home

Our Introduction

__Amanda __
==Wife, daughter, sister, aunt, friend, teacher, coach, and student are all words used to describe me. My name is Amanda Pickles, and I have been married for 2 and 1/2 years to my husband, Tripp. We live in our hometown of Madison, Georgia. I teach 5th grade at Morgan County Elementary, and I have been teaching 5 years now which is hard to believe as I am constantly learning about myself as a teacher. Outside of school, I enjoy playing and watching sports, cheering on the Morgan County Bulldogs and University of Georgia Bulldogs, and being with family, and friends. I graduated from North Georgia College and State University with dual degree in Early Childhood and Special Education and from the University of Georgia with a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education. I am now in school at Valdosta State University in the Instructional Design and Technology Specialist Program. My childhood learning experiences and teachers helped me decide to become a teacher. I love school and learning and hope to instill the same principles and characteristics in my students. ==

__Casey __
==My name is Casey Thomas and this is my 8th year teaching Spanish. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish Education (PreK-12) and a Master’s in Middle Grades (4-8) Education. I also have a certification in middle grades Language Arts and am pursuing my Ed.S. in Instructional Technology. I am very passionate about teaching students in a way that helps them to apply their knowledge to everyday life. I am also a big proponent of Active Learning. == ==I am also a wife and a mother. My husband Stuart and I have a little girl, India who is 3 years old. She is the light of our lives. I have travelled much and have had the experience of teaching in many places, including New Orleans, Louisiana the year before Katrina hit. I volunteered at an inner city boys mission school called Desire Street Ministries. It was in the lower 9th ward, which was almost entirely wiped out by the hurricane. Desire Street is still there and is back on its feet. == ==All of my experiences add to the kind of teacher, student and person that I am. This course has been part of that definition.The remaining classes and professors I will encounter in this IDT program will continue to mold me as a practitioner and thinker. ==