Hi All,
My name is Denise Ouellette and I've lived in SoCal my whole life. I went to elementary school in Santa Monica and Jr/Sr High school at Mira Mesa (I was in the first class when the school opened). While not all bad, the experience made me believe that 7th graders and 12th graders are both better off not attending the same school.
I am a PC person at home but do have experience on Mac. I took VSAR 305 (moviemaking for the web) last semester and learned a ton--I did however have a headache most of the time I was in the class! I embraced e-mail the moment it came out. I have always done a lot of volunteer work and e-mail meant that I no longer had to wait until I thought people weren't home and hope to get their answering machines in order to communicate without wasting a lot of time. I also read a lot of on-line magazines (Slate, Salon, NYTimes) as well as google everything I am curious about. I've even tracked down a long-lost friend using privateeye.com and a reverse address directory.
In my experiences as a classroom volunteer over the last 16 years I have developed a philosophy of teaching I can't wait to put into practice. I believe that every child can learn, if only we unlock his/her passion. I want to have a classroom that offers a variety of learning experiences so that there is something that each child can connect with and be excited about. Music, art, literature, and technology are all ways to reach kids. Student-centered education is what I truly believe in and I'm thrilled to be in a program that supports that.
