About Scott
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| Images are property of the Author |
I have been a technology educator for the past 10 years. After 10 years in the corporate world as a graphic designer as well as freelance web developer and digital effects artist, I changed careers and pursued education. I am currently full time at Brook Forest Elementary, part of Butler School District 53 in Oak Brook, Illinois teaching technology and media to grades K-5, and I am also an adjunct instructor in the CIS Department at Triton College in River Grove, Illinois teaching web development and Microsoft Office.
I have also been a professional umpire part time until about 8 years ago when I started having problems with my knees. I officiated all levels of baseball and softball from Little League to IHSA to NCAA including Illinois state championships and work with the Missouri Valley Conference Division III Women. I also used to run my own business providing umpires to youth leagues and travel teams in the Chicago area. Officiating was one of my influences into pursuing education after leaving the corporate world because of my enjoyment working with kids. Now my wife and I run a home-based baking business part time.
My avatar is a mashup of myself with the original Mr. T - the kids call me Mr. T, and I also pity all the fools... :) The following are different ways to find me:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/scottbthesen
Twitter: @MisterTee00
Triton Student Web Development Portfolio: academics.triton.edu/faculty/sthesen
My wife's baking business site: bonnybaking.com
Email: gr8scotinc@gmail.com
I dig the mashup man! "I pity the fools" is probably the greatest quote I could ever imagine a teacher living by. Good luck this semester!
ReplyDeleteLove the Mr. T image! Sounds like you keep quite busy. I'm a huge baseball fan so it was fun to read about your officiating. Do you have a set curriculum for technology/media or are you allowed to develop your own?
DeleteIt's my first year in a new district, so I've been given a little bit of leeway as I develop lesson plans with input from our principal, district curriculum director and technology director. Hopefully over the summer we will have a more concrete technology curriculum that applies both to myself and the tech teachers at the junior high.
DeleteYour Avatar is hilarious! I love the personality it brings. It must be a unique challenge to work with such a vast age range, but I'm sure it keeps any potential boredom at bay. Your baking business website has some amazing photos! I especially liked the cake purse. :) Your wife must be very talented. Best of luck in the coming school quarter!
ReplyDeleteThis year I am new to the K-5 world. I spent the last 8 years at a middle school while also teaching adults. I also worked as an aide at a high school before my student teaching for a couple years after a year of high school subbing, so I've now run the whole gamut. K-5 is a new challenge, but a fun one.
DeleteWow! Nice to have someone who currently is in a technology role apart of our class! My goal is to become a technology specialist down the road! My district heavily uses our technology specialists, so I hope to stay in district and take an opening when it arrives! Very interesting story of leaving the corporate world for education- it is nice to see that background knowledge applied to education!
ReplyDeleteFor me it was interesting to see what "technology" means in an educational setting vs. a corporate one. Also true at the college level, technology in corporate means "practical" tools that can be used in a professional environment for professional purpose (MS Office, web design coding, graphic design software like Adobe Creative Suite, CAD for engineering, etc.) But in K-12 (mostly K-8), technology means using digital tools for creative application of knowledge and problem solving. That was an adjustment I continually have to make, especially since I teach in both worlds.
DeleteUm...Bobby.....*I'm* in a technology role too! :)
DeleteHey Scott,
ReplyDeleteIt's great to have a class with you again. I've been on the slow track, only taking classes every other semester. Congrats on finishing at the end of this year. After having a bunch of classes with you, it's awesome to learn you were an umpire and run a baking business out of your home. Looking forward to having class with you.
Good to see you, too, Theresa. Ya, the baking business is my wife's baby. I do the web site and help design some of the decorations, but she does all the hard work. I also am "official taste tester" :)
DeleteScott,
ReplyDeleteIt seems like the kids must really love and get a kick out of you. The Mr. T and "pity the fools" quote is hysterical. Your post made me think about how I got into teaching right away and feel as though my professional aspirations might be leading me elsewhere next year, which is opposite of your journey, having finally come into teaching after working in IT for so long. What made you choose teaching? Also, with such skewed numbers in the male/female ration in IT/STEM fields, I wonder how you encourage your students to get excited about ... maybe robotics, or some other subject you investigate together?
I chose teaching because with my love of officiating, I thought I could use it to get into coaching. I did coach both the boys and girls softball teams for awhile at my previous district but interest dwindled and it ended up being dropped by the conference.
DeleteI get students excited about projects by trying to show things that are fun. When I taught robotics my final projects were hallway races and Battlebots, but in all classes I either try to make things competitions or something creative, like a movie project. I also try to (within reason) let the kids choose their own work groups, and when things don't work out I give them the choice to choose better combinations on the next project, if necessary. I find that, at especially the younger grades, boys gravitate to boys and girls gravitate to girls, and a lot of the time the girls put forth more of the effort and do the better job!