though I pride myself on knowing when to still pick up pen and paper!). But 92% of all western culture professions use digital literacy in some way (medicine, law, education, business, engineering, etc.)
One thing that makes me exceptional is that, as I mentioned in class, I am ADHD. Second of all, I am stubborn to a fault and I don't take no for an answer. When someone tells me I can't do something, I strive to prove them wrong. Sometimes it gets me into trouble. Most of the time, it allows me to live my dream. So far, in my early 50s, I've done just that....
Now it's your turn! Tell us about yourself, and respond to your compass members only (when you made groups from Leadership Compass)! Blog by Friday, Aug. 27 at midnight, then respond to each other by Wednesday, Sept. 3 at classtime (because there's no class for Labor Day).
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