Orelski Introduction

Hi all!

My name is Jenna Orelski, and I am working on my masters in elementary education. For my undergraduate work I attended Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia. There I obtained a degree in Psychology with a  minor in leadership. I have always known that I wanted to be at teacher, so my Senior year I sought out a private school and began volunteering there. When March came around, I handed that school an application and told them if they had any jobs that they would consider me for I’d love to work there. I ended up receiving a job offer to be the assistant in the 3 year old preschool room before I graduated college. This is my second year at that school, and I moved up to begin the 4 year old assistant. That means I get the same kids I had last year. It definitely has many benefits, and some not so great points.

My ultimate goal is to move to Australia and teach there. I have been to Australia 3 times (I actually just got back on August 16th), and immediately fell in love with the country. It is something that I am working towards everyday, and hope to make my way there within the next few years. I know I will be going back for our summers (their winters) until I can make that transition into living there year round.

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* This is me surfing in Crescent Head, Australia. I have surfed before, and these instructors ended up taking me out the back, which means past the big (and big to me is waist high) waves, where they could put me on a “big” wave. Most of my friends were in the whitewash surfing those, but they thought I’d be fine to surf “big” waves.

* This is me in the Blue Mountains, which is about 2 hours from Sydney. Snow in Australia is not very common, but somehow I was trying to avoid the rain and ended up being transported into a Winter Wonderland. Being from Erie, I have always HATED the snow, but that snow changed my outlook on it. There was just something about watching random strangers getting into snowball fights, and watching the look on the children’s faces as the trains rolled into Katoomba with the snow on the ground. It really reminded me how magical snow is, which I often overlooked because we are so accustomed to the hassles that are presented with snow.

** As we moved North to Queensland we made our way to Magnetic Island. This ended up being one of my favorite islands, but in the beginning I was dreading it. The islands in Australia are beautiful, but there is really nothing to do on them. I am a person who gets bored easily, so knowing we had 4 days on an island with nothing to do was slightly terrifying. There ended up being a few coffee shops, which allowed me to become occupied. I also ended up spending a lot of time climbing coconut trees, and sitting on the beach.

    *** I am also competitive Irish Step dancer. I dance in a company called Irish Mystique, which is our “professional” show. I want to make it to the Irish Step dancing worlds someday, but for now I am working hard to master my steps.

Hannah Stebick- IL 2235 Introduction

Hello, all!

I’m Hannah.. This is my first semester in the M.Ed. English and Communications program. I received my teaching degree from Lock  Haven University in 2011. My undergrad work is in Spanish, however, I have recently developed a real passion for the English and Language Arts classroom. This year, I am teaching 6th grade study skills, which focuses a great deal on writing, researching, and public speaking. I am also teaching 7th and 8th grade Spanish, as well as an 8th grade reading remediation class. I teach in Bradford, Pennsylvania, and I couldn’t ask for a more supportive administration or a better group of colleagues. This past summer, I passed my middle school 4-8 Praxis test in English and Language Arts, and plans are in the works to put me into a Language Arts classroom full time. 🙂

Growing up in the rural town of St. Marys, PA, most of my hobbies include the outdoors. I enjoy kayaking, hiking, swimming, and biking. I could easily say that my kayak was the best purchase I’ve ever made. I also love reading, shopping, and spending time with my friends and family. I’m also a big fan of baseball… The Pittsburgh Pirates, OF COURSE!! 

I’m excited to take this course because I find language to be a fascinating topic. I love learning new things that I can use to enhance my lessons. Since I’ve been out of school for 5 years, and I haven’t had any grammar instruction for YEARS, I’m a little nervous. However, I’m extremely enthusiastic about this change in my teaching career, and I can’t wait to get started!! I’m excited to work with all of you.

 

Hannah

IL2235 Introduction Rachael Pirschel

Hi everyone!

My name is Rachael Pirschel, and I’m currently enrolled in the M.Ed. English and Communications program. I completed my undergrad work at Edinboro University near Erie, Pa, where I’m originally from. I’m in my third year of teaching 8th grade Language Arts at Bethel Park School district (which I absolutely love). Last year, my school was part of a one-to-one initiative in which all of my students received ChromeBooks. This has completely reshaped my instruction, but the change has been extremely positive. It’s amazing to see how quickly kids catch on to technology (and they’ve definitely taught me just as much as I’ve taught them). Grammar is a BIG focus of the curriculum I teach, so I’m very eager to learn about best practices for teaching grammatical concepts.  I’ll admit to being a little nervous about how to manage my busy schedule now that I’m teaching full-time and taking classes.

Before moving to Pittsburgh in 2012, I spent a year teaching 9th, 10th, and 11th grade English and coaching basketball in Northern Virginia. Prior to that, I spent some time flying around the country, and visiting different schools as an educational consultant (I actually hate flying, so that was interesting).

I live in South Fayette with my husband, Chris, and our twelve-year-old son, Ian. We are a family of runners. Chris and I run the Pittsburgh half-marathon every year, and Ian runs track for his school.  Recently, we’ve become bored with the road, and taken to trail running and hiking. We also love biking, kayaking, snowboarding, and…well, you get it, we like the outdoors. I also enjoy board games, painting, knitting, and reading. Some of my favorite authors are Kurt Vonnegut, John Irving, Lucy Maude Montgomery, and Jonathan Safran Foer. Oh, and I’m also a big Harry Potter fan. Chris was a double major in writing/film, so we also watch a lot of movies. Forrest Gump and E.T. are two of my favorites, and I’m a big fan of anything by Wes Anderson.

I’m very excited to take this class, and I really look forward to collaborating with everyone throughout the semester!

Ashley Sander- IL 2235 Introduction

Hello everyone!

My name is Ashley Sander and I am currently pursuing a M.Ed. in English and Communications here at Pitt. I’m taking this class as a requirement for my degree. I am really excited to be in this class! I enjoy studying language and grammar and I can’t wait to learn more!

The only thing that I am nervous for this semester is my time management. I always have been a student that stresses about getting work done. I am currently taking two grad courses, teaching full time, training for a half marathon, and taking care of my daughter (a bit of a full plate…)

I live in Allison Park with my husband, Josh and daughter, Kendra. Kendra just turned 2 in April and she always loves to “help” me study for grad school! Currently, I teach 9^th grade English at a K-12 online cyber charter school. I am entering my third year of teaching. So far, teaching online has been a pretty interesting, challenging, and rewarding experience! It is a lot to get used to, b
ut I have learned some pretty neat programs and resources to offer students to engage them and help them grow as learners.

In my spare time, I enjoy running, playing with my daughter, and reading. Kendra is OBSESSED with Thomas the tank Engine and in a few weeks, we are going to take her to a railway to ride an actual Thomas train. It should be pretty interesting, haha! Josh and I enjoy running and eating sushi! We are also huge fans of Dragonball Z!

Reading and language have always been a huge part of my life. I could literally read all day every day and never get tired of it. I mostly enjoy fantasy novels, but I branch out occasionally. This summer I finished up A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin and read Life of Pi. I was kind of sad when I had to switch back to a school schedule! I am really excited to see what this course has to offer and I’m excited to meet everyone and share experiences and ideas!